Avoid the scramble, and add a start date

“The scramble” might sound like a fun dance move, but when it refers to anxiously finishing your work at the last minute, it’s anything but enjoyable. We’ve all been there: pulling an all-nighter or cutting corners to hit a deadline. And you probably thought, “if only I’d gotten started on this earlier…”

Enter start dates for Asana Premium—making unnecessary late nights a thing of the past. Add start dates to tasks so everyone knows when to get started and when work is happening. You’ll avoid the fire drill and hit your deadline with ease.

Start dates are visible on all tasks, including our new Calendar View on mobile.

More clarity, less stress

Not all tasks are created equal—and some pieces of work simply take more time. Knowing when to start is just as important as knowing when work is due. Start dates will help you allocate enough time for work, so you hit deadlines stress free–whether you delight customers with warm cookies like Austin-based Tiff’s Treats, connect digital agencies with analysts like Kansas City-based Spotlight, or manage other projects in Asana.

Editorial calendar: Creating quality content takes time. From the first draft to final review—start dates ensure you leave time for reviews and edits, so you can publish your best work on time. Add a start date when work needs to kick-off and a due date for publication. Then, use subtasks to track each step in the content creation process: write, edit, review, and publish.

Customer delight: When Tiff’s Treats, the original baked-to-order warm cookie delivery company, is prepping for a busy holiday, they think through everything necessary to make people happy. Knowing when to start each step in the process ensures they execute their plan smoothly so the team can concentrate on each person’s #warmcookiemoment, not worrying about what needs to happen next.

Campaign calendars: Need clarity about when your social campaigns or ads are launching or how long they’ll be in market? Add start dates to campaigns, and visualize the duration in Calendar View so you can see when things are happening. Fill gaps or avoid overlap by simply dragging and dropping tasks to a new date range.

Client services: Based in Kansas City, analyst relations firm Spotlight plans and executes thousands of interactions between industry analysts and clients every year. With start dates, they can keep all planning inside Asana, resulting in better visibility, communication, and collaboration.

See what’s in progress, not just what’s due

Your My Tasks list is your go-to place for knowing what you need to work on each day, not just what’s due that day. Now, your Today section will automatically include tasks that are starting, in-progress, or due.

How to add start dates to tasks

• Click the calendar icon on any task

• Select Add start date

• Enter the start and due dates

• You’ll receive an Inbox notification when tasks are ready to start, and they’ll appear in your Today section of My Tasks.

Introducing Calendar View on mobile

It’s now easier to visualize when work is happening on mobile, too. Start dates appear on tasks in the Asana mobile apps, including on the new mobile calendar. Mobile calendar is now available on iOS (including iPad!) and Android.

Quickly skim what work is happening today, this week, or this month. View any project or your My Tasks in calendar view. Stay tuned for more updates to our mobile apps coming soon, including the ability to edit start dates on tasks.

No more chaos

When individuals and teams don’t have to scramble at the last minute to get work done, they can achieve better results. With start dates, you now have even more clarity around what to do by when, so you can focus on doing your best work at a pace that works for you.

If you’re on Asana Premium or Enterprise, you can add start dates to tasks today. If you’re on Asana Free, get start dates and more by upgrading to Asana Premium. Learn about the benefits of Premium or contact our sales team.