Task Paralysis?
23 Nov 2025Most productivity tools work the same way. They rely on capturing everything into one big Master List, sorting and labeling it, and hoping that structure will lead to execution.
For many users, especially those who deal with executive dysfunction, ADHD traits, or simple everyday overload, that list becomes the problem, not the solution. Staring at a wall of everything that could be done often makes it impossible to start doing anything.
This cognitive friction is one of the core reasons Ilseon was built this way.
The Cognitive Burden of the Master List
Opening a typical to-do application immediately puts the user’s brain under pressure. It forces a comparison between tasks that do not belong together:
- “Should that work email be answered or should the kitchen be cleaned?”
- “Is this admin task more important than revising?”
Even before work begins, the user is already mentally negotiating, switching contexts, and feeling guilty about everything that is not being done. That mental juggling is cognitive friction, and it is exhausting.
A Different Approach: The Context Filter
Instead of trying to prioritise better, Ilseon takes a simpler approach: remove everything that isn’t relevant right now.
Set a context with a Focus Block (“Work”, “Home”, “Health”, “Study”, whatever fits your life), and the app hides everything else, out of sight for as long as you need.
What remains is a quiet, contained space with only the tasks that belong to the role the user is focused on at that moment.
A Protected Space for Focus
This is the whole idea behind Ilseon’s Focus Filter:
- Remove the clutter
- Reduce the internal negotiation
- Lower the activation energy required to begin
Instead of asking “What should I work on?”, the user only asks: “In this context, what’s the next sensible step?”
It shifts the challenge from managing a long inventory to making progress on a single responsibility.
Why This Helps
For anyone who finds it hard to get started, especially when switching between very different areas of life, the Context Filter offers a quiet, structured way to reduce cognitive load. It lets them work at the right altitude, with fewer decisions and fewer distractions.
If traditional to-do apps leave users overwhelmed, this approach may be a better fit.
Try Ilseon
Ilseon is built using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. It’s free, open source, and designed around a simple idea: give the brain less to fight with.