Add your first few tasks

Where do tasks fit in?

TasksTasks Tasks are the basic unit of work in Asana. Tasks can represent any kind of work, break down work into smaller pieces, or store information. Read more are how you break down your work and track it in Asana.

Tasks can live on their own or within a projectproject Projects are lists of tasks. Read more . Projects are ways to group tasks together, and projects are organized within teams in Asana. For example, you might have a task to write a blog post, and another teammate is responsible for reviewing it. These tasks can be tracked in an editorial calendar project that is stored in the Marketing and Communications team in Asana.

Learn task basics in 5 minutes with Asana lessons.

How to add tasks

To quickly add a new task, click the orange + button in the top bar. You can also add tasks from the List View of any project, or from your My Tasks list.

Start by adding some tasks for yourself. You can list things you want to get done today, tomorrow, this week, or later this month. Try to write tasks that have a clear owner and result. For example, “Read through all Getting Started articles in Asana,” “Schedule a meeting with Katrina” or “Draft presentation outline.” Then try adding a task for a teammate. You could ask them to share information, provide feedback on your work, or answer a question.

Assigning your first tasks to others

If you’re the first person from your organization to use Asana, you can type a teammate’s email address in the assign tasks field to invite them to join Asana. When they sign up, they will have the task already assigned to them, so they can get up and running quickly.

Choose teammates who you think will be interested and excited to try Asana with you, and start with a small group.

If your team is already using Asana, you can click on the assignee field of a task and start typing your teammate’s name or email. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Tab + A when you have a task open, and select an assignee. They will receive a notification that you’ve assigned them a task.

Building a great task

When you click into a task, you will pull up the right pane with all the task details. Task details primarily include the assigneeassignee The person responsible for the task or subtask. Asana allows one assignee per task or subtask. Read more , due datedue date The date that a task or subtask is due. Read more , task descriptiontask description Task description is a text field that allows users to add details and context to their tasks. Read more , commentscomments Comment on a task or conversation to offer help, answer questions, and help move work forward. Read more , and followersfollowers Add followers to any task and they will receive notifications about updates to the task. Read more .

Building out a task is easy:

1. Ensure you have a clear task name that represents a specific piece of work. For example, you might want to say “Incorporate feedback from design review” versus “Make design” so the work is clear and manageable instead of being vague and undefined.
2. Next you can assign the task to yourself or a teammate. Tasks have only one assignee so it’s clear who’s doing what by when. You can break up a task into subtasks if multiple people need to contribute to its completion.
3. Add a start date and due date to show a task’s duration and final deadline. Teammates can budget time on the task more effectively and know when it’s expected by.
4. Use the task description area to give more details, instructions, or context to the task so the assignee knows what you need them to do. Attach any files they might need or find useful to complete the task.
5. Finally, you can add followers to the task (it’s like CCing them on an email.) They will receive notifications about activity on the task. You can add or remove followers at any time.
6. When you’ve completed a task, click the checkmark next to the task name and attach any final files so others can use and reference them and know the work is done.

You can also create task milestones to represent major project goals (like hitting a revenue target) or pieces of work that unblock the next phase (like confirming an event site).

Organize and complete work with My Tasks

Getting more done and staying organized starts with you, and My Tasks is mission control. My Tasks is a view of all the tasks that are assigned to you. We recommend you start each day reviewing your task list.

Review new tasks daily

• New tasks will appear at the top under New Tasks. Anyone can assign you a task, and you can create them for yourself.
• To prevent new tasks from piling up, try to only keep up to ten tasks in your New Tasks section at any time.

Plan your day the Asana way, and follow along with more tips to stay on top of your tasks.

Prioritize your tasks

• Mark the tasks that must get done today as Today using the keyboard shortcut Tab-Y. You can mark the remaining tasks as Upcoming (Tab-U) or Later (Tab-L). You can also drag tasks to these sections.
• Ideally you should only have 3-5 tasks marked as Today. Make sure to reprioritize at the start of each day so what you’re working on is clear. Take a look at your Upcoming tasks, too, so that they’re on your radar and you’ll be ready to start working on them soon.

Make sure that tasks you’ve moved to Later have due dates (even if they’re rough estimates). This way, they’ll still get moved to Today the day before they’re due.

Organize My Tasks

• You can also divide your Upcoming and Later list into sections (e.g. by priority, due date, or category of task.)

• By default, your Later section is collapsed so future tasks don’t distract you from today’s work, but are still quickly accessible.

• You can organize My Tasks by due date, project, or completion by clicking the filter icon at the top right corner of My Tasks.

• See your tasks on a calendar with Calendar View to make sure you aren’t overloaded on any given day, and check on what’s coming up. It’s handy on mobile to get a glimpse, too.

Update tasks

• If someone assigns you a task, acknowledge it with a like or a pre-populated quick response to show that you’ve seen it and can work on it.
• As you work on the task, provide updates with task comments so task followers and project stakeholders are aware of the status, can provide feedback, or answer questions.

Learn more: Using My Tasks

Creating an easy-to-navigate organization system in Asana early on will help you plan your day, and set you and your team up for long-term success.

Once you’ve added tasks to Asana, you’re ready to create your first team project.