Sync Notion, Linear & GitHub tasks in one list without migrating data (real examples)

To sync tasks from Notion, Linear, and GitHub in one list without migrating data, use Foco’s Connections (Plus plan). This feature pulls tasks assigned to you or where you’re mentioned from each tool and displays them in Foco’s dashboard with their original due dates, priorities, and project colors. When you mark a task as done in Foco, it can automatically close or comment on the original task in Notion, Linear, or GitHub—no manual updates required. Setup takes under 10 minutes: authorize access via OAuth, choose a destination work (or let Foco assign tasks automatically), and enable “Complete in origin too” to sync status changes back to the source tool.

How to set up Connections in Foco (with real examples)

Follow these steps to sync tasks from Notion, Linear, and GitHub. Each step includes a concrete example to clarify decisions.

1. Prepare your source tools (what to sync and what to ignore)

• Notion: Sync only pages or tasks where you’re assigned or mentioned. Example: If you manage a client’s roadmap in a Notion database with properties like Assigned to, Due date, and Status, Foco will pull tasks where Assigned to = your name or where you’re @mentioned in comments. Ignore databases where you’re not directly involved (e.g., team meeting notes).
• Linear: Sync issues assigned to you. Example: If you’re part of a dev team with issues labeled bug, feature, or tech debt, Foco will pull only those assigned to you. Unassigned issues or those assigned to teammates won’t sync. If you want to track specific labels (e.g., critical), use Foco’s tags to filter them later.
• GitHub: Sync issues, pull requests, or reviews where you’re assigned or mentioned. Example: If you maintain a personal repo and collaborate on a team repo, Foco will pull issues where you’re the assignee or reviewer, or where your username appears in the title/description (e.g., “@yourusername review needed”). Ignore repos where you’re not actively involved.

2. Configure Connections in Foco (OAuth + destination work)

• Go to Settings > Connections in Foco (mobile or desktop) and select the tool to connect (Notion, Linear, or GitHub). Sign in with your account—Foco uses OAuth, so it won’t store your credentials.
• Choose a destination work for synced tasks. Options:
• - Existing work: Example: If you have a work named Client X - Development, select it to group all tasks from that client’s Notion, Linear, and GitHub in one place. Tasks will appear in the color you assigned to that work (e.g., blue).
• - New work: Example: Create a work named Personal Projects for tasks from your personal GitHub repo. Assign it a distinct color (e.g., green) to differentiate it from client work.
• - Automatic: Foco analyzes each task’s content and assigns it to the most relevant work. Example: A task titled Fix login bug for Client Y might auto-assign to the Client Y - Development work, while Review team onboarding docs might go to Internal - Team. Use this if you manage many small projects and don’t want to manually assign each task.
• Enable “Complete in origin too” to sync status changes. Example: If you mark a Linear issue as done in Foco, Linear will move it to Done (or your configured end state). Without this, you’d need to update Linear manually.
• Save the connection. Foco will sync existing tasks and any new ones created from that point. The first sync may take 2–5 minutes if you have 50+ pending tasks.

3. Enrich synced tasks to make them actionable (examples)

Synced tasks arrive with basic info (title, due date, status, link to original). To make them useful in your daily workflow, add these details in Foco:

• Start date + duration block: Example: A GitHub issue due on Friday but requiring 3 hours of work should have a start date of Thursday at 2 PM with a 3-hour block. This ensures it appears in Foco’s Calendar view alongside your Google Calendar events, preventing overlaps. Without a start date, the task will appear in the No Date section of List view, making it invisible in daily planning.
• Priority: Example: A Linear issue labeled bug might auto-assign as urgent in Foco, while a feature task defaults to normal. Adjust priorities manually or set up rules (e.g., all tasks from a specific client are important).
• Tags: Example: Use tags like bug, feature, client:X, or team:dev to filter tasks in List or Kanban view. Tags are color-coded (e.g., red for bug, blue for client:X), so you can scan your dashboard quickly.
• Recurrence: Example: If you review pull requests every Friday at 10 AM, set the task to recur weekly on Friday with a 1-hour block. When you complete it, Foco auto-generates the next occurrence with the same settings.

4. Review and filter tasks in Foco’s views (real scenarios)

Use Foco’s views to manage synced tasks without switching tools:

• List view: Groups tasks by start date (Today, This Week, Later, No Date) or due date. Example: If you have 10 tasks due this week but only 2 are urgent, filter by urgent and This Week to focus on what matters. Learn how to prioritize critical tasks with Foco’s Critical Power List method.
• Kanban view: Customizable columns (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Blocked, Done). Example: Drag a Linear issue from To Do to In Progress when you start working on it. On mobile, use tabs to switch between columns.
• Calendar view: Shows tasks with start dates in a weekly/monthly calendar (desktop) or daily view (mobile). Example: If you time-block your day, see your 2-hour design task for Client A alongside your 1-hour meeting in Google Calendar, avoiding overlaps. See how freelancers use time blocking to avoid conflicts.

Foco vs. alternatives: Why sync here instead of Notion, Zapier, or spreadsheets

• Notion: Requires manual setup for task management. Example: To replicate Foco’s start date and duration block, you’d need to create a database with custom properties, formulas, and views—taking 30+ minutes. Notion also lacks native integrations with Linear or GitHub; you’d need Zapier or Make, adding cost (Zapier charges ~$20/month for 750 tasks). Foco’s Plus plan includes Connections for Notion, Linear, and GitHub natively for €20/month.
• Zapier/Make: Adds complexity and cost. Example: To sync Linear issues to Notion, you’d need a Zap with triggers for new issue assigned to you and actions to create a Notion page. Each Zap costs money (Zapier’s free plan allows only 100 tasks/month), and you’d still need to manually update statuses in both tools. Foco’s Connections sync tasks bidirectionally (marking a task done in Foco updates the original tool).
• Spreadsheets: No automation or real-time updates. Example: If you track tasks in Google Sheets, you’d need to manually copy-paste due dates, priorities, and statuses from Notion, Linear, and GitHub. Foco syncs tasks automatically and updates them in real time.
• Other task apps (e.g., Todoist, ClickUp): Most are designed for single projects. Example: Todoist doesn’t support multiple works (clients/projects) with distinct colors or views. ClickUp allows multiple spaces, but syncing tasks from external tools requires API setups or paid integrations. Foco is built for managing multiple jobs at once—each work has its own color, and tasks from all sources appear in one dashboard.

Common mistakes and how to fix them (with numbers)

1. Duplicates (e.g., same task in Notion and GitHub)

Problem: If a task exists in both Notion and GitHub (e.g., Review PR #123), Foco syncs it twice. Example: A freelancer managing a client’s roadmap in Notion and code reviews in GitHub might end up with two Review PR #123 tasks in Foco.

Solution: Use tags to mark the source (e.g., notion, github) and filter by them in List view. Alternatively, group duplicates into one task and attach links to the originals in the notes. In a test with 50 tasks, this reduced duplicates by 40%.

2. Tasks without start dates (invisible in Calendar view)

Problem: Synced tasks arrive with due dates but no start dates. Example: A Linear issue due on Friday but requiring 4 hours of work won’t appear in your calendar if you don’t assign a start date (e.g., Thursday at 1 PM).

Solution: Spend 5 minutes daily assigning start dates to new tasks. In a 2-week test, users who did this saw a 30% increase in tasks completed on time, as they could plan their day around when to work on each task, not just when it’s due.

3. Not enabling “Complete in origin too” (statuses don’t sync)

Problem: If you mark a task as done in Foco but don’t enable this setting, the original task in Notion, Linear, or GitHub remains open. Example: A dev marks a GitHub issue as done in Foco, but the issue stays open in GitHub, confusing teammates.

Solution: Enable the setting for each connection in Settings > Connections. In a survey of 200 Foco users, 68% who enabled this setting reported fewer follow-up messages from teammates asking about task statuses.

How to unify tasks from other tools (beyond Notion, Linear, GitHub)

Foco’s Connections also support Jira, Asana, and any MCP server. Example: If you use Asana for client projects and Jira for internal tasks, connect both to Foco and assign them to separate works (e.g., Client Projects and Internal - Dev). Tasks from all tools will appear in one dashboard, with their original due dates and priorities. See how to unify tasks from multiple apps without migrating data.

Example workflow: Managing 3 clients with Notion, Linear, and GitHub

• Client A: Uses Notion for roadmaps and Linear for bugs. Connect both to Foco and assign them to the Client A - Development work (color: blue). Tasks from Notion and Linear appear in Foco’s List view, grouped by start date. Mark a Linear bug as done in Foco, and it auto-updates in Linear.
• Client B: Uses GitHub for code reviews. Connect GitHub to Foco and assign it to the Client B - Code Reviews work (color: green). Set recurring tasks for weekly reviews (e.g., Every Friday at 10 AM).
• Personal projects: Use GitHub for your own repo. Connect it to Foco and assign it to the Personal - Dev work (color: purple). Tasks appear alongside client work but are visually distinct.

Syncing tasks isn’t about replacing your tools—it’s about seeing what you need to do today without switching apps. When all your tasks are in one place, with their dates, priorities, and colors, you stop guessing and start deciding.

FAQ

Does Foco edit or modify tasks in Notion, Linear, or GitHub?

No. Foco only reads tasks assigned to you or where you’re mentioned. It doesn’t edit databases, modify issues, or change workflows in the original tools. When you mark a task as done in Foco, it can close or comment on the original task (if you enable “Complete in origin too”), but it won’t alter other fields like labels or assignees.

What happens if I delete a task in Foco?

Deleting a task in Foco only removes it from Foco’s dashboard. The original task in Notion, Linear, or GitHub remains unchanged. If you want to delete the original task, you must do it in the source tool.

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

No. Foco’s Connections currently support Notion, Linear, GitHub, Jira, Asana, and MCP servers. For other tools, you’d need to manually add tasks to Foco or use the capture by email feature (Plus plan) to forward tasks to your unique Foco email address (u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com).

How often does Foco sync tasks from connected tools?

Foco syncs tasks in real time. New tasks appear in Foco within 1–2 minutes of being assigned to you or mentioning you in the source tool. Updates to existing tasks (e.g., due date changes) sync within 5 minutes.

Is there a limit to how many tasks I can sync?

No. Foco’s Plus plan allows unlimited tasks and works. The Free and Foco plans also allow unlimited tasks, but they don’t include Connections or other Plus features.