Asana is a popular project management and collaboration tool that allows teams to track projects, assign tasks, and communicate effectively. One of Asana’s most useful features is its notifications system that keeps users updated on activity happening in projects they are members of.
Asana notifications can alert you when you are assigned a new task, mentioned in a comment, or when there are updates to projects you are following. Enabling notifications allows you to stay on top of your work and ensures you never miss an important update. In this article, we will walk through how to configure notifications in Asana so you get alerts on the activities you care about.
Types of Notifications in Asana
Asana has four main notification types you can enable:
- Assignments – Get notified when someone assigns you a task
- Mentions – Get notified when someone @mentions you in a task comment
- Due date changes – Get notified when a task due date changes
- Project updates – Get updates on projects you are following when tasks are added, completed, commented on, etc.
Understanding these notification types will help you choose which ones are most useful for your workflow. You likely don’t want to enable all notification types or you may get overwhelmed. We recommend selecting 1-2 notification types that are most relevant to your role.
How to Enable Asana Notifications
Enabling Asana notifications is simple and can be done via desktop or mobile. Here are the steps:
On Desktop
1. Log into Asana and click on your profile icon in the top right corner
2. Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu
3. On the left sidebar, click “Notifications”
4. Here you will see toggle switches for each notification type. Switch them to the “on” position for the notifications you want to receive.
5. You can also configure your Email and Push notification settings on this page.
On Mobile
1. Open the Asana app and tap your profile icon in the top left
2. Tap “Settings”
3. Tap “Notifications”
4. Toggle on the notification types you want to enable
That’s it! Once you’ve configured notifications, you will start receiving alerts on the selected activities.
Customizing Your Notifications
Beyond just switching notifications on, you can also customize them to meet your preferences:
- Set the frequency – choose to get notifications in real-time, daily, or weekly digests
- Pick where you receive them – opt for email, mobile push, or in-app notifications
- Select projects to follow – filter notifications to only projects you care about
Taking the time to tailor your notifications means you get updates that are relevant and helpful, instead of overwhelming.
Fine-tuning Your Email Notifications
The Asana email settings offer advanced controls for your notifications. You can:
- Create custom digests focused on certain projects or tasks
- Set send times to control when email notifications are delivered
- Pause emails for set periods like vacations
Visit the “My Email Settings” section to access these options. It’s worth exploring so you can really personalize your notification experience.
Managing Notifications Within Projects
For notifications tied to project updates, you can specify which projects you want to follow. This helps focus notifications to only projects that are relevant to you.
To change the projects you follow:
- Go to “Projects” in the Asana sidebar
- Click “Follow Projects” above the list
- Toggle the follow setting on/off for each project
Now your project update notifications will be filtered to just those you follow.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you’ve enabled Asana notifications but aren’t receiving them, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Check your notification settings – make sure the types you want are toggled on
- If relying on email notifications, confirm your email address in your Asana profile is accurate
- Look for Asana emails in your spam folder and mark them “not spam”
- For push notifications, ensure you’ve allowed Asana to send notifications and haven’t disabled them for the app
- Try toggling the notification settings off and back on again to reset them
- Check for internet connection issues that could disrupt notifications
Still not receiving notifications after troubleshooting? Reach out to Asana support for further help.
Use Do Not Disturb to Avoid Notification Overload
A downside of notifications is they can quickly become distracting and disruptive to your focus. Even if you carefully configure notifications, you may experience times where they sends too many alerts.
For those times, use Asana’s Do Not Disturb feature to temporarily mute notifications. You can enable Do Not Disturb for set periods throughout the day or during certain calendars events.
To use it:
- Go to your Asana notifications settings
- Scroll down and click “Do Not Disturb”
- Choose schedules and duration to enable it
Activating Do Not Disturb ensures you stay in control of your notifications and aren’t overloaded.
Conclusion
Notifications are central to staying up-to-date with your Asana projects and tasks. Take the time to carefully configure your notification settings so you receive timely alerts on the activities that matter, without getting overwhelmed.
Focus on enabling 1-2 high value notification types like assignments and mentions. Customize the frequency and destination of your alerts. And leverage features like Do Not Disturb to manage periods of high notification volume.
With the right notification setup, Asana becomes an invaluable tool for staying connected to your team and your work. You’ll never again miss important updates or waste time checking for them.
