“Prepare the client presentation” sounds like one task, but it really covers five or six steps. An unbroken, large task causes two problems: it’s hard to tell how much work is actually left, and it’s easy to forget a piece that doesn’t seem important — until you actually start it.
How subtasks solve this
- Each step is checked off individually, so progress is tracked more precisely than “0% or 100%”
- Nothing disappears from memory — every step lives in the list, not in someone’s head
- Another team member can pick up the task and immediately see what’s already done