How to Consolidate Tasks from GitHub, Jira, Asana, Notion, Linear, and Emails in One Place Without Switching Tools

Juggling multiple projects—whether for clients, internal teams, or different tools—often means switching between GitHub, Jira, Asana, Notion, Linear, and your inbox. Each app has its own workflow, notifications, and task organization, fragmenting your focus and forcing you to remember where everything is. The solution isn’t migrating everything to a single tool (you’d lose integrations, automations, or your team’s preferred workflows), but consolidating tasks from multiple apps in one place without touching the source. This way, you keep existing workflows while working from a unified list. This guide explains how to do it with Foco’s Connections, step by step, with real-world examples.

Why Centralize Tasks in One Place (and Why a Generic App Isn’t Enough)

Using a notes app or spreadsheet to consolidate tasks from multiple apps might seem practical at first, but it fails in three key ways when managing multiple jobs:

• Loss of context: A task in Notion isn’t the same as a GitHub issue. Generic apps don’t capture metadata like priorities, due dates, or assignees, nor do they distinguish between an urgent pull request and a documentation task.
• Duplicate work: If you update a task’s status in Foco, you must do the same in the source app (Jira, Asana, etc.). Without two-way sync, you end up with outdated versions in one place.
• Broken team workflows: If you work with clients or teammates who use specific tools (e.g., one client on Asana, another on Linear), forcing them to switch apps creates friction. The solution should integrate with what they already use, not replace it.

Foco solves this with Connections, which automatically pull tasks assigned to you in other apps, organize them by work (client, project, or team), and let you mark them as done without leaving Foco. The key is that you’re not migrating data: tasks still exist in their original tool, but you work from a single dashboard. This is especially useful for freelancers, solopreneurs with multiple clients, or small teams collaborating with external vendors.

Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Foco’s Connections to Consolidate Tasks from Multiple Apps

1. Access Connections and Choose Which Tools to Link

In Foco (Plus plan), go to Settings > Connections and select the apps you use. Currently, Foco supports:

• Notion: pages and tasks where you’re mentioned or assigned.
• Linear: issues assigned to you.
• GitHub: issues, pull requests, and reviews awaiting your action.
• Jira: issues assigned to you.
• Asana: tasks assigned to you.
• Any MCP server (e.g., Mattermost, Slack with plugins) via URL.

Each connection requires OAuth authentication, ensuring Foco only accesses the data you permit (e.g., only your tasks in Asana, not the entire team’s). Important: If you use multiple accounts in one tool (e.g., two clients on GitHub), you’ll need to set up a separate connection for each.

2. Assign a 'Destination Work' to Each Connection

Foco organizes tasks by works (containers with a name and color you define). When setting up a connection, choose where its tasks should appear:

• Automatic: Foco uses AI to decide the destination work based on the task’s content (e.g., if a GitHub issue mentions a specific client, it assigns it to that client’s work).
• Fixed work: You manually select an existing work (e.g., all Asana tasks go to the 'Client X' work). This is useful if you already have a clear work structure in Foco.

Practical example: If you manage two projects in Linear (one for a client and one for your internal team), create two separate connections and assign them to their respective works. This way, when you enter the Focus mode for each work, you’ll only see tasks from that connection.

3. Enable Two-Way Sync (Optional)

By default, Foco pulls tasks from other apps but doesn’t modify the source. However, you can enable the 'Complete in source too' option so that marking a task as done in Foco automatically closes or comments on it in the original app. This avoids duplicate updates and keeps both systems in sync.

Example: If you mark a Jira task as done in Foco with this option enabled, Foco will add a comment to the original issue (e.g., 'Closed from Foco') and move it to 'Done'. Your team in Jira will see the change without you needing to open the app.

4. Set Up Email Capture for External Tasks

In addition to Connections, Foco (Plus plan) includes email capture: each user gets a unique address like u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com (visible in Settings > Copilot). Forward an email to this address, and Foco automatically extracts a task with:

• The subject as the task title.
• The email body as an attached note (with original formatting).
• The due date detected in the text (e.g., 'by Friday').
• The destination work assigned based on rules you configure (e.g., emails from a specific domain go to a designated work).

Example: A client emails you with a last-minute change. Instead of manually copying details to a task, forward the email to your Foco address, and the task appears in your list with the email attached for reference.

How to Work with Consolidated Tasks in Foco

1. Use Panorama Mode to See Everything at Once

Foco’s Panorama mode shows all your tasks from every work in a single list, each with its container’s color. This is useful for prioritizing at the start of the day or reviewing which client tasks are due today. Filter by due date or target date to focus on what’s urgent, or group by work to spot bottlenecks.

2. Enter Focus Mode to Concentrate on One Work

Clicking on a work filters the dashboard to show only its tasks. This is key for avoiding distractions when working on a specific project. Switch views based on your needs:

• List: Groups tasks by date (Today, This Week, Later) and priority. Ideal for daily planning.
• Kanban: Customizable columns (e.g., 'To Do', 'In Progress', 'Blocked'). On desktop, drag and drop tasks; on mobile, use tabs.
• Calendar: View tasks with target dates in a weekly or monthly layout, alongside your Google Calendar or Outlook events (synced read-only).

3. Leverage Advanced Task Fields

Every task in Foco includes metadata to help you stay organized without losing context:

• Target date: When you’ll work on the task (appears in the calendar).
• Due date: The deadline (separate from the target date).
• Priority: Normal, important, or urgent (displayed with an icon in the list).
• Recurrence: For repeating tasks (e.g., review pull requests every Monday).
• Tags: Unlimited and color-coded (e.g., '#bug', '#documentation').
• Assignees: Assign tasks to team members in Foco (only if they’re invited to the work).

Example: A GitHub task with 'urgent' priority and a due date today will appear in red in your list, while a recurring Notion task (e.g., 'Review weekly metrics') will auto-generate every Monday.

Comparison: Foco vs. Asana for Consolidating Tasks from Multiple Apps

Asana is a powerful project management tool, but it has limitations when you need to consolidate tasks from multiple apps or work with multiple clients:

• Asana’s free plan is limited to 2 users, making it impractical for freelancers collaborating with multiple clients (each would count as a user).
• The Starter plan (10.99 USD/user/month when paid annually) requires a minimum of 2 seats, so you’d pay for two users even if you work alone. Foco, in contrast, offers a Plus plan at 20 EUR/month per user with no minimums.
• Asana lacks native integrations to pull tasks from GitHub, Linear, or MCP servers. Its automations (available from the Starter plan) require manual setup and don’t automatically capture metadata like priorities or due dates.
• Asana’s calendar view (Timeline) is paid (Starter plan), while Foco includes a calendar in its 4 EUR/month plan.

When to choose Asana? If you work in a large team with a single project and need advanced features like portfolios or workload management (available in the Advanced plan). When to choose Foco? If you manage multiple jobs or clients, use different tools for each, and want to consolidate tasks from multiple apps in one place without migrating data or paying for unused seats.

Centralizing tasks doesn’t mean unifying tools—it means unifying your focus: working from a single dashboard without losing the workflows that already work in each app.

Conclusion: How to Get Started Today

To consolidate tasks from multiple apps in one place with Foco, follow these steps:

• Subscribe to the Plus plan (20 EUR/month) if you haven’t already.
• Go to Settings > Connections and set up the apps you use (GitHub, Jira, Asana, etc.).
• Assign a destination work to each connection (or use Automatic mode).
• Enable the 'Complete in source too' option to sync changes.
• Set up your email capture address (u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com) for external tasks.
• Check Panorama mode every morning to prioritize, and use Focus mode to work without distractions.

The advantage of Foco isn’t just pulling tasks from other apps—it’s giving you the context you need to act: dates, priorities, assignees, and attached notes, all in one place. This way, you stop wasting time switching between tabs and focus on what matters: making progress on your projects.