Step-by-step guide to managing tasks for multiple freelancers in a small team

Coordinating a small team with multiple freelancers can be challenging. Each person works on different schedules, with varying priorities, and often on parallel projects. The key is to centralize tasks, assign clear responsibilities, and track progress efficiently. Foco is designed for this: it allows you to organize tasks for all freelancers in one place, with project-specific visibility and tools for seamless collaboration.

1. Create a work container for each project or client

In Foco, a 'work' is a container that groups all tasks related to a project, client, or area (e.g., 'Web design for Client X' or 'Social media content'). To get started:

• Open Foco and tap the '+' button in the top-right corner.
• Select 'New work' and give it a descriptive name (e.g., 'Mobile app development').
• Choose a color to identify it easily. This color will appear on all tasks within that work, both in Panorama mode (where you see all tasks from all works) and Foco mode (where you filter tasks for that specific project).

Repeat this step for each project or client. This way, when a freelancer opens Foco, they will only see the tasks for the works they have access to.

2. Invite freelancers to the work

To allow freelancers to view and update their tasks, invite them to the corresponding work:

• Open the work you just created.
• Tap the 'Members' icon at the top.
• Enter the freelancer's email and send the invitation. They will receive a link to join the work (they only need a free Foco account).
• Once they accept, you can assign them tasks within that work.

Each freelancer will only see the works they have been invited to, avoiding information overload.

3. Assign tasks with clear responsibilities

To create a task and assign it to a freelancer:

• Within the work, tap the '+' button to add a task.
• Write the task title (e.g., 'Write SEO article').
• In the 'Responsibles' field, select the assigned freelancer. Only members you have previously invited to the work will appear.
• Optional: add a due date, priority (normal, important, or urgent), estimated duration in minutes, tags, or notes (such as instructions or attached files).
• Save the task. The freelancer will see the task in their list with the work's color and their name as the responsible party.

If you need to break down a large task into subtasks, you can create multiple tasks within the same work and assign each to a different freelancer.

4. Track progress

Foco offers three views to monitor task progress:

• **List**: Groups pending tasks by date (Today, This week, Later, No date) and shows a collapsible section for completed tasks. Ideal for seeing what is overdue or recently completed.
• **Kanban**: Customizable columns (e.g., 'To do', 'In progress', 'Review', 'Done'). Freelancers can drag tasks between columns to update their status. On mobile, columns are swipeable tabs.
• **Calendar**: Displays tasks with due dates in a weekly or monthly view (on desktop) or daily view (on mobile). Useful for seeing deadlines and avoiding overlaps.

To switch views, tap the 'View' button at the top. As a coordinator, you can use Panorama mode to see all tasks from all works at once, or enter a specific work (Foco mode) to focus on one project.

5. Communicate updates without losing information

Foco includes tools to centralize communication without relying on external emails or chats:

• **Attached notes**: Each task can include text notes, photos, voice recordings, or transcriptions. For example, a freelancer can attach a draft or screenshot for review.
• **Listen mode**: If you have a team meeting, record the conversation, and Foco will transcribe it automatically. The audio and transcription are saved as a note in the corresponding task or work, with timestamps to locate key information.
• **Share tasks**: If you need a freelancer to review another's work, generate a public link for a specific task. Whoever opens it will only see that task (without access to the rest of Foco).

6. Automate recurring tasks

If there are tasks that repeat (e.g., 'Post on social media every Monday'), set them as recurring:

• When creating or editing a task, select 'Recurrence'.
• Choose the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly) and, for weekly, the specific days (e.g., Monday and Thursday).
• When the freelancer marks the task as 'Done', Foco will automatically create the next occurrence with the same settings (date, responsible, priority, etc.).

Why Foco outperforms typical alternatives

Many small teams use generic tools to manage freelancer tasks, such as spreadsheets, note-taking apps, or project managers designed for a single internal team. Here are the limitations you avoid with Foco:

• **Spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel)**: They are flexible but not designed for tasks. There are no reminders, calendar views, assignment of responsibles, or real-time progress tracking. Each change requires manual updates, leading to errors and wasted time.
• **Note-taking apps (Notion, Evernote)**: They are useful for storing information but not for managing workflows. They lack views like Kanban or Calendar and do not allow assigning tasks to freelancers with due dates. Collaboration is often limited or requires expensive plans.
• **Traditional project managers (Trello, Asana)**: They are designed for internal teams with a single project or area. They do not allow viewing tasks from multiple projects at once (Panorama mode) or filtering by work (Foco mode). Additionally, they can be overly complex for freelancers who only need to see their assigned tasks.
• **Simple lists (Google Tasks, Apple Notes)**: They are too basic. There is no way to group tasks by project, assign responsibles, or track progress visually. Collaboration is almost non-existent.

Foco solves this with a design specifically for small teams with freelancers: it centralizes all tasks in one place, allows you to see the big picture or focus on a single project, and offers simple yet powerful collaboration tools. Plus, its free plan includes unlimited works and tasks, making it accessible for teams with tight budgets.

Key steps summary

• Create a work container for each project or client and assign it a color.
• Invite freelancers to the corresponding work via email.
• Assign tasks within the work, including responsibles, due dates, and priorities.
• Use the List, Kanban, or Calendar views to track progress.
• Centralize communication with attached notes, Listen mode, and public links for tasks.
• Automate recurring tasks to save time.