How to Migrate from Todoist to Foci

Todoist is one of the best task managers out there — powerful filters, natural language input, and a polished interface. But it's designed for managing tasks, not for doing them with deep focus. If you want a tool that pairs your task list with a built-in focus timer and progress tracking, here's how to bring your Todoist tasks into Foci.

Why switch?

Todoist excels at capturing and organizing. Foci excels at executing:

• Pomodoro timer built in — select a task and start a focused session immediately
• Per-task time tracking — see sessions and minutes spent on every task
• Daily session goals and streaks — turn productivity into a habit
• Zero subscription required — Foci is free with no premium tier gating features
• Offline-first — works without internet in your browser; optional free account syncs across devices when you're online

You don't need to abandon Todoist to try Foci. But if you want your tasks and your focus system in one place, migration takes about two minutes.

Step 1: Export your tasks from Todoist

Todoist makes this easy with a built-in CSV export:

1. Open Todoist in your browser
2. Go to Settings → Backups (or navigate to todoist.com/backups)
3. Click Create backup or download the most recent one
4. The download is a ZIP file containing a CSV of all your tasks

Alternatively, for a specific project:

1. Open the project in Todoist
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) → Export as CSV
3. Save the CSV file

Step 2: Import into Foci

1. Open Foci — no account needed
2. Open the import screen: Menu (⋯) → Import tasks…, Settings → Data → Import & export, or Projects → Import
3. Click Choose file to import and select your Todoist CSV file
4. Foci auto-detects the Todoist format and shows a preview
5. Toggle whether to include completed tasks
6. Choose a destination — an existing project, a new one, or the projects from the file
7. Click Import

Done. Your tasks are now in Foci.

What gets imported

| Todoist field | Foci field | |---|---| | Content (task name) | Title | | Is completed | Completed | | Due date | Due date |

Priority levels, labels, and project hierarchy don't transfer directly — Foci uses a simpler project model. You can organize imported tasks into Foci projects after import.

Step 3: Work with focus

Here's where the experience diverges from Todoist. In Foci:

1. Tap a task to select it as your focus target
2. Press Start to begin a timed work session (default: 30 minutes)
3. The timer counts down — Foci auto-pauses if you go inactive
4. Finish the session and your progress is logged automatically
5. Take a break, then start the next session

Instead of checking tasks off a list and hoping you stayed focused, you have concrete proof: 3 sessions, 90 minutes of deep work on "Rewrite onboarding flow." That's the difference.

Tips for Todoist power users

• Recreate your projects in Foci using the project sidebar — they work similarly but are intentionally simpler
• Use subtasks in Foci to break down complex tasks, just like sub-tasks in Todoist
• Set due dates on imported tasks using the calendar icon in the task list
• Don't over-import — if you have hundreds of archived tasks in Todoist, consider exporting only active projects
• Export from Foci anytime as JSON or CSV for backup or to move data elsewhere

Before you export

Export is not a backup strategy. Before you change tools, download a copy of the Todoist data you care about and keep it somewhere you can find it. If you only need an active project, export that project instead of the entire account.

Decide what to do with completed tasks. Importing years of archived work makes the new workspace noisy. For most people, the useful import is the active projects plus the tasks due in the next few weeks. You can keep the old export as an archive.

Understanding the Todoist CSV

Todoist's CSV export is a flat table. Each row is a task, with columns for the task content, completion state, due date, and project. Foci reads the common columns and shows a preview before importing.

What usually transfers cleanly:

• Task titles
• Completed / open state
• Due dates
• Project names, when the export includes them

What usually needs manual cleanup:

• Labels and filters
• Nested project hierarchy
• Priority mapping
• Recurring-task rules
• Attachments and comments

The preview is the important step. If a row looks wrong, fix the CSV or exclude it before confirming.

Troubleshooting imports

The file will not upload. Check that you are selecting the CSV, not the ZIP that Todoist downloaded. If the export is a ZIP, unzip it first and import the CSV inside.

Tasks landed in one project. Your export may not include project grouping. Choose the destination project during import, then move tasks after.

Dates look wrong. Date formats vary by locale. Open the CSV in a spreadsheet, confirm the date column, and re-export if needed.

Completed tasks are missing. Check the import option that controls completed tasks. If you do not need them, leaving them out is usually cleaner.

A task title is empty. Some exports include section headers or notes as rows. Delete those rows before importing.

A 30-minute post-import cleanup

1. Rename imported projects to names you will recognize next month.
2. Set due dates on the tasks that actually have deadlines.
3. Delete duplicates and tasks that are no longer relevant.
4. Add the first three tasks you will work on tomorrow.
5. Run one focus session so the new workspace has a real session log.

Do not spend the first day rebuilding every label and filter. Use the simple structure for a week, then add organization only where you missed it.

Two workflow options

Full switch. Export active projects, import them, and keep Todoist available read-only for a week. Cancel only after the new workflow feels normal.

Hybrid. Keep Todoist for quick capture on your phone, then move the day's short list into Foci for focused sessions. This is a good option if Todoist's mobile capture is the habit you do not want to break.

Common questions

Does Foci import Todoist labels? Not directly. Labels and filters are part of Todoist's advanced model; Foci uses projects, subtasks, due dates, and priorities. Recreate only the labels you actually use.

Can I export from Foci later? Yes. Foci supports JSON and CSV export for backup or moving to another tool.

Will recurring tasks transfer? Recurrence rules usually need to be recreated. Import the task, then set it to repeat in Foci's task detail drawer.

Todoist for capture, Foci for execution

A common workflow: keep Todoist on your phone for quick task capture throughout the day, then import into Foci weekly for your actual focus sessions. The tools complement each other well if you don't want to go all-in on one.

Ready to turn your task list into a focus system? Try Foci →