How to Unify Tasks from GitHub, Jira, Asana, Notion & Emails in One Place (Exact Steps)

Foco Plus unifies tasks from GitHub, Jira, Asana, Notion, and emails into a single dashboard—without leaving your existing tools or duplicating work. Here’s how it works: each task syncs automatically as a color-coded item in Foco, with its original deadline, priority, and notes. When you mark a task as done in Foco, it updates in the source tool (e.g., closes a GitHub issue or completes an Asana task). You can also forward emails to a personal address (u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com) to turn them into tasks with the email attached as a note. This eliminates manual copying and ensures nothing slips through the cracks when juggling multiple clients or projects.

Why Generic Apps Fail (and How Foco Solves It)

Using a notes app, spreadsheet, or even a project management tool like Asana to group tasks from multiple apps in one place creates three problems:

• No real-time context: A cell in a spreadsheet doesn’t show if a GitHub issue is assigned to you, has a deadline, or is blocked by another task. You’d need to open GitHub to check, defeating the purpose of centralizing.
• Manual sync = errors: Copying tasks manually means your list becomes outdated the moment a Jira issue updates or a client replies to an email. Foco pulls tasks automatically via OAuth, so your dashboard stays current without extra work.
• No filtering by project or priority: Mixing tasks from different clients in a single list makes it impossible to see, for example, only the urgent tasks for Client A or only the GitHub issues due this week. Foco lets you filter by project, deadline, or priority with one click, and Panorama mode shows all tasks at once, each with its project’s color for quick visual scanning.

Exact Setup: How to Connect Each Tool (With Examples)

1. GitHub: Sync Issues and Pull Requests Assigned to You

Scenario: You’re a freelance developer working on two GitHub repositories for different clients. You want to see all issues assigned to you in one place, without opening each repo.

• Go to Settings > Connections in Foco and click Connect next to GitHub. Log in with your GitHub account.
• Select the repositories to sync (e.g., ClientA/Backend and ClientB/Frontend). You can choose all or filter by specific repos.
• Choose a destination project in Foco: either assign all issues to a fixed project (e.g., Client A - Dev) or let Foco’s AI decide automatically based on the issue content (e.g., detects "frontend bug" and assigns it to Client B).
• Enable "Complete in source tool" if you want tasks marked as done in Foco to close automatically in GitHub. This saves you from manually updating both places.
• Save. Within seconds, issues appear in Foco as tasks with their original labels, comments, and deadlines. Example: A high-priority issue from ClientA/Backend shows up in red with the label #bug and a link to the GitHub issue.

2. Jira: Centralize Issues Across Multiple Projects

Scenario: You work in a team that uses Jira for sprints but also have personal tasks in another Jira project. You want to see all your issues in one dashboard, grouped by client.

• Connect Jira from Settings > Connections and log in with your Jira account.
• Select the Jira projects to sync (e.g., Team X - Sprints and Personal Project). You can filter by issue type (e.g., Bug or Task) or status (e.g., To Do or In Progress).
• Assign a destination project in Foco for each Jira project (e.g., Team X for sprint issues and Personal for side tasks). This keeps tasks organized by context.
• Enable "Complete in source tool" to automatically transition issues in Jira when you mark them as done in Foco (e.g., moves from In Progress to Done).
• Save. Issues appear in Foco with their original priority (e.g., High), deadline, and description. Example: A blocking issue from Team X shows up in red with the tag #urgent and a link to the Jira ticket.

3. Asana: Sync Tasks from Multiple Workspaces

Scenario: You’re a project manager using Asana to coordinate with clients. Each client has their own workspace, and you want to see all your tasks in one place without switching tabs.

• Connect Asana from Settings > Connections and log in with your Asana account.
• Select the workspaces or projects to sync (e.g., Client B - Marketing and Client C - Design). Foco pulls tasks assigned to you, including subtasks.
• Choose a destination project in Foco for each Asana project (e.g., Client B for marketing tasks). This ensures tasks stay grouped by client.
• Enable "Complete in source tool" to mark tasks as complete in Asana when you finish them in Foco.
• Save. Tasks appear in Foco with their due date, assignees, and attached notes. Example: A task from Client B with the description "Draft social media posts" shows up in blue with the deadline Today and a link to the Asana task.

4. Notion: Sync Pages and Tasks Where You’re Mentioned

Scenario: You use Notion to document projects with clients, and you want pages where you’re mentioned or assigned tasks to appear automatically in your to-do list.

• Connect Notion from Settings > Connections and log in with your Notion account.
• Select the databases or pages to sync. Foco automatically detects mentions (e.g., @YourName) and tasks assigned to you in those pages.
• Assign a destination project in Foco for each Notion database (e.g., Client C - Docs for documentation tasks).
• Save. Tasks appear in Foco with a link to the original Notion page and the context of the mention. Example: A page titled "Q3 Roadmap" where you’re mentioned shows up in Foco with the note "Review and approve by Friday" and a link to the Notion page.

5. Email: Turn Emails into Tasks with One Forward

Scenario: You receive an email from a client with an urgent request. Instead of copying it manually to your task list, you forward it to Foco, and it becomes a task with the email attached as a note.

• Go to Settings > Copilot > Email Capture in Foco. Copy your personal forwarding address (u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com).
• Forward the email to that address. Foco extracts the subject as the task title, the body as a note, and detects dates or deadlines if present (e.g., "Due by EOD Friday").
• Assign the task to a project in Foco (e.g., Client D - Support). The email is attached as a note, so you don’t lose context.
• Example: An email with the subject "Urgent: Fix login bug" becomes a task in Foco with the title "Fix login bug", the email body as a note, and the deadline Today.

How to Organize Synced Tasks (With Examples)

1. Use Panorama Mode to See Everything at Once

Panorama mode shows all your tasks in a single dashboard, each with the color of its project. This is critical when managing multiple clients or jobs. Example: At 9:00 AM, you see:

• Client A (GitHub): 2 urgent issues (red, high priority).
• Client B (Asana): 1 task due today (yellow, medium priority).
• Client C (Notion): 1 page to review (blue, no deadline).
• Client D (Email): 1 task from a forwarded email (green, due tomorrow).

You can quickly assess which client needs attention first without opening each tool.

2. Filter by Completion Date or Due Date

In List view, you can group tasks by completion date (when you’ll work on them) or due date (the deadline). This helps you prioritize without losing sight of deadlines. Example:

• You have 3 free hours today. Filter by completion date = Today to see which tasks you can tackle in that time. A GitHub issue and an Asana task appear—both fit within your 3-hour window.
• Filter by due date = This week to see all tasks with deadlines in the next 7 days. This reveals a Notion review due on Friday and an email task due tomorrow, so you can plan ahead.

3. Assign Priorities and Tags for Extra Context

Each synced task retains its original priority (if the source tool has one), but you can adjust it in Foco. Use tags to add context. Example:

• A high-priority Jira task gets the tag #blocking to remind you it’s holding up other work.
• A GitHub issue with the label "documentation" gets the tag #docs to group it with other documentation tasks.
• An Asana task with no deadline gets the tag #low-priority to deprioritize it.

Foco vs. Asana: Why Foco Wins for Multiple Jobs

Asana is a powerful tool, but it’s designed for managing individual projects, not for grouping tasks from multiple apps in one place. Here’s how Foco compares:

• No native GitHub/Jira sync: Asana doesn’t automatically pull GitHub issues or Jira tickets as tasks. Foco does this with one click, and you can close issues in GitHub/Jira by marking them as done in Foco.
• No email capture: Asana doesn’t turn emails into tasks. Foco lets you forward emails to u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com to create tasks with the email attached as a note.
• No daily briefing: Asana doesn’t summarize your pending work or highlight what needs attention. Foco’s daily briefing (part of Copilot) does this automatically, showing what’s due, what’s overdue, and what’s new in your calendar.
• Single-project focus: Asana works best when managing one project at a time. Foco’s Panorama mode shows all your tasks from all projects at once, each with its project’s color, so you can see the big picture without switching tabs. Focus mode lets you drill down into one project when needed.
• Pricing for teams, not freelancers: Asana’s Starter plan ($10.99/user/month) requires a minimum of 2 seats, forcing you to pay double even if you work alone. Foco Plus costs €20/month per user, with no minimums, and includes all features (connections, email capture, daily briefing).

Asana is a better fit if you work in a large team with advanced needs like workload management or task dependencies. But if you’re a freelancer, solopreneur, or manage multiple clients, Foco gives you what you need: a single dashboard for all your tasks, with tools designed for the chaos of juggling multiple fronts.

Real-World Example: A Day in the Life with Foco Plus

You’re a freelance developer and project manager. Here’s how Foco helps you manage your day:

• 9:00 AM: Open Foco in Panorama mode. You see 5 tasks: 2 urgent GitHub issues (red), 1 Asana task due today (yellow), 1 Notion page to review (blue), and 1 email task due tomorrow (green).
• 9:15 AM: Filter by completion date = Today. You have 3 free hours. Assign 1 hour to the urgent GitHub issue and 1 hour to the Asana task. The Notion review can wait.
• 10:00 AM: Finish the GitHub issue. Mark it as done in Foco—it closes automatically in GitHub. No need to switch apps.
• 11:00 AM: Receive your daily briefing email. It summarizes what you’ve accomplished (1 GitHub issue closed), what’s still pending (1 Asana task, 1 Notion review), and what’s new in your calendar (a meeting at 2:00 PM).
• 2:00 PM: In the meeting, use Listen mode to record and transcribe the discussion. The audio and transcript are saved as a note in Foco for reference.
• 3:00 PM: Forward an email from a client to u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com. It becomes a task in Foco with the email attached as a note. You assign it to Client D and set a deadline for tomorrow.

Centralizing tasks isn’t about having less work—it’s about spending less time switching contexts and more time doing the work that moves the needle.

Next Steps: How to Get Started Today

• Sign up for Foco Plus (€20/month) and go to Settings > Connections.
• Connect at least one tool (start with the one you use most, like GitHub or Asana). Follow the exact steps above for your tool.
• Set up the destination project for each connection. Use a fixed project (e.g., Client A - Dev) or let the AI decide automatically.
• Enable "Complete in source tool" if you want two-way sync (e.g., closing GitHub issues from Foco).
• Forward a test email to your u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com address to see how it becomes a task with the email attached.
• Explore Panorama mode to see all your tasks at once, then switch to Focus mode to concentrate on one project.
• If you want to dive deeper, check out how to use time blocking for multiple clients without overlaps or how to unify tasks from multiple apps without migrating data.

FAQ

What happens if I delete a task in Foco? Does it delete in the source tool (GitHub, Jira, etc.)?

No. Deleting a task in Foco only removes it from Foco. The original task remains in the source tool (GitHub, Jira, Asana, etc.). If you want to remove it from the source tool, you need to delete it there manually.

Can I sync tasks from tools not listed (e.g., Trello, ClickUp, Monday.com)?

Currently, Foco only supports connections with GitHub, Jira, Asana, Notion, and MCP servers. For other tools, you can forward tasks via email to your u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com address to turn them into tasks in Foco. The email will be attached as a note.

How often does Foco sync tasks from connected tools?

Foco syncs tasks when you first connect a tool and whenever you manually refresh the connection. It doesn’t sync changes in real time, but you can manually update tasks in Foco to reflect changes in the source tool. If you enable "Complete in source tool", marking a task as done in Foco will update it in the source tool immediately.

Can I assign synced tasks to team members in Foco?

Yes, but only to members you’ve invited to that project in Foco. For example, if you sync GitHub issues to the Client A - Dev project in Foco, you can assign those tasks to any team member who has access to Client A - Dev in Foco. You can’t assign tasks to people who don’t have access to the project.

Does Foco support recurring tasks from synced tools?

Foco doesn’t automatically create recurring tasks from synced tools (e.g., GitHub or Jira). However, you can set up recurrence manually in Foco for any task, including those synced from other tools. For example, if a Jira issue is part of a weekly sprint, you can mark it as recurring in Foco to create a new occurrence each week.