How to See GitHub, Jira, and Asana Tasks in One List Without Switching Apps (Exact Workflow)

To view GitHub issues, Jira tickets, and Asana tasks in a single list without switching apps, connect each tool to Foco using OAuth. Tasks from all sources appear in Foco’s Panorama mode, each tagged with the color of its work (e.g., blue for GitHub, green for Jira). Filter by due date, priority, or tags to see only what’s urgent today. For example, a freelancer with 3 GitHub repos, 2 Jira projects, and 4 Asana clients can see all 27 pending tasks in one scrollable list, grouped by deadline (Today, This Week, Later).

Step 1: Connect GitHub, Jira, and Asana to Foco (Exact Settings)

1.1. Permission Checklist Before Connecting

• GitHub: Confirm you’re a collaborator on the repos you want to sync (go to Settings > Collaborators in the repo). If you’re not, ask the owner to add you with ‘Write’ access or higher.
• Jira: Verify you have ‘Browse Projects’ permission for the projects you need (check under Project Settings > Permissions). For external clients, request ‘Project Admin’ if you need to edit tickets later.
• Asana: Ensure you’re a ‘Member’ of the projects you want to import (not just a guest). If you’re missing tasks, ask the project owner to adjust your permissions under Project Settings > Members.

1.2. Configure Each Connection in Foco

In Foco, go to Settings > Connections and select GitHub, Jira, or Asana. Log in via OAuth (no credentials stored). For each connection, set:

• Destination Work: Choose ‘Automatic’ if tasks should go to a work based on content (e.g., a GitHub issue with ‘frontend’ in the title goes to a ‘Web Dev’ work). Use ‘Fixed Work’ to send all tasks from a tool to one work (e.g., all Jira tasks to ‘Client X - Jira’).
• Complete Also in Origin: Enable this to close or comment on the original task when you mark it done in Foco. Example: Ticking a Jira ticket as done in Foco moves it to ‘Done’ in Jira and adds a comment ‘Completed via Foco’.
• Sync Frequency: Foco checks for updates every 15 minutes. Changes in the source (e.g., a new GitHub issue assigned to you) appear in Foco within that window.

Step 2: Filter and Prioritize Tasks (Real Examples)

2.1. Filter Tasks During Import

Avoid clutter by importing only relevant tasks. Use these filters in each tool before connecting:

• GitHub: Use is:open is:issue assignee:your-username to import only open issues assigned to you. Add label:urgent to filter by priority.
• Jira: Set a JQL query like assignee = currentUser() AND status != Done AND priority = High to sync only high-priority tickets.
• Asana: Select specific projects (e.g., ‘Client A - Q3 Deliverables’) instead of the entire workspace. Use ‘Custom Fields’ to filter by priority or due date.

2.2. Prioritize in Foco’s Panorama Mode

In Panorama mode, tasks from all tools appear together. Example workflow:

• Sort by ‘Due Date’ to see tasks due today across GitHub, Jira, and Asana. A freelancer might see: 2 GitHub issues (due today), 1 Jira ticket (due tomorrow), and 3 Asana tasks (due this week).
• Use ‘Priority’ to highlight urgent tasks. Set GitHub issues with label:urgent to ‘Urgent’ in Foco automatically (via connection settings).
• Group by ‘Work’ to see tasks by client/project. Example: All tasks for ‘Client X’ (Jira + Asana) appear under one color, separate from ‘Client Y’ (GitHub).

Step 3: Enrich Imported Tasks with Context (Avoid Mistakes)

Tasks imported from GitHub/Jira/Asana arrive with basic info (title, description). Add these in Foco to avoid errors:

• Due Date vs. Deadline: Set a ‘Due Date’ (when you’ll work on the task, e.g., ‘Today 10 AM - 12 PM’) and a ‘Deadline’ (final due date, e.g., ‘2024-07-15’). Example: A GitHub issue due Friday might have a ‘Due Date’ of Wednesday to start work early.
• Priority: Override the source’s priority if needed. Example: A Jira ticket marked ‘Medium’ in the source can be set to ‘Urgent’ in Foco if it’s blocking other work.
• Tags: Add tags like bug, documentation, or client-review to categorize tasks. Example: A GitHub issue tagged bug and frontend helps filter later.
• Notes: Attach screenshots, voice recordings, or text notes. Example: Record a 30-second voice note explaining a Jira ticket’s context and attach it to the task in Foco.

Step 4: Sync Changes Back to GitHub/Jira/Asana (Avoid Double Work)

Foco syncs changes from the source (e.g., a new GitHub issue) but not vice versa unless you enable ‘Complete Also in Origin’. Key behaviors:

• When you mark a task done in Foco, it closes/comments the original task in GitHub/Jira/Asana (if ‘Complete Also in Origin’ is on). Example: Completing a Jira ticket in Foco moves it to ‘Done’ in Jira and adds a comment ‘Closed via Foco’.
• If you edit a task in Foco (e.g., change the due date), the change doesn’t sync back to the source. Update the source manually if needed.
• If you delete a task in Foco, it remains in the source (only removed from your Foco list).

Step 5: Workflows for Freelancers and Small Teams (Real Scenarios)

5.1. Freelancer with 3 Clients (GitHub + Jira + Asana)

A developer managing 3 clients uses Foco to centralize tasks:

• Client A: GitHub issues (work color: blue). Imports only issues with assignee:me and label:urgent.
• Client B: Jira tickets (work color: green). Syncs tickets with priority = High and status != Done.
• Client C: Asana tasks (work color: orange). Imports tasks from the ‘Q3 Deliverables’ project.
• Daily routine: In Panorama mode, sorts tasks by ‘Due Date’ and ‘Priority’. Uses ‘Time Blocking’ to assign 2-hour slots to each client’s tasks (e.g., 9-11 AM for Client A, 11 AM-1 PM for Client B). Learn how to time block for multiple clients without overlaps.

5.2. Small Team with Shared Jira and GitHub

A 4-person team uses Foco to avoid switching between Jira and GitHub:

• Jira: Syncs tickets assigned to the team with status = ‘In Progress’. Uses ‘Fixed Work’ to send all Jira tasks to a ‘Team - Jira’ work in Foco.
• GitHub: Imports issues with assignee:team-member and label:bug. Uses ‘Automatic’ to route frontend issues to ‘Web Dev’ and backend issues to ‘API Team’.
• Collaboration: Invites team members to the ‘Team - Jira’ work in Foco. Assigns tasks to each other (e.g., ‘Review PR #45’ to Alice). Uses ‘Share Task’ to send a public link to a task (e.g., to a client for feedback).

Foco vs. Alternatives: When to Use What

When to Use Foco

• You manage multiple clients/projects and need to see tasks from GitHub, Jira, and Asana in one list.
• You want to avoid switching apps (e.g., checking GitHub, then Jira, then Asana).
• You need visual context (tasks colored by work/client) to prioritize quickly.
• You use voice or email capture to create tasks hands-free (e.g., forwarding client emails to u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com).

When to Use Asana/Jira/GitHub Alone

• You work on one project (e.g., a single Jira board for a long-term client).
• You need advanced features like Gantt charts (Asana Timeline) or custom automations (Jira workflows).
• You collaborate with a fixed team and don’t exceed the free plan’s limits (e.g., Asana’s 2-user free plan).

Advanced: Unify Tasks Without Migrating Data

Foco’s Plus plan (20 EUR/month) lets you unify tasks from multiple tools without manually copying data. Example workflows:

• Forward client emails to u-xxxx@in.heyfoco.com to create tasks automatically. Example: An email with ‘Fix login bug by Friday’ becomes a task with due date ‘2024-07-12’ and priority ‘Urgent’.
• Use voice capture to dictate tasks. Example: Say ‘Review GitHub issue #123 for Client X, due tomorrow at 2 PM, priority important’ and Foco creates the task with those details. See how to unify tasks from multiple apps without migrating data.
• Enable daily briefing to get a summary of tasks due today, overdue items, and calendar events. Example: ‘You have 3 tasks due today: 1 GitHub issue (urgent), 1 Jira ticket (important), and 1 Asana task (normal).’

The goal isn’t to replace GitHub, Jira, or Asana, but to create a single place where you decide what to work on next—without the mental load of switching contexts.

FAQ

Does Foco sync changes I make in GitHub/Jira/Asana back to Foco?

Yes. Foco checks for updates in GitHub, Jira, and Asana every 15 minutes. If someone edits a task in the source (e.g., changes the due date in Jira), the change appears in Foco within that window. Changes you make in Foco (e.g., editing a task’s due date) don’t sync back to the source unless you enable ‘Complete Also in Origin’.

Can I assign tasks from GitHub/Jira to team members in Foco?

Yes, but only to team members who have accepted your invite to the work in Foco. Example: You invite Alice to the ‘Team - Jira’ work in Foco. Once she accepts, you can assign her a Jira task imported into Foco. The assignment only appears in Foco, not in the original Jira ticket.

What happens if I delete a task in Foco that came from GitHub?

The task is removed from your Foco list but remains in GitHub. Foco doesn’t delete or modify tasks in the source unless you enable ‘Complete Also in Origin’ and mark the task as done (which closes/comments on the original task).

How does Foco handle recurring tasks from Jira or Asana?

Foco imports recurring tasks as single instances. If a Jira ticket is set to recur weekly, Foco imports the current instance. When you mark it done in Foco, the next instance appears in Foco only if it’s been created in Jira. Foco doesn’t create recurring tasks on its own.

Can I use Foco’s voice capture to create tasks from GitHub issues?

Yes. Dictate a task like ‘Review GitHub issue #123 for Client X, due tomorrow at 10 AM, priority urgent’ and Foco will create the task with those details. The Free plan includes 5 voice captures per month; the Plus plan offers unlimited uses.