A cascading structure from abstract life aspirations to daily tasks: Goals, Plans, Projects, Tasks. Each level links explicitly to the ones above and below, creating full traceability from life vision to today's to-do list. Without this explicit hierarchy, actions float disconnected from purpose, and you cannot answer the question: "Why am I doing this?"
The Four Levels
Goals. Long-term outcomes you want to achieve. "Become financially independent." "Write a book on PKM." "Build a sustainable business." Goals are directional; they describe where you want to end up. They link upward to values and life vision (see Personal Identity in PKM) and downward to plans.
Plans. Strategies for achieving goals. A goal may have multiple plans (sequential or parallel). "Save 50% of income and invest in index funds" is a plan for financial independence. Plans link upward to goals and downward to projects. They define the approach but not the detailed execution.
Projects. Bounded efforts with a defined end state. "Set up automated investment transfers" is a project. Projects have start dates, deadlines, deliverables, and status. They link upward to plans and downward to tasks. This is the level where GTD and PKM operates most naturally.
Tasks. Concrete next actions. "Call broker to open account." "Research three index funds." Tasks are the atomic unit of doing. Each task links upward to a project (or directly to a goal if no project mediates). Tasks have priority, status, and ideally an estimated effort.
Why Explicit Hierarchy Matters
Most productivity systems manage tasks in isolation. You see a list of things to do, but not why they matter. The action hierarchy solves this by making the chain of purpose visible at every level. When reviewing tasks, you can trace each one to a project, plan, and goal. When reviewing goals, you can see whether active projects and tasks are actually advancing them.
This traceability also enables powerful diagnostics. Goals without active projects are stalled. Projects without tasks are blocked. Tasks without goals are busywork. The hierarchy makes these pathologies visible.
Combining Frameworks
The action hierarchy integrates elements from multiple productivity frameworks. From GTD: the emphasis on concrete next actions and regular reviews. From OKRs: the practice of connecting measurable results to objectives. From the Eisenhower Matrix: the distinction between urgent and important, applied at every level (urgent tasks serving non-important goals should be questioned). From time horizons: each level operates at a different temporal scale, from daily (tasks) to yearly or multi-year (goals).
The PKM Implementation
In a typed note system like OSK, each level is a distinct note type with its own template, properties, and review cadence. Goal notes have properties like time horizon, alignment with values, and review frequency. Project notes have status, deadlines, and linked tasks. Task notes have priority, effort estimate, and due date. This structure makes the hierarchy queryable: show all tasks linked to a specific goal, show all goals without active projects, show all projects past their deadline.
The review cadences match the temporal scale: tasks reviewed daily, projects weekly, plans monthly, goals quarterly. See Periodic Reviews.
Key Points
- Four levels: Goals, Plans, Projects, Tasks; each explicitly linked to adjacent levels
- Full traceability from life vision to daily to-do
- Makes pathologies visible: stalled goals, blocked projects, purposeless tasks
- Each level is a typed note with distinct properties, templates, and review cadences
- Integrates GTD, OKRs, Eisenhower Matrix, and time horizon thinking
Open Questions
- How many levels of hierarchy can a person maintain before the overhead exceeds the benefit?
- Should routine/recurring tasks bypass the hierarchy entirely?
- How should AI agents use the hierarchy to recommend which tasks to work on next?
References
- Vault: Obsidian Starter Kit - System - Action System, Obsidian Starter Kit - Theory
- David Allen, "Getting Things Done" (2001)
- John Doerr, "Measure What Matters" (2018) — OKR framework