I would like to add subheaders such as Morning or Afternoon or a specific period of time

[adam_t]

In addition to the ability to add a task, I would like to add an editable subheader such as Morning or Afternoon or a specific period of time. The daily tasks would then be placed in the right time slot. This would allow the list and board functions to work as a daily agenda in rough form where exact times are not as important and fixed slots for tasks until done, which is common in knowledge work. This is fixed scheduling productivity rather than a to do list approach. It would make software like Google Calendar unnecessary for daily work.

It would be a parallel category to subtask and fit the design well. The option to copy or repeat subheadings would be obvious.

EXAMPLE

Subheader: Morning
Task: edit report
Subheader: 1 to 3 pm
Task: prepare presentation
Subheader: Before going home
Task: Write email to …

I think this would be a popular feature for individual work in particular and drive users to this app as the addition of the Asana board view made my use of Trello obsolete as ASANA has better task management functions. The subheading feature would make my daily plan agenda obsolete in other apps.

[Emily_Roman]

Hi @adam_t, welcome to the Asana Community Forum!

I believe you can achieve this using Sections. Sections allow you to divide and organize the tasks in your project and if you wish to automate which tasks are added to each section you can try creating Rules.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you want to achieve something different and I’d be happy to investigate further!

[adam_t]

Dear Emily, Thank you for your response. Subheadings would divide up a SECTION by putting dividers between tasks. Think of a daily agenda where you would schedule tasks throughout your day before lunch, after a meeting etc. The work you have for a day is a SECTION you would call TODAY. Tasks completed would be marked done and tasks you did not finish would stay in the TODAY SECTION. You would plan your tasks around the time periods or events of the day that you could label with headings. Unfinished tasks could be moved to a later subheading or moved to another SECTION called IN PROGRESS like the KANBAN method.

[adam_t]

This would be an example from a SECTION for today:

Subheader: Morning
Task: edit report
Subheader: 1 to 3 pm
Task: prepare presentation
Subheader: Before going home
Task: Write email to …

[lpb]

@adam_t,

I think something like this is what you’re describing:

where you can decide the specific sections with Today you’d like different from the ones shown above.

Some related info here too:

Learn how to manage your 'My Tasks' like a boss, featuring Asana CSM Terri Burden!

@Jerod_Hillard, Yes I bet you’re not seeing Milestone tasks in My Tasks for the reason you give (I can see them in a regular, org-wide paid plan). Re My Tasks organization: I never open Later and use Later tasks without a due date as a dumping ground for tasks that I don’t/can’t unassign myself from but don’t need to look at, e.g, in an AOR (Areas of Responsibility) type project where I’m assigned to functions, as one example. I am careful never to put a task I care about in Later unless I g…

Larry

[adam_t]

Yes, exactly like that. Is it possible to do in the free version for a regular SECTION, not a project? I don’t see any of the options described in the link you added. How is this done?

[lpb]

I’m not sure what you mean by “…for a regular SECTION, not a project.”

You can create the sections I did by doing Tab+N or clicking the down arrow next to the blue Add Task button. You then can drag the newly-created section into a different position.

Larry

[adam_t]

It might be a difference between the free version and the premium teams version. I don’t have a blue task button you describe, just a plus sign. There are no custom fields.

If it is, such a basic function should be in the free version to attract those who plan their day chronologically or tasks around event. Calendars like Google are not useful because my tasks are knowledgework that is not fixed to the hour but gets done in sequence with broad categories like before or after lunch or before I go home, or in the evening. I moved to ASANA from TRELLO when ASANA added the board view, which made TRELLO obsolete since ASANA has better task management functions. They could improve the design of the board view, however. It is pretty bland compared to TRELLO.

I think my request makes sense from a product marketing perspective, not just a usability one.

[lpb]

@adam_t,

I believe the feature is present in Asana Basic (free version) as shown here:

Perhaps that screenshot helps.

I’m afraid I can only help if you respond to what I write. In my last reply I asked you to explain a quote of yours, and I suggested you try Tab+N niy you didn’t reply about either.

Larry

[adam_t]

I see the MY TASKS menu and button now but that is not what I want. I want the subheaders in a SECTION in the BOARD view in projects, not the MY TASKS left menu.

It is the KANBAN method that TRELLO is based on that this board format in ASANA is copied from. Basically you drag the boxes around to organize your workday and week. If you don’t finish a task you drag it to the afternoon or move it to the next day and move on to what you prioritized for the afternoon, for example. It is a process or weekly perspective rather than a to do list daily task perspective. Here is a screenshot. I just need a super simple version for personal use using the boards rather than the full premium version that ASANA offers.

An example screenshot is provided above.

Thank you for your trouble.

Adam

[Jerod_Hillard]

@adam_t why not just have each column (section) be a time of day (like morning, afternoon, etc) and then use the filter on the board to only show tasks due today?

If columns (sections) need to represent days, my other suggestion would be to use a custom field as your “time of day” and then you can sort the columns by that field. That would require a premium subscription but might achieve what you desire.

I understand what you are specifically looking to achieve, another break within tasks, but that feature is not yet available. You can upvote this feature here: Ability to add sub-sections

Another workaround you’ll see in the thread above, is to use unique characters as a “separation task” just like you did with LUNCH in your screenshot. Perhaps list it as “ ------LUNCH-----“ or LUNCH “ so it stands out more as a subsection.

[lpb]

@adam_t, Thanks for clarifying. When you wrote “Yes, exactly like that” to my My Tasks list view screenshot I didn’t assume you were discussing instead a project view, and board view of that project to boot!

First, since you are describing tasks assigned to you (I believe) I recommend using My Tasks view not a separate project view which will both involve extra effort on your part and somewhat go against Asana’s expected use which often can cause further trouble. You can create five to seven similar sets of those sections I showed in my screenshot to correspond to a workweek or week if that’s what you desire, or have less subdivided section buckets for, say, Tomorrow, Day After Tomorrow, and Later This Week so it’s more of a rolling view for tasks beyond Today.

Second, I feel you’ll be able to see more of what you need to focus on with list view (and can still drag and drop) rather than board view so I’d tend to recommend list view for this. At the moment that’s fortuitous because My Tasks does not support a board view–but it will; see Upcoming changes coming to My Tasks in Asana! [breaking changes] for details, which is written for developers but I think you’ll be able to see how My Tasks will be updated–you’ll get your board view and the ability to toggle between list and board view.

By “see more of what you need to focus on with list view” I find for a need like what you describe, I’ll be focused primarily on tasks found in the current section (“Morning”) or nearby ones. In that case List view gives the best view regardless of how many tasks are found in these focus sections because a task is only one row tall and also takes up the full width; board view turns tasks into cards so you can’t fit many, and instead always presents more columns (sections), but you’re not focused on most of them so it’s not the best utilization of screen real estate for this need.

If you prefer to use board view I would second a couple of @Jerod_Hillard’s suggestions.

Larry

[adam_t]

Jerod,

I took your suggestion and just made cover images with a colored background and the names I needed with not text, and just copied them to slide in later when need. I can store the subheadings in an unused SECTION and slide them around when needed. It should be an unnecessary workaround for such a simple function though.

[adam_t]

Dear Larry,

I have an academic job with very few dependencies in my workflow with a mix of longterm projects and regular hard deadlines on a weekly bases namely class times, so a week view rather than a daily task view makes sense for me using a KANBAN type approach. Few of my tasks are urgent. The problem is fitting them into the week using a fixed schedule productivity approach. I don’t have a lot of small tasks like website updates or sales calls so boards are manageable. I need to see my week at a glance to slot in for example writing time or slide it to next week (a section at the end of the board), if I can’t fit it in this week. It is very different from a tightly integrated team in the private sector. Hence, my request, and why it may not make sense for others.

Thanks for the tips. There is always more to learn.

Adam

[Jerod_Hillard]

Clever use of cover images, @adam_t!