Table of contents:
-
○ Presentation deck
○ Video
○ My Asana Configuration
Baseline information
Tips for joining a company
Browser settings
Using different browsers
Bookmarks & Startup tabs
Web App Account Settings
Notifications
Display
Hacks
Mobile App Settings
Inbox
Web App UI Settings
My Tasks
Inbox
Sidebar
Projects
Displaying task stories
Home
Tips for leaving a company
Searching for projects you own
A tip that is probably not very useful
Chrome tab icons
○ Appendix
Work Graph
Advent/Countdown calendars
Hi, I gave a lightning talk (short presentation) in a My Tasks event in Japan.
It’s the 2nd Tokyo community event listed in How we collaborate on Asana to host community-led events.
I hope it’s helpful for you to set it up Asana in a way that works best for you!
Presentation deck
I’ve been using Asana for 10 years and here’s what I’ve learned.
Video
Chapters
- 0:00 Opening
- 0:45 Self-introduction
- 2:00 Three principles
- Free up memory
- Eliminate busy work
- Decide in advance
- 4:58 Why Asana is comfortable
- 7:54 How I use Asana
- 15:07 How I use My tasks
- 20:58 How to tidy up My Tasks
- 22:15 Takeaways
My Asana Configuration
This section is English translation of my Japanese forum topic Ultimate Asana Setup of an Asana Enthusiast - April 2024 edition.
I ended my forum manager position (@Shun_Sakurai) in April, and I handed it over back to @Nao_Kumazaki.
Starting a new Asana account on a new device, and handing over work, were good timings to review and organize my Asana preferences and settings. Use these ideas as a hint to create the best configurations for your work and preferences.
Baseline information
Position: I was an individual contributor, so I was able to get my work done just by looking at my My Tasks and Inbox. A manager would likely use features like goals and portfolios more.
Devices: I used a new Asana account on my company-issued Macbook Pro (Chrome browser). I also used the iPhone app.
Disclaimer: My usual work environment is more cluttered. I quickly organized it to take screenshots.
Tips for joining a company
Whenever I change any settings, I note them in my personal Asana project.
These notes were very useful for setting up my new Mac work environment.
Browser settings
Using different browsers
The commonly heard method for using multiple Asana accounts is to create multiple Chrome profiles, but I decided to just use different browsers.
- Chrome: My main Asana account
- Safari: Asanaverse (organization for Ambassadors)
- Firefox: Demo environment for testing and taking screenshots
Bookmarks & Startup tabs
When I launch Chrome, the following tabs opens automatically:
- Asana Inbox
- Asana My Tasks
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Asana Forum
The key point is to bookmark the specific URLs for “Inbox” and "My Tasks”.
I don’t bookmark app.asana.com because it opens the Home tab.
We can directly open each tab by pressing Cmd + number (Ctrl + number on Windows).
I set up the screen layout like this:
- Second, external monitor (I prefer 2560x1440 resolution):
- Left half: Chrome (five tabs plus some other tabs)
- Right half: What I’m working on
- Macbook: Slack
To split the screen, instead of dragging the windows, I use a tool to snap the windows to the left or right or corners using keyboard shortcuts. (Magnet is more famous. PC users can use the standard shortcuts Win +←/→)
Web App Account Settings
Notifications
I turn off all email notifications because my Asana Inbox is always open.
It might also be a good idea to check the projects’ default notification settings. I leave it all at the default.
Display
- I turn on “Show row numbers” and “Enable compact mode”.
Hacks
- I turn them all on
Note: I no longer use sections in My Tasks though
Mobile App Settings
Inbox
From Inbox settings (“…”), I make the following two changes:
- Turn on “Expand threads”
- Change swipe action to anything other than "unfollow” because I don’t want to do it so easily, risking losing access to the task.
Web App UI Settings
My Tasks
My main list view is displayed with “Filter: Incomplete”, “Group: None”, and “Sort: Due date”.
I sometimes use the calendar views to check my schedule for the next week or month.
Inbox
I turn on “…” > “Expand notifications” (same as mobile). When it’s turned off, your inbox will only show the most recent comment/activity, making it easy to miss a comment.
This is more of a habit than a preference, but I immediately archive notifications that I have acknowledged, acted on, or created a follow-up task for, creating an Inbox Zero state.
Sidebar
I often use the favorite feature.
- I save “Messages I’ve exchanged” by searching for “Collaborators: Me”, opening the “Messages” tab, and starring the search condition. (Add "Messages I've received" or "Messages I've exchanged" in Inbox header, Premium/Starter and above)
- I also bookmark frequently used and referenced projects.
The projects I open most often are ones for 1-on-1s and meetings.
If I come up with a topic to share in the meeting, I Cmd (Ctrl) + click on the project name, or right-click and select “Open in new tab.” I keep my Inbox and My Tasks in their fixed places.
I press Cmd (Ctrl)+number to move to new tab and make a note of the topic, or drag the tab to the right half of my monitor to work side-by-side. Then I press Cmd (Ctrl)+W to close the tab.
I don’t use the other sidebar tabs much so I collapse them.
- Insights
- Projects (I sort them alphabetically)
- Teams
Projects
- If the default filter is incomplete tasks, I create a “List (all tasks)” tab with different filter settings. We can easily see recently completed tasks.
Displaying task stories
Open any task, scroll down, and select the “All activity” tab.
The settings are saved for each user account, so you’ll be able to see “All Activity” even if you open other tasks.
Home
I don’t look at the Home tab much.
I use the widgets for things that are difficult to see in other views.
- Private notepad: Links to frequently accessed and favorite tasks
- Draft comments: We can check our unsubmitted comments
- Tasks I’ve assigned (Premium/Starter and above)
Tips for leaving a company
Searching for projects you own
Did you know you can search for projects using Advanced Search (Premium/Starter and above)?
When you open the “Projects” tab in the search results,
- You can see the projects you own with Assignee: me
- You can see the projects you are a member of with Collaborators: me
I was an individual contributor, so I didn’t make projects myself. I found that I had created a project for testing purposes, so I deleted it.
A tip that is probably not very useful
Chrome tab icons
This won’t affect many people, but when I worked at Asana, the icons (favicons) of almost all tabs are 
, and when I have many tabs open, it becomes difficult to tell them apart.
I used a Chrome extension to change the icons for forms and the forum. (This might be against the Asana logo usage guidelines, but it was for personal use 
)
Appendix
Work Graph
If you wish to know more about work graph and the beauty of Asana, I’d recommend this presentation by Asana co-founder Justin Rosenstein:
Advent/Countdown calendars
2024 Japanese advent calendar and English countdown calendars:
