Notion has recently added the ability to define subitems within a Notion database, which gives us another way to add subtasks to task lists within Notion. This guide will look at adding subitems to a Notion database and subtasks using the subitem functionality to a Notion task database, where subtasks have already been set up using the Notion internal database relationships to manage subtasks, and should we even try?
You can find out more about Notion database internal relationships in our guide.
Adding a subitem to an existing Notion task list
I have created a simple task list for this demo. In our guide to creating a task list in Notion, you can learn more about building more complex task lists.
- Open the task list you want to add subtasks to
- Click on the three dots next to the new button
- From the menu, select subitems
- Rename to something meaningful to the table
- Click on Create
How subtasks work in Notion
Now that we have added subitems to the database, we get a toggle icon to the left of the item we are hovering over to the database click on this, and we can now add a subtask. Clicking on the toggle will allow you to create subitems.
You should rename in step four of the adding subitems process as an internal relationship using those names added to the Notion database.
Subitems also only appear to work in specific Notion views. For example, I tested in the Kanban board view, and you could group by the subtasks and parent tasks, but I would recommend against that as I think this could lead to data quality issues as you could create subtasks with no relationships to the main task.
How to update an existing Notion task list with subtasks like functionality
Some Notion users, including myself, will already have a task list that uses Notion internal database relationships to manage tasks. Should we use subitems instead to manage subtasks, and should we even try?
You would add sub-tasks to the task list database by setting up sub-items as above on the database.
The question is, do you want to do so? Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer. It depends on how you are using the list.
If you use the database to manage your tasks in views other than the table view, such as the Kanban board or the calendar, I would advise you not to. Subitems are worth considering if you use the table view exclusively and rarely use subtasks.
Conclusion
Adding subitems to Notion databases is welcome, but at first glance, I think it has some limitations. But as I type this and realise that the sub-item functionality uses Notion internal database relationships, it should be possible to work around these limitations. I have indeed followed up my line of thought in this article and you can find out that my idea failed to work. You can read the full article in getting around the Notion sub-items issue experiment.
You should now be able to add subtasks to the Notion database by using the new sub-items property in Notion databases and have enough information to make an informed choice on if they are suitable for you and your Notion setup.
You can learn more about Notion blocks in our guide to Notion blocks.
Last updated 20/03/2023