🪜 3 advanced ways to use subtasks

When goals are complex or span a long period of time, breaking them down into clear, actionable steps makes them much easier to achieve. Subtasks are designed exactly for that.

This article introduces three advanced ways to use subtasks:

• As key results
• As milestones
• As categories

and provides methods to help you manage multi-level tasks effectively.

✨ What are subtasks?

In GoalMap, a goal can be broken down into as many as 6 levels of tasks.
This hierarchical structure helps you turn big, complex goals into clear, executable actions step by step.

Example structure:

Goal
  └─ Task A
    ├─ Subtask A1
    ├─ Subtask A2
    └─ Subtask A3

🛠️ How to add subtasks?

• Method 1: Click to add
  Open the task details page and tap “Add subtask” to create one.

• Method 2: Drag and drop
  On the goal details page or task details page, long-press a task to enter drag mode:

  • Drag a task under another task to create a subtask
  • Move it left or right to adjust its level and grouping

🔑 Use case 1: As key results

In the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) model, key results are usually defined with measurable data to evaluate whether the objective is achieved.

In GoalMap, you can:

• Set a higher-level task as a “key result” and enable quantification
• Use subtasks as the specific actions under that key result

This way, completing subtasks automatically contributes to progress on the key result.

👉 Learn more: How to use quantified tasks

Example structure:

Goal: Fitness plan
  └─ Key result: Physical training (quantified, total 30 times)
    ├─ Subtask: Push-ups (10 times)
    ├─ Subtask: Squats (10 times)
    └─ Subtask: Plank (10 times)

🏁 Use case 2: As milestones

Long-term goals can be discouraging if you don’t see progress for a while.
By setting milestones as subtasks, you can split a long journey into smaller, motivating stages.

Example structure:

Goal: Launch a new app
  └─ Milestone tasks
    ├─ Subtask: Project kickoff meeting
    ├─ Subtask: Complete product design
    ├─ Subtask: Finish development
    └─ Subtask: Feature acceptance

With each milestone achieved, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that keeps you going.

🗂️ Use case 3: As categories

When a goal contains many tasks, subtasks can also act as categories to group related tasks together.

Example structure:

Goal: Family matters
  └─ Category tasks
    ├─ Subtask: Daily life
    │  ├─ Grocery shopping
    │  └─ Pay utility bills
    ├─ Subtask: Health
    │  ├─ Schedule health check-up
    │  └─ Plan exercise
    └─ Subtask: Relationships
      ├─ Family gathering
      └─ Call parents

🌱 Final note

Subtasks are more than “extra notes.” They can be powerful tools to move your goals forward:

• Making progress measurable and trackable
• Giving long-term goals motivating checkpoints
• Organizing scattered tasks into clear structures

Give them a try and see how subtasks can help you achieve your goals more effectively!