How to Centralize Tasks from GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, and Notion in One Place Without Migrating Data

Managing multiple projects—whether as a freelancer, solopreneur, or small team—means juggling tasks across different tools: GitHub issues, Jira tickets, Asana tasks, Notion pages, and Linear issues. The challenge isn’t just switching between apps; it’s the fragmentation of information. Centralizing tasks from multiple apps in one place without migrating data might seem impossible, but it’s not. The solution doesn’t require exporting, importing, or duplicating information. Instead, it’s about connecting your tools so tasks automatically flow into a single dashboard, where you can view, prioritize, and act on them without losing context for each project.

Why Centralizing Tasks in One Place Matters for Multiple Projects

When you work across multiple projects or clients, each tool has its own language, workflows, and limitations. GitHub uses issues and pull requests; Jira relies on tickets with custom fields; Asana prioritizes tasks with due dates; Linear focuses on sprints; and Notion blends databases with documentation pages. Keeping everything in separate apps creates three key problems:

• Loss of context: Switching between tools disrupts your workflow. An urgent task in Jira might go unnoticed if you only check Asana.
• Double effort: Updating a task’s status in one app doesn’t reflect in others. You end up marking the same task as complete twice—or worse, forgetting to sync it altogether.
• Lack of global prioritization: Without a unified view, it’s impossible to know which task requires immediate attention across all projects. Is it a critical bug in GitHub or a deadline in Asana? Without a centralized dashboard, decisions are based on guesswork, not data.

The typical alternative—using a spreadsheet or a notes app—fails because it doesn’t scale. An Excel table won’t show due dates, assignees, or real-time status updates, and a list in Notion or Google Keep won’t update automatically when someone modifies an issue in GitHub. What you need is a system that brings tasks from all your apps into one place, without migrating data or losing information.

How Foco Plus Connections Work to Centralize Tasks

Foco Plus includes Connections, a feature that integrates with GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, and Notion (plus any MCP server) to automatically pull in tasks where you’re assigned or mentioned. This isn’t a migration: the original data stays in its tool, but Foco creates an updated copy of each task in your dashboard. This way, you can manage them alongside tasks from other projects without losing the link to the source.

What Syncs from Each Tool

• GitHub: Issues and pull requests where you’re assigned or mentioned, including title, description, labels, status (open/closed), and a direct link to the repository.
• Jira: Issues assigned to you, with title, description, priority, status (To Do, In Progress, Done), due date, and a link to the original ticket.
• Asana: Tasks assigned to you, with title, description, due date, status (To Do/Doing/Done), priority, and a link to the task in Asana.
• Linear: Issues assigned to you, with title, description, status (Backlog, Todo, In Progress, Done), priority, and a link to the original issue.
• Notion: Pages and tasks where you’re mentioned or assigned, including title, content, status, and a link to the page in Notion.

How to Set Up Connections Step by Step

• 1. Access Connections: In Foco Plus, go to Settings > Connections and select the tool you want to connect (GitHub, Jira, etc.).
• 2. Sign in with OAuth: Foco uses OAuth for secure authentication, without storing your credentials. You only need read permissions for tasks where you’re assigned or mentioned.
• 3. Choose the destination workspace: Each connection can send tasks to a fixed workspace (e.g., "Project X") or Automatic mode, where Foco’s AI decides the workspace based on the task content (useful if you work with many clients).
• 4. Enable 'Complete in source tool': If you check this box, marking a task as done in Foco will automatically close or comment on it in the original tool (e.g., close an issue in GitHub or mark a task as done in Asana).
• 5. Review synced tasks: The first tasks will appear within minutes. Each includes a link to the source, so you can check additional details without leaving Foco.

For example, if you’re assigned a GitHub issue and an Asana task for the same day, Foco will display them together in Panorama mode, each with its workspace’s color. If you need to focus only on the GitHub project, switch to Focus mode and filter by that workspace. This way, you avoid distractions without losing sight of your other commitments.

Advantages of Centralizing Tasks in Foco vs. Alternatives

1. No User or Project Limits

Tools like Asana have a free plan limited to 2 users, making them impractical for freelancers or small teams collaborating with multiple clients. Asana’s Starter plan (10.99 USD/user/month with annual billing) requires a minimum of 2 seats, so you’d pay for two users even if you work alone. Foco, on the other hand, has no minimums: the Plus plan costs 20 EUR/month per user, with no restrictions on projects or collaborators. You can invite clients or teammates to specific workspaces without paying extra for them.

2. Unified View with Visual Context

In Asana or Jira, each project has its own board, and there’s no way to see all pending tasks in one view without manually creating reports. Foco solves this with Panorama mode, which displays tasks from all workspaces at once, each with its project’s color. This lets you quickly identify what’s urgent, what’s due today, and what can wait. Plus, the List, Kanban, and Calendar views adapt to your workflow: group by due date, priority, or status without switching apps.

3. Bidirectional Sync Without Duplicating Work

Other apps allow integrations with tools like GitHub or Jira, but they’re often one-way: tasks flow into the task manager, but not back. Foco closes the loop: if you enable the 'Complete in source tool' option, marking a task as done in Foco will automatically update the status in the original tool (e.g., close an issue in GitHub or comment on a Jira ticket). This prevents you from forgetting to update the source and keeps everything synced effortlessly.

Real-World Use Cases: How to Centralize Tasks in Practice

Freelancer with Clients on Asana and GitHub

Imagine you manage two clients: one uses Asana for marketing tasks, and the other uses GitHub for development. With Foco Plus, you connect both tools and assign each to a workspace (e.g., "Client A - Marketing" and "Client B - Development"). Asana tasks appear in the first workspace, with their due dates and priorities; GitHub issues appear in the second, with labels and status. In Panorama mode, you see everything together, but if you need to focus on the GitHub client, switch to Focus mode and filter by that workspace. When you complete an issue, mark it as done in Foco, and it will close automatically in GitHub.

Small Team with Projects in Linear and Notion

A development team uses Linear for sprints and Notion for documentation. With Foco Plus, they connect both tools and choose Automatic mode so the AI assigns each task to the correct workspace (e.g., Linear issues go to "Sprint Q3" and Notion pages to "Documentation"). In the Kanban view, they sort tasks by priority and see which issues are blocked by pending documentation. When a task is completed in Foco, it updates in Linear or Notion without needing to open both apps.

Centralizing tasks isn’t about having fewer tools; it’s about reducing noise. The key is bringing only what’s relevant into one place, where you can act without losing context for each project.

What to Do After Centralizing Your Tasks

Once your GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, and Notion tasks are in Foco, the next step is to organize your workflow. Here are three actionable steps to make the most of centralization:

• 1. Use labels to cross-reference projects: If a GitHub task affects an Asana project, add a label like "marketing-dependency" to see the connection in Foco. This helps identify tasks linked across tools.
• 2. Group by due date: In the List view, sort tasks by due date (not scheduled date) to prioritize what’s due first, regardless of which app it came from.
• 3. Review the daily briefing: If you have Foco Plus, enable the daily briefing to receive a summary of tasks due today, those requiring attention, and calendar updates. It’s a great way to start the day with clarity.

If you want to dive deeper into organizing tasks across multiple projects, you might find these guides helpful: How to sync Notion, Linear, and GitHub tasks in one list without migrating data or Batch processing for multiple jobs: how to group similar tasks and reduce context switching.

Conclusion: Centralizing Without Migrating Is Possible

Centralizing tasks from multiple apps in one place without migrating data isn’t a pipe dream—it’s a reality with Foco Plus Connections. The key is connecting the tools you already use so tasks automatically flow into a unified dashboard, where you can view, prioritize, and act on them without losing context. This isn’t about replacing GitHub, Jira, or Asana; it’s about complementing them with a system that lets you manage everything from one place, without duplicating work or paying for unnecessary seats.

If you juggle multiple projects or clients, try Foco Plus Connections and see how unifying your tasks without migrating data works. Start by connecting one tool and add more as needed. The goal isn’t to have fewer apps; it’s to have less noise.

FAQ

Can I centralize tasks from Trello or ClickUp with Foco?

Currently, Foco Plus only integrates with GitHub, Jira, Asana, Linear, Notion, and MCP servers. Trello and ClickUp are not part of the Connections catalog, but you can vote for their inclusion in future updates from within the app.

What happens if I delete a task in Foco? Does it delete in the original app too?

No. Foco only syncs task statuses (e.g., marking as done), but it doesn’t delete tasks in the original tool. If you delete a task in Foco, it will still exist in GitHub, Jira, etc., unless you manually delete it there.

Do Foco Connections use a lot of data or slow down the app?

Connections use OAuth and only pull tasks where you’re assigned or mentioned, not all content from the apps. The performance impact is minimal, as syncing is incremental and runs in the background.

Can I use Connections on Foco’s free plan?

No. Connections are exclusive to the Plus plan (20 EUR/month). The free plan includes unlimited workspaces and tasks but no integrations with external tools.

How do I avoid Foco pulling old or completed tasks?

When setting up a connection, you can choose to sync only tasks created after a specific date. You can also archive or delete tasks in Foco that you no longer need, without affecting the source.