4 tips to use email and Asana together

There are so many different communication tools, yet when it comes to work, email is usually inevitable. That’s OK—we can help you work smarter by integrating your email workflow with your Asana workflow. Here are four easy ways to do it.

Asana updates done your way

You don’t have to log into Asana to stay informed on work. Instead, use email notifications to keep tabs on the work that’s most important to you. You can choose the kinds of email updates—and the frequency of them—that you receive from Asana, including: 

• Activity updates: Get an email about every @mention, new tasks assigned to you, and completion updates for tasks you’re a collaborator on. If you want frequent updates on the work happening in Asana, these are for you. 

• Mentions only: As the name implies, you’ll receive an email every time you’re @mentioned in a task or comment thread. Additionally, we’ll let you know when you receive a direct message or a task is assigned to you.

• Daily summaries: Get a daily overview of new tasks assigned to you and upcoming due dates. You’ll see all of these updates batched into one email, so you don’t have to sift through multiple.

• Weekly reports: If you want more infrequent updates, receive a weekly email that includes a status report on projects in your portfolios.

These updates make it easy for you to stay informed on the go, especially on days where you won’t get to spend as much time working in Asana. And remember that all the information we deliver to your email inbox can also be found in your Asana inbox. Explore how Asana's inbox can give you the updates you care about the most.

Email tasks directly to my tasks

It’s easy to lose track of important emails, whether they’re files, reminders, project updates, or anything else. Without an easy reminder to come back to an email, important action items might fall through the cracks.

Tasks are the best way to capture those action items, so you always know what needs to be done by when and who needs to do it. Asana makes it easy to create new tasks straight from your email, here’s how: 

• Forward any email to x@mail.asana.com. This creates a task (assigned to you) in the Asana workspace associated with your email address.

• You can also write a new email and turn it into a task. Your subject line will turn into the task name, while the body of the email will become the task description. Send it to x@mail.asana.com and it’ll magically appear in your my tasks.

Next time your manager sends a request to your email, remember it’s easy to turn it into a reminder task in Asana.

Get work done from your email inbox

Switching apps constantly can be a drain on your time and productivity. If you’re already in your email, you can stay there to get work done in Asana. When you receive an Asana update in your email inbox, such as someone assigning you a task, you can take action right within the email:

• Comment on the task: Reply to the email, and your message will turn into a comment on the task.

• Mark the task complete: Reply to the email and type “Complete” or “Done” as the first word in your message. The task will then be marked as complete in Asana.

• Assign the task to a teammate: Reply to the email and add your teammate's email address in the To: field. The task will be reassigned to the specified teammate.

• Add a teammate as a task collaborator: Reply to the email and add your teammate's email address in the CC: field. Your teammate will be added as a collaborator on the task.

Imagine you’re navigating annual planning, with plenty of cross-functional partners and fast-moving pieces of work. Being able to reply to an email to complete a task, or CC your teammate for visibility as a collaborator, can help you move fast within your email and keep the work on track. 

Integrate Asana with your email platform

Integrations connect the tools you already use to Asana, reducing the need for app switching while still keeping your work on track. Our integrations with Gmail and Outlook help you turn emails about work into action, so your inbox becomes an extension of your Asana workspace.

The Gmail and Outlook integrations give you the flexibility to actually use Asana in your inbox, rather than having to forward emails to x@mail.asana.com. You can turn email threads into tasks, which can be assigned to yourself or a teammate, and you can pick a due date as well.

Combining rules with the Gmail integration allows teams to automatically send emails from an account. Teams can go from manually sending emails to choosing triggers that automatically send out an email to your chosen recipients. If you’re working on a project involving a lot of email updates, these integrations are ideal to ensure work still gets captured and shared in Asana—without having to switch back and forth between platforms. Asana Academy offers separate courses to help you learn best practices for using Asana with Gmail, and Asana with Outlook.

Work smarter with Asana and your email

These features don’t just declutter your email, they also take your inbox to the next level—ensuring every action item is captured and nothing falls through the cracks. Connecting the dots between Asana and your email means a smoother workflow, enabling you to work smarter with better clarity and efficiency.