How to use Asana throughout the day

[@elizabetharrington2139]

Great simple and practical tips, especially for an overwhelmed beginner who sees Asana's potential - Thanks! 👍

[@minor-co]

Thanks, glad I could help!

[@allseasonsfilms]

Love this! In particular when you said, the comment section on Asana was great short cut per-say. Thank you for putting the best highlights on this.

[@minor-co]

Glad I could help 😀

[@finagenis]

Great video! Thanks for sharing those tips

[@minor-co]

Thanks!

[@SkyCharter]

Excellent Paul. I'm learning much more about Asana quickly with your vids.

[@minor-co]

Thanks, glad the videos are useful!

[@JudiCulpPearson]

Great tips thankyou for sharing

[@minor-co]

Thanks, glad I could help!

[@JasonJohnson-qs7yu]

Thank you! This was a very helpful video

[@minor-co]

Thanks Jason, glad I could help.

[@jflussich]

Great video! How many tasks would you suggest having assigned each day? Of course I know it depends on the tasks. I normally assing muself many tasks and obviously have many overdue.

[@minor-co]

There's no correct answer to that question as it depends on what work you need to do. Of course, you should be realistic and not have so many tasks assigned that you can't complete them all.

[@edsbloggingcom]

If you go past a due date with a task I suggest you check your prioritization of the task as well and raise it a notch. Otherwise you keep on moving a task instead of getting it finished. Adding a field for “Aging” as a drop down list with options red amber green will also help you in getting postponed tasks done. Red of course stands for “no delays anymore Do it!” Where green stands for “a bit more delay doesn’t hurt anyone” and amber “it’s about time to pick it up now it will become a problem soon and block your time for it”

[@minor-co]

Great idea! I see this all the time where people keep missing the due date and then kick the can down the road so to speak

[@jeroencusters3186]

@@minor-co Great video! Do you have or can you make a video about complex task 'procrastination'? I reschedule tasks which I didn't complete at the end of the day, but my problem is that I keep rescheduling the same most complex tasks every time. I only have time for the smaller and simple tasks. What's your advice on this?

[@cameronbassindale5254]

Great Video Paul really hepful !

[@minor-co]

You're welcome Cam!

[@courageousresolve]

Great video Paul, you offer up some amazing tips. I use the outlook and Gmail integrations so I can send my email straight into tasks/projects already set up. I find that a lot easier than sending it to my tasks where you then have to triage. Keep up the amazing content.

[@minor-co]

Yep, if you use Gmail, this is a great option!

[@traciealexander3470]

Thank you Paul for a great video! I'm just getting started with Asana and will love trying out your daily workflow to keep me organized.

[@minor-co]

Glad I could help Tracie 😀

[@davebeam1]

Thanks Paul . U da man

[@minor-co]

Thanks 😀

[@lisajames3824]

This video is so helpful thank you .. some how I've deleted the option to add a section on the list function ???

[@minor-co]

Thanks! I don't think so, this video is just a few years old and the design has changed slight. You can still create sections by clicking the down arrow next to where it says ''Add task'

[@lisajames3824]

@@minor-co I've resolved it I am very glad I've come across your videos paul super helpful

[@klp2513]

As a project manager, I have a real problem with an overdue task being changed to a different date. If it is overdue - its overdue.

[@minor-co]

Sure, each to their own... My approach is that I find it hard to plan towards a date that's in the past. So I'd rather update it to show when I'd like to now work on it.

[@edsbloggingcom]

With 27 years of experience in IT infrastructure projects journaling everything that is happening in a task is of absolute importance especially if you work with others and even more so if you work with contractors.

[@minor-co]

💯

[@JackyHorn]

Great video! I just struggle with the My Tasks rules, I have set the rules up as per your explanation, but asana is not honouring the rule when I send a new task via the outlook inbox integration and the tasks always go to Recently Assigned and not to Today. I have selected the due date as today.

[@minor-co]

That's the expected behaviour. They go to the Recently Assigned section first. From there, you need to sort the tasks into Upcoming or Later and the rules will move them accordingly from there. The reason we have the Recently Assigned section is so you get a chance to review the task before it's hidden away. Imagine if a task is assigned to you and you don't see if for a number of weeks, this may catch you off guard later.

[@danield.3309]

Great Video. Why doesnt Asana update the position (Today, Tomorrow) automatically when changing due Date. For example today is 23 of Nov. When i put a task to 24 of Nov. It should automatically go to the "Tomorrow" Space.

[@minor-co]

Hi Daniel, good question. The way the rules currently work is the rules get run at midnight when the date rolls over. But I agree it should work the way you're suggesting.

[@bpgroupinc]

Hey Paul great videos they're super helpful. I'm having trouble on the My Tasks page with tasks not moving to the Today, Tomorrow, Later sections when I re-tag them. I set the rule up properly (it looks that way anyways) so do you have any idea what I could be doing wrong?

[@minor-co]

Hi there, it's hard to say without seeing how you've set up the rules. Also, you can't use tags to trigger rules. Maybe you mean custom fields?

[@justscrollthru84]

Hi Paul, I finished your video just now and find it so cool. One thing I didn't quite get was how do I create rule to make the tasks supposed for tomorrow to show on "My Tasks". I changed the date of one task for tomorrow to today, but it didn't show up in the "today" session. Also, do I need to assign myself to everying single tasks for it to show on the "My Tasks". Thank you for your help and great content.

[@minor-co]

Ah, I may not have explained that the tasks only get updated at midnight when the date changes.

[@chrismerok]

Hey Paul, I got quite excited by the email to task feature, but have found myself over using it or confused by things that are more ambiguous, for example a message saying "shall we revisit this topic next week?" ... a lot of communication is not as straightforward as "can you update the website logo" sadly, and I struggle with how to process this. Would love some insight on how you manage those inputs.

[@minor-co]

Yeah I think you want to be selective about what you send into Asana. An email like 'shall we revisit next week' you could snooze the email or just reply and get something booked now.

[@chrismerok]

I think this would be super useful to discuss in a video. There is so much back and forth in day to day communication , some guidance on what to take in and not to asana, snoozing etc.. seems a really important and valuable topic that I'd love to hear your in depth thoughts on. If your system doesn't have rules on this, it is hard to truly believe in it.@@minor-co

[@steventaylor3041]

Hi, nice to see something that is a bit more practical. Asana was pushed on me this week by a client that wants to assign more work to me. What I am trying to understand is this: Does me being part of HER team, allow me to be part of other teams and also my own? Or do I have to have separate accounts? My biggest issue is far to much work than time. I am always falling behind. I am not sure if the learning curve is helpful or hindering. I look forward to you input and direction.

[@minor-co]

You can be part of multiple teams (in their account) as well as multiple organisations (i.e. accounts). So you could have your own organisation/account for your work and projects. Feel free to contact me if you'd like some help paulminors.com/consulting/asana-consulting/

[@steventaylor3041]

@@minor-co so from ones own desktop/interface you would have everything viewable in one place ie 1. calendar 1. Task list (broken down) etc. The FILES, I would imagine, rest with the specific account holders files. it seems like a good product although I imagine wholesale implementation and change to workflows and integration with other apps and storage will take some time. I will, over the next few days I am in London, review some of the other videos.

[@JudiCulpPearson]

I'm doing a "test" project for a client, but the dates provided are in the past. Can I do that in Asana?

[@minor-co]

Yes, you can set the dates to be whatever you like.

[@helenagould2130]

Hi Paul! I've watched tons of your videos today and they've been incredibly helpful. Do you know if there is a way to copy and paste Sections? I want to be able to see all of my current Client Prospects in one Business Development folder. I created a Section Template with all of the tasks and sub-tasks that I'd like to duplicate for each new lead, but unfortunately when I try to copy + paste, it only pastes the tasks (not subtasks). Do you know of any workarounds to make this work all in 1 project? Thanks very much!

[@minor-co]

Sorry, I'm afraid to say this is a limitation right now. If you select all the tasks and copy/paste, it only pastes the task names (not the metadata or subtasks). You would need to duplicate them one by one. Alternatively, you could also look at using task templates to easily create new tasks with set checklists.

[@TheBikeFather]

Are you on a paid plan? Do they still have that minimum of 5 seats with every paid plan?

[@minor-co]

Yes, it's now a min of 2.

[@kujan49]

Awesome video Paul! What rule do you have on the "Next Week" section and how do you keep track of tasks in that section - do you manually move to "This Week" when needed? Thanks!

[@minor-co]

Good question (very observant). I manually move them to 'This Week' when I'm doing my weekly review/plan on a Friday.

[@kujan49]

@@minor-co awesome, thanks for the reply. Thanks again for the great videos!

[@StephanieK007]

@@minor-co I was also wondering what rule you used for Next Week section? You're videos are awesome!

[@sudishe8943]

Hello Paul, Currently, I am a student looking for junior project management job. So, I would like to ask you which softwares are the best to learn in 2021. Could you please tell me top 5 softwares ?. Thank you in advance.

[@minor-co]

There isn't really a list of 'best' tools as it depends on lot on your requirements. But for project management, it's worth having a look at Asana, Monday, Trello, Basecamp, Jira (there are loads)

[@tereparkoficial]

Hey Paul - I wrote the rules for sections as exactly indicated in the video. But the new tasks added by my teammates and assigned to me are not updating into these sections properly or even appearing in my task. How can I troubleshoot this?

[@minor-co]

If they're not appearing in your My Tasks this would indicate that the tasks haven't been assigned to you. Once they do appear in your My Tasks, you need to manually sort them into Today, Upcoming and Later. Then the rules will move the tasks when the date changes at midnight.

[@tereparkoficial]

@@minor-co really appreciate your help! Our entire team is so grateful for all your training videos. Thank you! Definitely will be reaching out when we need more tailored support. 🥰

[@jenshinn1836]

I believe you mentioned tasks move into sections based on start date. I’ve tested and cannot get rules to function based on start date (only due date). It’s actually my biggest frustration since moving to Asana - I’d this perhaps a premium version feature? If not - I’d love to know how to get this to work.

[@minor-co]

The rules will use either the due date or the start date (if there is one). But keep in mind, the 'due date approaching' rules run overnight when the date changes.

[@jenshinn1836]

@@minor-co Thank you Paul. Would you mind send a screen shot of your rule? The only option I see is Due Date, and with that rule, I've tested, and it ignores start date and just focuses on Due Date. I've upgraded to a business account as a trial, and I see the same situation there - no trigger available for Start Date.

[@carinahiller8155]

Hi Paul, I really need your help!! When I'm creating a template in Asana, I add each tasks as part of my "Master Line project" so every time I add a new project from that template, I don't have to go to each project and add each task to the master line. (where I would be able to see all my tasks from all my projects). However, I was trying it out and I realized that all tasks were copied incorrectly, the order was not right, in each section my tasks where upside down (the first one was the last one). Now, I'm not sure if every time a create a new project this would happen, if the fact the template doesn't have any dates affects the masterline project every time I create a new project. Please let me know if this had happened to you before and if you find a solution for this... THANK YOU!

[@minor-co]

Unfortunately this is the expected behaviour. The reason is that when the project is being created, the tasks are created in the order in which they appear in the template. So when a task is created it's being added to your 'Master Line Project'. Then, when the next task is created bellow that in the project, this also gets added to the 'Master Line Project' but would appear above the last one as it was added more recently.

[@EanThomasTafoya]

Can this email forwarding system link to more then one email address?

[@minor-co]

Yes, in your account settings you can whitelist another email address.