How to Unify Tasks from GitHub, Jira, and Asana in One Place: A Step-by-Step Guide with Foco

If you manage multiple projects across GitHub, Jira, and Asana, you know how exhausting it is to jump between apps just to check issues, assigned tasks, or pull requests. Each tool has its own design, notifications, and workflow, which fragments your focus and multiplies wasted time. The solution isn’t to open more tabs—it’s to unify tasks from GitHub, Jira, and Asana in one dashboard where you can see, prioritize, and act without distractions. Here’s how to do it with Foco’s Connections (Plus plan), step by step, while avoiding visual noise and regaining control.

Why Unify Tasks from GitHub, Jira, and Asana in One Place?

Constantly switching between tools doesn’t just waste time—it also increases the risk of overlooking something important. Imagine today you have: a critical Jira issue for one client, a pending code review in GitHub for another project, and an Asana task with a tight deadline. Instead of opening three different apps, with Foco you can see all these tasks in one board, each with its color and context (e.g., red for the urgent client, blue for the GitHub project).

Moreover, apps like GitHub or Jira are designed for technical teams, not freelancers or solopreneurs juggling multiple jobs. Their interfaces are optimized for development workflows, not for prioritizing tasks across different clients or personal projects. Foco, on the other hand, lets you group everything into workspaces (containers with names and colors), filter by due date or scheduled time, and switch views (list, kanban, or calendar) depending on how you prefer to work at any given moment.

Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Foco’s Connections for GitHub, Jira, and Asana

1. Access Connections from the Settings Menu

Inside Foco, go to Settings > Connections (only available in the Plus plan). Here, you’ll see the list of compatible tools: Notion, Linear, GitHub, Jira, and Asana. Select the first one you want to connect, for example, GitHub.

2. Authenticate with OAuth and Choose the 'Destination Workspace'

Foco uses OAuth to securely connect to your accounts. When you select GitHub, a window will open for you to log in and authorize access. Once authenticated, choose where you want GitHub tasks to appear within Foco:

• Automatic (recommended for starters): Foco analyzes the content of each issue or pull request and assigns it to the most relevant workspace based on its title or description. For example, if an issue mentions 'frontend' and you have a workspace called 'Client X - Frontend', it will send it there.
• Fixed workspace: If you prefer to centralize all GitHub tasks in one place, choose a specific workspace (e.g., 'GitHub - All Projects'). This prevents them from scattering across different workspaces.

Repeat this process for Jira and Asana. You can use the same criteria (automatic or fixed) or combine both. For example, automatically assign Asana tasks based on the client but send all Jira tasks to a workspace called 'Technical Support'.

3. Set Up Two-Way Sync (Optional)

One of the advantages of Foco’s Connections is that you can close tasks at the source without leaving the app. Enable the 'Complete also at source' option so that when you mark a task as done in Foco, it updates automatically in GitHub, Jira, or Asana. This saves you from having to open each tool to confirm the task is closed.

4. Customize How Imported Tasks Are Displayed

Each task imported from GitHub, Jira, or Asana includes the following fields, which you can edit in Foco:

• Title: Imported as-is, but you can modify it to make it clearer (e.g., change 'Issue #123' to 'Fix login bug - Client Y').
• Scheduled date: When you’ll work on it (appears in Foco’s calendar).
• Due date: The deadline (separate from the scheduled date).
• Priority: Normal, important, or urgent (Foco automatically detects priority if marked in the source).
• Tags: Original tags are imported, but you can add your own (e.g., 'review', 'blocking').
• Attached notes: Foco saves the link to the original task and any relevant comments.

How to Organize Unified Tasks to Avoid Visual Noise

Having all your tasks in one place isn’t helpful if the dashboard remains chaotic. Foco gives you several tools to filter and group based on what you need at any given moment:

1. Use Panorama Mode vs. Focus Mode

In Panorama mode, you see all tasks from all your workspaces at once, each with its workspace’s color. This is useful for a global view but can be overwhelming if you have many tasks. In Focus mode, the dashboard filters to show only tasks from a specific workspace (e.g., 'Client Z - GitHub'). This way, you concentrate on what’s relevant now without distractions.

2. Group by Due Date or Scheduled Date

In the List view, Foco groups pending tasks by date: Today, This Week, Later, No Date. If a Jira task is due tomorrow, it will appear in 'Today' even if its scheduled date is next week. You can also filter by due date to see only what has an imminent deadline, regardless of when you plan to work on it.

3. Prioritize with Colors and Tags

Comparison: Foco vs. Asana for Unifying Tasks from Multiple Tools

Asana allows integrating GitHub and Jira through its own apps, but it has key limitations for those managing multiple jobs or clients at once:

• Free plan limited to 2 users: If you collaborate with multiple clients, you’ll need a paid plan (minimum 10.99 USD/user/month on the Starter plan, with a minimum of 2 seats). Foco, on the other hand, allows unlimited collaboration on the 4 EUR/month plan, with no minimum user requirements.
• Focused on a single project: Asana is optimized for managing one project or team at a time. If you work on multiple fronts, you’ll need to create a project per client, which fragments the view. Foco uses workspaces (flexible containers) that group tasks from different tools under one umbrella.
• No automatic two-way sync: In Asana, marking a task as done doesn’t close the issue in GitHub or Jira unless you set up automations (available only in paid plans). Foco does this natively with the 'Complete also at source' option.
• Visual noise in the interface: Asana displays all tasks in a flat list or kanban board, without options to filter by scheduled date or group by context. Foco gives you three views (list, kanban, calendar) and the ability to see only what you need at any given moment.

That said, Asana is a good option if you work in a large team with a single project and need advanced features like Timeline/Gantt or portfolios. But if you’re a freelancer, solopreneur, or manage multiple clients at once, Foco wins in flexibility, price, and focus on individual productivity.

Practical Example: A Day in the Life with Unified Tasks

Imagine you’re a freelance developer, and today you have:

• A pull request in GitHub to review (Client A).
• A high-priority Jira issue (Client B).
• An Asana task to update documentation (Client C).
• A meeting with Client A at 11:00 AM.

With Foco, your workflow would look like this:

• 8:30 AM: Open Foco in Panorama mode and see all today’s tasks, each with its color. The Jira issue (red) appears in 'Today' with urgent priority.
• 9:00 AM: Switch to Focus mode for the 'Client B - Jira' workspace and work on the issue without distractions. When finished, mark it as done, and Foco closes it automatically in Jira.
• 10:00 AM: Check the calendar and see the meeting with Client A is coming up. Open Listen mode to record the meeting and transcribe it as a note attached to the pull request task.
• 11:30 AM: After the meeting, update the Asana task with the agreements and assign it a scheduled date for tomorrow.

Unifying tasks from GitHub, Jira, and Asana isn’t about cramming everything into one place—it’s about being able to act on them without losing the context of each client or project.

Conclusion: Regain Control Without Switching Apps

Foco’s Connections aren’t just a shortcut to see tasks from multiple tools in one place—they’re a way to reduce friction when working across multiple fronts. By centralizing GitHub, Jira, and Asana in one dashboard, you eliminate constant context switching, prioritize clearly, and act faster. If you manage multiple jobs or clients, try setting up the connections following this guide and adjust filters and views until the dashboard reflects exactly what you need to see at any given moment.

To dive deeper into organizing tasks by context or client, check out our step-by-step guide to grouping tasks by client in a task app without losing control. If you work with time blocks, you might also be interested in how to group tasks by context across multiple jobs.

FAQ

Can I unify tasks from GitHub, Jira, and Asana in Foco without the Plus plan?

No. Connections to external tools (GitHub, Jira, Asana, etc.) are only available in Foco’s Plus plan (20 EUR/month). The Free and 4 EUR/month plans do not include this feature.

What happens if a task is updated in GitHub or Jira after importing it to Foco?

Foco syncs imported tasks periodically, but not in real time. If you need to see changes immediately, you can manually refresh the connection from Settings > Connections. Tasks already created in Foco won’t be automatically modified to avoid overwriting your edits.

Can I assign GitHub or Jira tasks to other team members in Foco?

Yes, but only if those members are invited to the corresponding workspace in Foco and have accepted the invitation. You cannot assign tasks to people who don’t have a Foco account.

Does Foco save a copy of GitHub issues or pull requests, or just the link?

Foco saves the link to the original task and any relevant comments or descriptions as attached notes. It doesn’t store a full copy of the issue but does save essential data (title, dates, priority, tags) so you can work without opening GitHub.

Can I use Foco’s Connections to bring in tasks from tools other than GitHub, Jira, and Asana?

Yes. Foco also supports Notion, Linear, and any MCP server (via URL). The connection process is similar to the one described in this guide.