GTD for small business owners with multiple tools: step-by-step guide to centralize everything in one app without migrating data

Implementing GTD for small business owners with multiple tools can feel overwhelming. If you manage projects in GitHub, tickets in Jira, tasks in Asana, issues in Linear, and receive requests via email, it’s easy to lose track of what needs your attention. The solution isn’t migrating everything to a single platform (a slow and risky process), but centralizing tasks in an app designed to handle multiple workflows at once. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to do this step by step, using Foco to unify everything without losing control of your existing tools.

Why GTD fails for small business owners with multiple tools

The Getting Things Done (GTD) method is built on capturing, organizing, and executing tasks systematically. However, when you work with multiple tools (like GitHub for development, Jira for issues, or Asana for project management), the system breaks down. Each platform has its own workflow, notifications, and priorities, leading to three key problems:

• Constant context switching: Jumping between apps to check tasks fragments your focus and reduces productivity.
• Duplicate efforts: You end up noting the same task in two places (e.g., a GitHub issue that’s also a task in Asana) or waste time syncing manually.
• Lack of a global view: You don’t see in one place what you need to do today, what’s due soon, or what requires immediate attention.

The typical alternative—using a generic note-taking app or a spreadsheet—doesn’t solve these issues. You need a tool that groups tasks by work or client, allows filtering by priority or date, and integrates with your existing tools without migrating data. This is where Foco stands out for small business owners juggling multiple workflows.

Step 1: Set up your workspaces in Foco (without migrating anything)

Create a container for each client or project

In Foco, a work is a task container with a name and color of your choice. For example:

• Client A (blue): Tasks related to their mobile app development (GitHub issues, emails, meetings).
• Internal Project (green): Improvements to your own product (tasks from Asana or Linear).
• Admin (red): Invoices, taxes, and legal tasks (personal tasks or emails).

To create them, open Foco and click the + button in the sidebar. Assign a different color to each one so you can identify them instantly in Panorama mode (where you see all tasks together, each with its work’s color).

Decide which tools to connect and to which work

With Foco’s Plus plan (20 €/month), you can connect GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, and MCP servers via OAuth. Each connection has a destination work:

• Automatic: Foco uses AI to decide which work to assign the task to based on its content (e.g., a GitHub issue with the words "Client A" will go to the blue work).
• Fixed: You manually choose the destination work (e.g., all Jira tasks go to the "Technical Support" work).

To set this up, go to Settings > Connections and select the tool. Authorize access and choose the destination work. You’re not migrating data: Foco automatically brings in tasks assigned to you or where you’re mentioned, but the original projects remain in their platforms.

Step 2: Capture tasks from emails without copy-pasting

Use Foco’s email capture address

Every Foco user has a unique forwarding address in the format u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com (visible in Settings > Email Capture). When you receive an email with a task (e.g., "I need you to review the design by Friday"), forward it to that address. Foco will automatically extract:

• The task title (e.g., "Review design for Client A").
• The due date (if mentioned, e.g., "by Friday").
• The original email attached as a note (so you can refer back to it later).

The task will appear in the work you choose (or the automatic one if you’re using AI). No copy-pasting required: the system does it for you.

Practical example: From email to task in 10 seconds

You receive this email from a client:

An efficient capture system doesn’t require manually copying information: it should transform the input (an email, an issue, a message) into a ready-to-execute task.

"Hi, I need you to update the logo on the website before May 15th. I’ve attached the new design. Thanks."

Steps to capture it in Foco:

• Open the email and click Forward.
• Paste your u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com address in the "To" field.
• Send the email. In Foco, a task will appear with the title "Update logo on the website", due date May 15th, and the email attached as a note.

Step 3: Organize tasks with GTD in Foco

Classify by context and priority

In GTD, tasks are organized by context (where or how you can do them) and priority. In Foco, use these fields for each task:

• Scheduled date: When you’ll work on it (e.g., today at 10:00 AM, with a 1-hour block). This date appears in Foco’s calendar.
• Due date: The deadline (e.g., May 15th).
• Priority: Normal, important, or urgent (use urgent only for what can’t wait).
• Tags: For contexts like "@computer", "@call", or "@clientA".

Example: A GitHub task that arrives in Foco could be configured like this:

• Title: "Fix login bug (issue #42)".
• Work: "Client A (blue)".
• Scheduled date: Today at 2:00 PM (2-hour block).
• Due date: Tomorrow at 12:00 PM.
• Priority: Urgent.
• Tags: "@computer", "@development".

Use views to apply GTD

Foco offers three views to organize tasks according to GTD:

• List: Groups pending tasks by date (Today, This Week, Later, No Date). Ideal for the weekly GTD review: filter by work or tag and drag tasks to the "Today" or "This Week" section.
• Kanban: Customizable columns (e.g., "To Do", "Doing", "Done"). Useful for visualizing the workflow of a specific project (Focus mode).
• Calendar: Shows tasks with scheduled dates in a weekly or monthly view. Perfect for planning time blocks and avoiding overlaps.

To switch views, click the View button in the top-right corner. In Focus mode, you’ll only see tasks from the selected work, helping you concentrate on one client or project at a time.

Step 4: Automate the GTD weekly review

Set up the Copilot’s daily briefing

Foco’s daily briefing (Plus plan only) is an automatic review of your day. At the time you choose, Foco generates a summary with:

• Which tasks are due today (filtered by due date).
• What needs attention (important or urgent tasks without a scheduled date).
• What others owe you (tasks assigned to collaborators).
• Updates from your synced calendar (events from Google Calendar or Outlook).
• The highest-impact task of the day (the most relevant task based on priority and deadline).

To activate it, go to Settings > Copilot > Daily Briefing. You can choose to receive it via email or view it in the app. It’s not a generic reminder: the Copilot learns from your patterns and adjusts recommendations.

Weekly review in 20 minutes

Every week, spend 20 minutes reviewing your tasks in Foco with this method:

• Open Panorama mode and filter by tasks without a scheduled date.
• Drag the ones you need to do this week to the "This Week" section in the List view.
• Review recurring tasks (e.g., monthly invoices) and adjust dates if needed.
• Delete or archive what’s no longer relevant (e.g., a GitHub issue that was resolved on its own).
• Use the calendar to assign time blocks to the most important tasks.

Step 5: Collaborate without sharing access to your tools

Invite collaborators to a work

In Foco, you can invite others to a specific work via email. For example:

• Invite your designer to the "Client A (blue)" work so they only see tasks related to that project.
• Assign a task to your assistant (e.g., "Prepare contract for Client B") without giving them access to your other tools.

To do this, open the work, click the + button in the collaborators bar, and enter their email. No need to pay for additional seats (unlike Asana, where the Starter plan requires a minimum of 2 users).

Share a specific task without exposing the rest

If you need a client to review a task (e.g., "Approve design"), generate a public link for that specific task. The client will only see that task, without access to the rest of Foco or your other tools. To create it, open the task and click Share > Create Public Link.

Foco vs. Asana: Which is better for GTD with multiple tools?

When comparing Foco to Asana for implementing GTD for small business owners with multiple tools, there are key differences:

• Collaboration: Asana limits the free plan to 2 users, forcing you to pay from the start if you work with multiple clients. Foco allows inviting collaborators to specific works without a user limit on the Free plan.
• Integrations: Asana integrates with GitHub, Jira, and other tools, but it doesn’t automatically bring in tasks assigned to you (you must create them manually). Foco imports them automatically and, with the Plus plan, closes the original issue when you mark it as done.
• Email capture: Asana doesn’t have automatic email capture. Foco extracts tasks from emails forwarded to your u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com address and attaches the email as a note.
• Views: Asana offers Timeline (Gantt) only in paid plans, while Foco includes calendar, list, and kanban from the 4 €/month plan.
• Pricing: Asana Starter costs 10.99 USD/user/month (minimum 2 seats: 21.98 USD/month), while Foco Plus (with AI and connections) costs 20 €/month per user (no minimum seats).

Asana is a good option if you work in a large team or need advanced features like portfolios. But for small business owners managing multiple clients or projects across different tools, Foco wins in flexibility, automatic integration, and focus on avoiding context switching.

Conclusion: GTD for small business owners without migrating data

Implementing GTD for small business owners with multiple tools doesn’t require migrating data or changing your workflows. With Foco, you can:

• Centralize tasks from GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, and emails in one place.
• Organize them by work or client and filter by priority or date.
• Automate capture with voice, email, or connections (no copy-pasting).
• Collaborate without sharing access to your original tools.

The result is a GTD system adapted to the reality of small businesses: fewer context switches, more focus, and zero duplicate efforts. If you want to try it, Foco’s Free plan includes unlimited works and tasks, and the Plus plan (20 €/month) adds tool connections and email capture.

Productivity isn’t about doing more things, but doing the right ones at the right time, without wasting time jumping between tools.

FAQ

Can I use GTD with Foco if I don’t have the Plus plan?

Yes. The Free plan includes unlimited works and tasks, voice and text capture, and list and kanban views. The Plus plan adds tool connections (GitHub, Jira, etc.), email capture, and the daily briefing.

Does Foco modify my data in GitHub, Jira, or Asana?

No. Foco automatically brings in tasks assigned to you but doesn’t modify the original projects. With the Plus plan, you can enable the "complete also in origin" option to close the original issue when you mark the task as done in Foco.

How do I avoid Foco showing duplicate tasks from multiple tools?

Use the "destination work" field to assign each connection to a specific work (e.g., all Jira tasks go to the "Support" work). This way, Foco groups related tasks and avoids duplicates.

Can I use Foco for GTD if I work alone?

Yes. Foco is designed for freelancers and small business owners, even if you work alone. Works help you separate clients, projects, and personal tasks without needing collaborators.

What if a client uses a tool that Foco doesn’t support?

You can capture their tasks manually (via voice or text) or forward their emails to your u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com address. Foco doesn’t require your clients to use the same tools as you.