{
  "id": 7758650,
  "title": "Replace Checkboxes on Your To-Do List with Hexagons",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/replace-checkboxes-on-your-to-do-list-with-hexagons",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-16T09:49:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/sinan_8b0ad5cb7c2/replace-checkboxes-on-your-to-do-list-with-hexagons-1fhk"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For developers, a simple yet effective way to boost motivation and keep tasks engaging is to replace traditional checkboxes with hexagonal progress indicators. This idea emerged after the author spent nine months developing a gamification extension, only to find their own to-do list still unexciting. The key insight was that the mere act of clearly defining a task's title and description already represents progress. By introducing a hexagon, the author aimed to visually demonstrate this initial progress, making the task feel more tangible. Unlike a checkbox, which merely indicates completion, the hexagon showcases the completion of individual steps within a task, each with customizable opacity levels to represent finer gradations of completion. As the developer works on the task, the hexagon fills up progressively, providing a clear, tangible sense of advancement. This subtle change transforms the task from a mundane, unchecked item into a visually rewarding, almost addictive experience. The author has even created a VS Code extension called \"Cortex - Working Memory for Developers\" to enable this hexagonal progress system, allowing developers to test and benefit from this gamified approach to task management.",
  "summary": "I spent 9 months building a gamification extension. Then I looked at my own tasks and realized: They still felt boring. One small change turned that around. Now I almost can’t help but do them. There’s a saying: “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” That’s especially true for me as a developer. If I can’t put a problem into words, I probably don’t understand it well enough yet. But…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}