Stop Using Sections for Status: Try This Asana Workflow Hack Instead

As an Asana Solutions Partner, I’ve worked with countless teams—and one of the most common issues I see in ongoing projects is the unnecessary use of Sections as status indicators.

You’ve likely seen it before (or maybe are doing it yourself):A project board with Sections like “To Do,” “In Progress,” “Review,” and “Done,” but also a custom field called “Status” or “Stage” that has… yep, the exact same labels.

To make matters worse, teams then create multiple rules to keep these two things in sync. For example:

• If a task is moved to the “In Progress” section, update the “Status” field to “In Progress.”

• If the “Status” field is updated to “Review,” move the task to the “Review” section.

Sound familiar?

Thanks to a recent update in Asana, there’s now a smarter, simpler way to do this—and it doesn’t involve Sections or Rules at all.

Why You Should Stop Using Sections for Status in Ongoing Asana Projects

Sections in Asana are meant for organizing tasks visually, not for tracking the lifecycle of a task. When you use both Sections and a Status field, you're duplicating effort and creating unnecessary complexity.

Here’s why the Status field wins:

✔ It’s more flexible and easier to update

✔ It syncs directly with your reports and dashboards

✔ It eliminates the need for rules just to stay consistent

✔ It lets you sort and group tasks without cluttering your views

How to Replace Sections with a Single-Select Status Field

Here’s a step-by-step guide to simplify your Asana projects and improve your workflow using a single-select custom field:

Step 1: Create a Custom Field for Status

Go to Customize > Fields > Add Custom Field.Create a Single-Select field called "Status" (or something like “Stage,” “Phase,” etc.). Add your workflow stages as options and assign a color to each.

💡 Tip: If you want to reuse this field in other projects, check the option to add it to your field library.

You can avoid creating Sections and Rules by following the below steps instead:

Step 2: Migrate Existing Tasks from Sections

If you're working in an existing project, use the List view to bulk-select all the tasks in each Section and assign them the corresponding Status option.

Make sure to turn off all filters so you can see completed and hidden tasks too.

Step 3: Group by Status Instead of Sections

In your List or Board view, click the Group by button (top-right) and select your new Status field.

Also, enable Show empty groups so all Status options appear as columns—whether or not they currently have tasks.

Step 4: Clean Up the View

Click the Options menu and hide the Status field from task cards—it’s already visible in your column headers.

Then click Save View for Everyone so all project members see the updated layout.

Bonus: Reorder Your Workflow with Drag-and-Drop

You can reorder the columns in your Board view by reordering the options in your Status field.

Go to Customize > Edit Field > Drag options, and use the 6-dot icon to set the perfect order.

Important Cleanup Step (If You're Updating an Existing Project)

Before you delete your old Sections and Rules:

⚠️ Review your Rules! Many might be tied to Section movements or trigger changes in Dashboards.If they’re no longer needed, delete them. If they’re still useful, rework them to use the Status field instead.

Once that’s done:

• Remove or archive any legacy Sections

• Delete or pause any Section-related rules

  
  

🔄 You’ll be left with a cleaner, more elegant setup—with no redundant logic or visual clutter.

Final Thoughts: Why This Hack Works

By choosing to stop using Sections for Status, you're reducing complexity, removing friction, and setting your team up for a more intuitive project experience. Your workflows become easier to manage, more scalable, and more visually clear—without a single rule required.

You also unlock better reporting, easier filtering, and cleaner Dashboards.

Ready to Streamline Your Workflow?

If you’re still using Sections to represent task stages, now is the perfect time to simplify your setup.

📩 Book a free consultation, and I’ll help you:

• Evaluate your current workflow

• Migrate to a cleaner, rule-free setup

• Make the most of Asana’s custom fields and grouping features

Let me know in the comments—are you still using Sections for Status? Or have you made the switch?

P.S. This blog post is adapted from a forum post I originally shared here. If you’re active in the community, feel free to join the conversation there too!