Set a reminder to tasks

I suggest adding a reminder option to a task. I have a section called ā€œWaiting Onā€ where I drag tasks to that Iā€™m waiting on someone else. Iā€™d like to set a reminder, say 3 days, for it to pop back up into my inbox or to dos again (or a notifications section, something like that).

7 Likes

Hi @Eric_Graham

Do you have a premium account? If so, I was just thinking that you could use start dates to accomplish this. You set the start date 3 days before the due date, then the task will appear in the Today section of My Tasks 3 days in advance. You could also tag it as ā€˜Waiting onā€™, so that it stands out as a reminder.

4 Likes

Thanks, Mark. Good suggestions. I donā€™t have premium but will consider it.
I move it into a Waiting On section, but that can get overlooked after a
while, which is why Iā€™m hoping to create more visibility around it, using a
reminder. But sounds like there are a couple workaround options in the
meantime.

2 Likes

Iā€™m using a free organization account.

I created a private ā€œFollow-Upā€ project specifically to track things Iā€™m blocked on or need to follow up on.

If a task Iā€™m working on becomes dependent on someone else for something, or if I canā€™t work on it right away, Iā€™ll add the ā€œFollow-Upā€ project to the task (while leaving any existing projects as they are). I also set a due date for the task for when I want it to show back up in My Tasks under Today. Then I mark the task for Later (TAB+L from within the task) and it goes away off into the Later section of My Tasks and wonā€™t bother me again until the due date arrives.

The Follow-Up project also gives me one place to go to see all the things Iā€™m personally waiting on across all projects. Because itā€™s a private project it doesnā€™t clutter up the teamā€™s project list for other team members.

I also use the ā€œReminder Tasks from Inboxā€ and ā€œFollow-Up Tasks from Right Paneā€ hacks in my profile settings to easily create follow up tasks. I always use the same procedure for these by adding them to the follow-up project and setting due dates. This allows me to check in on things that maybe arenā€™t assigned to me but need my input, or something I want to go back to and comment on later but donā€™t have time to currently. This way I donā€™t have to leave things in my Inbox when I know I want to respond and I can prioritize them in My Tasks based on when I want to deal with them rather than having them be a full interruption.

Let me know if you have questions or want more specifics.

5 Likes

It would be great if this was an option under the three-dots menu for a specific task (separate from the due date and initial reminder).

13 Likes

Hi Ryan.

Thanks so much for sharing your tips and workflow.

I have a couple of questions for you.

Do you find it cumbersome to have to go back to tasks and take them ā€œawayā€ from the summary projects like the Follow Up project.

I tried the Reminder Tasks but donā€™t like that it doesnā€™t give you any options right then and there and just adds them as Tasks. Do you find this too or do you actually like that you can quickly set a reminder.

It just seems like Tasks can get crowded very quickly, unless youā€™re diligent about what you create a reminder task for.

Iā€™m sure itā€™s just a matter of habits, tooā€¦like checking all your ā€œinboxesā€ at the end of the day.

Hi @KarenV,

For me, I only add follow-up tasks to the summary ā€œFollow Upā€ project as a way to find all of them if I want to. The summary Follow-Up project is also a List Project (instead of Board), so by default the tasks disappear as I complete them. So other than adding the tasks to the project, thereā€™s not much to make it cumbersome for me.

As for the Remind Tasks not giving you immediate options, Iā€™m guessing youā€™re using the ā€œCreate Reminder Taskā€ link you see on inbox items. For that one I just click the notification window that pops up in the lower left to go straight to the new task and fix it. I usually have special notes and details I want to add to follow-up tasks so I almost always want to go to them anyway. For instance, I want a due date of when I want to be reminded to think about it. Often I have expectations I want to record in case I forget details by the time it comes up again. Things like that.

Basically I create follow-up tasks three different ways (2 are set up in settings on the hacks tab)

  1. From the ā€œCreate Reminder Taskā€ link in my inbox
  2. From other tasks that might not be mine (I do this by clicking the ā€œā€¦ā€ for the task and selecting ā€œCreate Follow-up Taskā€)
  3. Iā€™ll create a new task from scratch (I might forward an email to Asana, or create a task in my inbox or the follow-up project)

In all cases Iā€™ve just gotten used to spending some time going to the new task and doing a bit of work on it. So yeah, habits help and at the end of the day it comes down to what works best for you. By always going to the task to fiddle with the description and title, the lack of a immediate dialog to fill options in on has diminished as an issue for me. I did find it a bit cumbersome at first with the lack of consistency (the notification from the inbox version versus the new task dialog from the task settings version versus just creating them from scratch).

Having said that, Iā€™m a forgetful person, so I find just about any overhead created by doing this generally pays for itself in the long run to protect my image as an above average intelligence human (or so I like to think). If I hadnā€™t found these options I probably never would have thought of this.

1 Like

hi Eric,

Thatā€™s exactly what Iā€™m struggling about. Did you find an answer or do you have a great tip that you could share?
All the above answers are good workarounds but doesnā€™t quite make it.

tks,
Cyril

2 Likes

I would really like to see the follow-up feature expanded upon. It is a bit burdensome to create a new follow-up task each time I want a reminder to check something Iā€™ve assigned to someone else or to remind myself to follow-up on a comment I left on a task.
When there is an open task Iā€™ve assigned to someone and I leave a comment on it, I have to create a follow-up task for myself as a reminder to make sure my teammate replied. Sometimes a comment I leave on a task goes un-replied to for several days and I have no way of knowing.
A button to send me an alert if Iā€™m the last person with any activity on a task (comment or like) for X amount of time, would go a long way for me. Or if there was a way to do this via the Advanced Search functionality.

1 Like

Hi @Jim_Clement,

Iā€™m wondering if you would find this process valuable if it was available - does it sound like something you would use/like:

2 Likes

Hi @Jim_Clement and @Phil_Seeman :wave:

There is an existing thread regarding this topic so if you donā€™t mind Iā€™ve gone ahead and merged your post with this main thread to consolidate feedback.

Have a great day!

1 Like

Thanks Natalia

Iā€™d love to be able to set up a reminder so that, for example, if I assign something to a colleague thatā€™s due in a week, I can create a reminder for myself to follow up.

1 Like

Hi @Nicole_Small,

What about using follow-up tasks? Task actions: create, move, duplicate, and more | Product guide ā€¢ Asana Product Guide?

3 Likes

Agree with @Marieā€™s suggestion.

Another option is to Save a Search (Report) for Tasks created by you, but not assigned to you (so someone else), that are Incomplete but Due within the next X number of days. You could save that Search and check it once a day and just Comment on any Tasks asking for an update. I use this kind of Report myself.

4 Likes

I like the idea of follow up tasks, @Marie. If the original task is completed, is the follow up task also completed at the same time? Or are they completely separate?

Hi all! Iā€™m Nicole, a Product Manager at Asana. Weā€™d like to invite you to participate in some research around how our customers get time-sensitive work done.

Weā€™re curious to learn what you need so we can build features to help you get your work done on time! If youā€™re interested, please fill out this form and weā€™ll reach out to schedule a chat if youā€™re a match for the study.

Weā€™re looking for users to speak with us for 30 minutes, and weā€™re able to send $50 for your time. All interviews will be conducted remotely.

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts with our team and helping us make Asana better for you!

Nicole

Thank you @Marie for this alternative. For now your solution is good for me, but as someone pointed out, this is causing a lot of tasks cluttering.

Iā€™d also like the ability to set a reminder with the option of either X days before the task is due or on a specific date. Some tasks are planned with deadlines weeks or months down the road. I havent found followup tasks useful and itā€™s a bit redundant - taking up unnecessary time - makes my task lists view long, and doesnt nudge others in the team or the assignee.

1 Like

Hi Nicole,

I wanted to quickly follow up on your post and share how this issue has been approached in Trello. Itā€™s available out of the box without any additional charges.

Can you share by any chance when do you guys plan on adding this feature to the product? A Currency feature would also be nice to have.

Cheers,
Maricn

1 Like