17 Snippets to Be More Productive in Asana

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Snippet Group created by: Dave Mason Mr. System
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When it comes to productivity, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. There are so many tools and technology out there to help us save time and be more efficient, but before all that, there needs to be a commitment to use that technology. What makes adoption more easier and more efficient is when others share their tips for using software more effectively.

One of our favorite tool combinations for efficient project management is using TextExpander and Asana. Asana is great for helping teams organize and set priorities, while TextExpander makes typing quicker by allowing you to create snippets of frequently typed text.

We know that our friend Dave J. Mason, aka Mr. System, has mastered the art of using Asana and TextExpander together, so we’ve partnered with him to compile the tools and tricks you need to use TextExpander and Asana together. In addition to the tips and tricks listed in this article, Mr. System has created a free snippet group that you can subscribe to so all the snippets listed in this article will automatically be added to your TextExpander app.

Benefits of Using This Snippet Group:

Quickly reply to tasks with common responses and calls to action in Asana.

Bring attention to important items within your Asana projects and comments.

Create consistent and uniform titles for your Asana tasks and descriptions for projects.

How to Subscribe and Use This Snippet Group:

Click on this subscribe link.

If you are not already logged in, log into your TextExpander account. Not using TextExpander yet? Try it for free.

Click the orange Subscribe to Group button.

Once subscribed, this snippet will update to your TextExpander account and show at the bottom of the snippet directory on the left side.

You will need to create an account for TextExpander, download and install the program. You can use TextExpander on Mac, Windows, Chrome, and iOS.

Once you have TextExpander installed, Add this group to your TextExpander library.

Once you have added the group to your library, you can start using these snippets in Asana. Simply type the abbreviation, and the snippet will expand with the snippet content.

How and When to Use These Snippets:

Any questions?
Abbreviation: anq

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to ask a collaborator if they have any questions. After typing the @mention, type anq to expand “any questions” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, any questions?

How are you getting on?
Abbreviation: haygo

This snippet is great to use in an Asana comment to prompt the assignee for input. After typing the @mention, type haygo to expand “how are you getting on” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, how are you getting on with this task?

Let me know!
Abbreviation: lmk

This snippet is great to use in Asana to clarify that you want the collaborator to let you know more information. After typing the @mention, type lmk to expand “let me know” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, let me know if you have more questions.

Please could you respond by…
Abbreviation: prb

This snippet is great to use in Asana to for a clear call to action on asking others to respond back by a specific time. After typing the @mention, type prb to expand “please could you respond by” into the comment and add the date you need a response by.

Example: @kerry, please could you respond by tomorrow?

Thanks for the update.
Abbreviation: tfup

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to thank a collaborator for the update. After typing the @mention, type tfup to expand “thanks for the update” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, thanks for the update.

What do you think
Abbreviation: wdyt

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to ask what others may think. After typing the @mention, type wdyt to expand “what do you think” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, what do you think about the new mockup?

Completed or Not?
Abbreviation: ;complete

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to ask a collaborator if you can mark the task complete. After typing the @mention, type ;complete to expand “can this be marked as complete?” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, can this be marked as complete?

Updates?
Abbreviation: ;updates

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to ask a collaborator if there are any updates. After typing the @mention, type ;updates to expand “any updates on this?” into the comment.

Example: @kerry, any updates on this?

—————————————————————
◾ Heading Title:
—————————————————————
Abbreviation: ;heading

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to break things out with additional formatting in a project. After typing the @mention, type ;heading to expand a pop-up window where you can input the heading title.

Important:
Abbreviation: ;important

This snippet is perfect when you want to call attention in the description or comment area. Type ;important and it will expand “⚠ IMPORTANT: ”

Example: ⚠ IMPORTANT: Please note the new date.

Link
Abbreviation: ;link

This snippet is great when you want to call attention to an important link. Type ;link and it will expand “🔗 Here’s the link:”

Example: 🔗 Here’s the link: http://www.asana.com

Note
Abbreviation: ;note

This snippet works perfectly when you want to call attention to a note that you have added to the task or comment. Type ;note and it will expand “📋 Note:”

Example: 📋 Note: Don’t forget to update the due date.

Warning
Abbreviation: ;warning

This snippet is great to use when you want to warn the team about something. Type ;warning and it will expand “🚨 WARNING:”

Example: 🚨 WARNING: Do not contact the client before this task is completed.

Collaborator: Remove Self
Abbreviation: ;removeme

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to let other collaborators know that you are removing yourself as a collaborator. Type ;removeme to expand “I’m removing myself as a collaborator. Please @mention me if you need anything else.”

Example: @kerry I’m removing myself as a collaborator. Please @mention me if you need anything else.

Date: changed
Abbreviation: ;newdate

This snippet is great to use in Asana when you want to let collaborators know that you have changed the project due date. After typing the @mention, type ;newdate to expand “I’m changing the due date because” into the comment. Then you can continue to type the reason why the date was changed.

Example: @kerry, I’m changing the due date because we extended the project due date.

Asana Task Description
Abbreviation: ;desc

This snippet is perfect to provide a concise description on what the project is about. When you type ;desc, the snippet will expand and launch a pop-up window where you can fill out the following questions:

This task is about…

This needs to be done because…

This is important because…

This should take approx…

The resources you’ll need for this task are:

The deliverables for this task are:

Here are some examples for reference:

Asana Task Title
Abbreviation: ;title

This snippet can be used to create a consistent naming convention for your tasks. When you type ;title, the snippet will expand and launch a pop-up window where you can fill out the task name that includes a verb, subject and context.

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