Step-by-step guide to turn an email into a task without losing track with Foco

Turning an email into a task without losing track is one of the biggest challenges when managing multiple clients, projects, or teams at once. Missing an important email in your inbox or forgetting a request can lead to delays or misunderstandings. With Foco, you can automate this process: forward an email to your personal Foco address, and the app will convert it into an organized task, with the email attached as a note and key details already extracted. This way, nothing gets left behind, and every request has its place in your workflow.

Step 1: Set up your forwarding address in Foco

• Open the Foco app on desktop or mobile and go to Settings (gear icon in the top-right corner).
• Select 'Copilot' and then 'Email Capture'.
• You’ll see your personal forwarding address (e.g., yourusername@foco.email). Copy this address or save it to your contacts for later use.
• If you ever want to refresh the address (for security or to avoid spam), tap 'Rotate Address,' and Foco will generate a new one automatically.

This address is unique to your account, and only you can use it. You can forward emails from any email client (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) or even from your mobile using the 'Share' option for the email.

Step 2: Forward an email to Foco and turn it into a task

• Open the email you want to turn into a task (e.g., a client request or a pending action from a teammate).
• Use the 'Forward' option and paste your Foco address in the 'To' field.
• Send the email. Within seconds, Foco will process the content and create a task with:
• - The email subject as the task title.
• - The email body attached as a note (so you can refer back to it later).
• - The email’s send date as a reference (if the email mentions a deadline, Foco will detect it and set it as the due date).
• - The email sender as the assignee (if they’re a registered contact in Foco).

If the email includes phrases like 'for tomorrow,' 'urgent,' or 'review by Monday,' Foco will try to extract that information and apply it to the task (priority, due date, or reminder). This works best on the Plus plan, where the AI analyzes the content more accurately.

Step 3: Organize the task in the right workspace

• Open the newly created task in Foco. You’ll see it appear in Panorama mode (with the color of the workspace Foco assigned automatically or in the 'Inbox' workspace if there’s no match).
• If the task belongs to a specific client or project, drag it to the corresponding workspace (or tap 'Move' and select the workspace).
• Adjust the details manually if needed: change the due date, add a tag (e.g., 'Invoicing,' 'Review'), or assign the task to another team member if you’re collaborating.

On the Plus plan, you can set a fixed 'destination workspace' for each email connection. For example, if all emails from a specific client should go to their project, Foco will assign them automatically without you having to move them manually.

Step 4: Automate responses and reminders with templates

To save time when turning an email into a task without losing track, use these templates for automated responses or reminders:

• Automated reply to confirm receipt: 'Hi [Name], I’ve received your request and added it to my task list with [high/medium/low] priority. I’ll confirm when it’s ready. Let me know if you need any adjustments. Thanks.'
• Reminder for recurring tasks: 'Monthly review of [Client] reports. Due on [date]. Forward to Foco with the subject: 'Review [Client] reports - [Month].'
• Template for delegating: 'Hi [Teammate], I’ve created a task in Foco for [brief description]. Can you handle it? Here’s the link: [public task link].'
• Follow-up for pending tasks: 'Hi [Client], I’m checking in on the status of [task]. Do you need anything else from me? You can reply to this email, and it will update automatically in my system.'

These templates help you stay in control without having to write the same thing repeatedly. Save them in your email client or in Foco’s notes for quick copying.

Why Foco wins over alternatives like note-taking apps or scattered lists

If you manage multiple jobs at once, you’ve likely tried turning an email into a task using note-taking apps (like Google Keep or Apple Notes), spreadsheets, or even paper lists. Here’s what you avoid with Foco:

• Note-taking apps don’t organize tasks by project or client. In Foco, each task has a color and a workspace assigned, so you can see at a glance what belongs to each area (without mixing personal and work tasks).
• Spreadsheets don’t attach the original email. In Foco, the forwarded email is saved as a note, so you always have the full context on hand.
• Scattered lists don’t sync dates or priorities. Foco automatically extracts dates, reminders, and priorities from the email text, saving you time on manual organization.
• Generic apps don’t allow collaboration. In Foco, you can assign tasks to teammates or share a public link to a specific task without giving access to the rest of your workspace.

Plus, with the Plus plan, Foco closes the loop: when you mark a task as done, you can set it up to update the original tool (like Notion or Jira), avoiding duplicate work.

Practical example: Full workflow for a freelancer

Imagine you’re a freelance designer and you receive this email from a client:

• Subject: 'Logo review for Project X - Urgent'.
• Body: 'Hi, I need you to review the logo I sent yesterday. It’s for next week’s launch, so I need your feedback by Friday. Thanks.'

Here’s how the workflow would look in Foco:

• Forward the email to your Foco address.
• Foco creates a task with: title 'Logo review for Project X,' priority 'urgent,' due date 'Friday,' and the email attached as a note.
• The task appears in the 'Project X' workspace (if you set it as the automatic destination) or in 'Inbox' (so you can move it manually).
• Reply to the client with your confirmation template: 'Hi [Client], I’ve received your request and added it to my list with high priority. I’ll send my feedback by Friday. Thanks.'
• On Friday, Foco reminds you of the task and attaches the original email so you can review the details before responding.

With this system, turning an email into a task without losing track becomes automatic, organized, and scalable, even if you manage dozens of requests per week.