Flow gives you powerful ways to organize your tasks using **hierarchy** (parent-child nesting) and **contexts** (tags for when and how). ## Task Hierarchy Your main organizational structure is the parent-child relationship between tasks. Any task can have subtasks, and top-level tasks with children naturally become your "projects." ### How It Works ``` Launch Product V2 <- top-level task (your "project") ├── Finalize designs │ ├── Mobile mockups │ └── Desktop mockups ├── Backend API └── Launch prep ``` - **Top-level tasks** are your projects - the commitments you're managing - **Nested tasks** are subtasks and implementation details - **Depth is unlimited** - break things down as much as you need ### Creating Structure There are two ways to organize tasks into a hierarchy: 1. **In the Outliner**: Use <kbd>Tab</kbd> to indent a task under the one above it, or <kbd>Shift</kbd><kbd>Tab</kbd> to outdent 2. **With Quick Add**: Type `/Parent Name` to file a task under an existing parent > [!tip] Start Simple > Don't worry about structure upfront. Capture tasks first, then organize them into groups as patterns emerge. A "project" is just a task that grew subtasks. ### When You Complete or Cancel a Project When you mark a parent task as complete or cancelled, all its active subtasks automatically follow. This keeps your task list clean — when you're done with a project, everything under it closes too. **What happens:** - Active subtasks (not yet started or in progress) are automatically completed/cancelled along with the parent - Subtasks you already completed stay completed — your accomplishments are preserved - This works recursively through multiple levels of nesting **Why this matters:** You don't have to manually clean up dozens of subtasks when a project wraps up. Just complete the parent task and everything resolves naturally. ## Contexts (@tags) While hierarchy organizes what you're trying to achieve, contexts help you organize tasks by **when** and **how** you can complete them. ![[Flow contexts.png|400]] ### When to Use Contexts Use contexts to group tasks that you can tackle: - In the same location - Using the same tools - At the same energy level - With specific people - In specific modes of work > [!info] Context Examples > - `@call` - Tasks requiring phone calls > - `@email` - Email-based tasks > - `@john` - Things to discuss with John > - `@quickwins` - Tasks you can do in under 5 minutes ### Power of Combined Organization A single task can have hierarchy and contexts: ``` Call contractor about kitchen tiles @call @contractor └── (nested under "Home Renovation" parent task) ``` This tells you: - What it's for (kitchen renovation - via parent task) - How to do it (make a call) - Who it involves (contractor) > [!tip] Making the Most of Organization > - Use hierarchy to track progress toward specific goals > - Use contexts (@) to batch similar tasks together > - Use domain tags (#work, #personal) to slice across your hierarchy ## Quick Reference ### Hierarchy - `/Parent Name` - Assign a parent task in quick add - <kbd>Tab</kbd> - Indent (make subtask) in outliner - <kbd>Shift</kbd><kbd>Tab</kbd> - Outdent in outliner ### Contexts - `@context` - Add any context tag - `@call` - Phone tasks (`Cmd+4` (Mac) / `Ctrl+4` (Windows/Linux)) - `@email` - Email tasks (`Cmd+5` (Mac) / `Ctrl+5` (Windows/Linux)) - Type `@` for autocomplete suggestions > [!success] Pro Tip > Start simple! Begin with just a few top-level tasks as projects and a couple of context tags. Add more structure as you discover what organizational patterns work best for your workflow.