Manage and prioritize tasks

Efficient task management and prioritization are essential for achieving productivity and meeting deadlines in any project. In Asana, you can streamline these processes to stay organized and focused on key priorities. In this article, we'll explore effective methods for prioritizing tasks.

Adding tasks to projects

Tasks represent the actionable steps required for project completion, while projects are the overarching framework that houses these tasks.

To add an existing task to a project, navigate to the task details pane. In the Project field, click Add to project and type the project name to which you want to add the task. 

Adding tasks to multiple projects with multi-homing

Tasks can be added to multiple projects in Asana, allowing for cross-functional collaboration and visibility; this is called multi-homing. Multi-homing ensures a single task's progress and updates are reflected across all associated projects. 

For example, you may want to discuss a task in your upcoming team meeting. Add it to the team meeting project while keeping it in its original project. To multi-home a task, navigate to the Projects tab in your task and type the projects you want to associate it with.

Prioritizing your tasks

You may have several tasks assigned to you across My Tasks and projects. But how do you prioritize them?

Sorting by due date

One way to quickly prioritize tasks is by sorting them by due date. This can be done in My tasks or any project. Sorting by the due date will arrange tasks in ascending order, placing those with the nearest due dates at the top.

There are a few ways to sort tasks by due dates:

1. Click on the Due date column, to sort ascending or descending
2. Click Sort at the top and select Due date

There are many other options you can also choose from when sorting tasks using the Sort button.

Prioritizing tasks using custom fields

Another way to organize tasks is by custom field. By using custom fields, you can tailor your project view to align with specific criteria—for example, order tasks in your project by a “priority” custom field. Similar to sorting by due date, you can click on the custom field header or use the Sort button.

You can also filter your tasks to view tasks with specific custom fields. For example, view tasks with only “High” priority.

Use the “Just my tasks” filter in projects

Projects can contain a lot of tasks, not all of them relevant to you. Use the Just my tasks filter to quickly isolate tasks you are responsible for in the project.

The sorting and filters you apply to projects won't be seen by other team members unless you click the Save for everyone option at the top right corner. You can create a new tab with your filters. Learn more about how to do this here. 

Adjusting priorities

Update due dates as necessary

As priorities evolve, it's essential to adjust task details accordingly. Task assignees can easily update due dates by clicking the due date field and selecting a new date. If a due date needs to be changed, it's best practice to comment on the task and @mention the person who assigned the task to let them know the due date has been pushed back and why.

Re-assign tasks

Tasks often go through multiple steps and may need to be reassigned to different team members. For example, tasks may need to be re-assigned if there are changes in team members' roles, responsibilities, or availability. If this happens, it’s best practice to rename the task to align with the new assignee's action item and communicate changes in task comments to ensure a smooth transition in responsibilities.

Communicating in tasks

Sharing updates in comments

Use task comments to ask questions, add additional information, offer insights, and provide updates on the progress of a task. Collaborators on the task will receive the comment notification in their inbox.

Looping in teammates as collaborators

Adding collaborators to your task allows you to involve multiple people in the task's progress. Collaborators can actively contribute to a task, provide additional context, take over the task if needed, or simply follow the task to stay informed.

To add a collaborator to a task:

• Click the + button next to Collaborators to add or remove collaborators
• Collaborators will receive inbox notifications and can receive notifications via email, depending on their settings.
• If you get notifications for a task you are no longer interested in, you can remove yourself from the task collaborators.

Celebrating task completion

Use appreciations to acknowledge and celebrate a team member’s accomplishments. You can share appreciations for completed tasks, milestones, and status updates.

To share an appreciation:

1. Open a task and scroll down to comments
2. Click on the star icon and choose an appreciation