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, syncs when you're back 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
2. Click the Settings gear icon
3. Scroll to Import & Export Tasks
4. Click Choose file to import and select your Todoist CSV file
5. Foci auto-detects the Todoist format and shows a preview
6. Toggle whether to include completed tasks
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

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 →