It’s easy to waste hours copying events from Google Calendar into Asana, or vice versa. If you’re managing projects and meetings in both, double entry is a recipe for missed tasks—or just a lot of wasted clicks. This guide is for anyone who wants real, working automation between Google Calendar and Asana, using Zapier as the glue. You don’t need to be a coder, but you do need to be willing to tinker a little.
This isn’t about chasing “productivity hacks.” It’s about cutting busywork and letting your tools do what they’re supposed to.
Why connect Google Calendar and Asana with Zapier?
Let’s get the basics out of the way: Google Calendar is your schedule. Asana is your to-do list (and maybe your team’s, too). They don’t talk to each other out of the box.
- Need calendar events to show up as tasks so nothing slips through? This helps.
- Want new Asana tasks to automatically block time on your calendar? Also possible.
- Want to avoid a tangled mess of duplicate tasks and random event spam? Then you’ll want to set this up carefully.
Zapier sits in the middle. It’s a simple automation tool: “When this happens in one app, do that in another.” No code, just logic. Does it always work perfectly? Not quite. But for most reasonable use cases, it’s solid.
Before You Start: What You’ll Need
Don’t skip this: you’ll save yourself some headaches.
- Google account (with Calendar enabled)
- Asana account (free is fine for basic stuff)
- Zapier account (free tier works for up to 100 tasks/month, which is enough for testing)
- A web browser and about 30 minutes
You do not need admin privileges in either app, unless your workplace has locked things down. If you’re using company accounts, check your IT policies before connecting third-party tools.
Step 1: Decide What You Actually Want to Automate
Zapier can do a lot. That’s not always a good thing.
Here are the most common (and actually useful) automations between Google Calendar and Asana:
- Turn new calendar events into Asana tasks.
- Create calendar events when you add new tasks in Asana.
- Update tasks or events when the other changes. (This gets tricky—see “Limitations” below.)
Don’t try to sync everything both ways, or you’ll end up in a mess of duplicates and loops. Pick one direction to start—usually, pushing calendar events into Asana or vice versa.
Pro tip: Start with a one-way automation. Get fancy later if you must.
Step 2: Connect Your Accounts to Zapier
- Go to Zapier and sign in (or create an account).
- Click “Create Zap.” This is just Zapier’s term for an automation.
- For the “Trigger” app, pick either “Google Calendar” or “Asana,” depending on your use case.
- Zapier will prompt you to connect your Google and Asana accounts. This just means logging in and authorizing access. If you’re worried about privacy, review what permissions you’re granting—Zapier needs to read and write events/tasks.
If you hit permission errors, double-check you’re logged into the right Google or Asana account. Also, if you’re using corporate Google/Asana, your admin may have blocked Zapier.
Step 3: Set Up Your Trigger
This is where you pick what starts the automation.
Option A: Google Calendar → Asana
- Trigger: “New Event” in Google Calendar
- Choose which calendar to watch (e.g., “Work,” “Personal”).
- You can filter for events with specific keywords, but that requires a filter step (see below).
- Test the trigger. Zapier will fetch a sample event to work with.
Option B: Asana → Google Calendar
- Trigger: “New Task” in Asana
- Pick the project or workspace you want to watch.
- You can filter by section, assignee, or other fields using Zapier’s filters.
Pro tip: Don’t try to monitor all your calendars or projects at once. Start with a single calendar or Asana project to keep things simple.
Step 4: Set Up Your Action
This is what Zapier does when the trigger fires.
If your trigger is Google Calendar:
- Action app: Asana
- Action event: “Create Task”
- Map the fields: Use the event’s title as the task name; event description as the task notes; date/time as the due date.
- Assign the task to yourself or a teammate if you like.
- Optionally, set the project or section in Asana.
If your trigger is Asana:
- Action app: Google Calendar
- Action event: “Create Detailed Event”
- Use the task name as the event title.
- Set the event date/time based on the Asana due date.
- Fill the event description with the Asana task notes or a URL to the task.
- Choose which calendar to add the event to.
Test the action: Zapier will run a sample and show you what it’ll create. If anything looks weird (missing fields, wrong calendar, etc.), tweak your field mappings.
Step 5: Add Filters and Tweaks (Optional, but Usually Necessary)
Here’s where things can get smarter—and avoid chaos.
- Add a Filter step: Only create Asana tasks for events with a certain keyword (“meeting”) or only create calendar events for Asana tasks with a due date.
- Delay step: Want to avoid instant clutter? Add a delay between the trigger and action.
- Formatter step: Zapier’s “Formatter” lets you clean up text, combine fields, or reformat dates.
Don’t overcomplicate it. Start basic, then add filters as needed.
Step 6: Test, Tweak, and Turn On Your Zap
- Run a test to see what actually happens. Check your Asana or Google Calendar for new entries.
- If you see duplicates, missing fields, or weird formatting, edit your Zap and re-test.
- Once you’re happy, turn the Zap on.
Check back in a day or two. Are the automations helping, or just adding noise? Adjust or turn off as needed.
What Works Well, and What to Watch Out For
Let’s be honest—Zapier isn’t magic. Here’s what you can expect:
What works: - One-way automations are reliable. Pushing calendar events to Asana (or vice versa) is solid. - Basic field mapping (names, dates, descriptions) is straightforward. - Filters keep things sane.
What’s annoying: - Two-way “sync” doesn’t work well. If you try to update both apps automatically, you’ll get duplicates and even infinite loops. - Recurring events/tasks are tricky—Zapier sees each recurrence as a new item. - Time zones sometimes trip things up. Double-check if your tasks or events are showing up at odd hours.
What to skip: - Don’t try to mirror everything, especially if you work in teams. Not every calendar event needs to be a task, and vice versa. - Avoid automating critical tasks until you’re sure it works—test with dummy data first.
Pro Tips for Real-World Use
- Use naming conventions. If you want only some events/tasks to sync, use a special tag or prefix (e.g., “[CAL]”).
- Keep permissions in mind. If you’re setting up Zaps for a team, make sure accounts have appropriate access.
- Less is more. Start small—one Zap, one direction. Add complexity only if you need it.
- Check Zapier’s task limits. Free plans cap out quickly if you have a lot of events or tasks.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as Needed
Automating between Google Calendar and Asana with Zapier can save a ton of time—if you keep it focused. Don’t try to automate your whole life at once. Start with one clear use case, see how it feels, and adjust as you go.
If it’s adding value, great—iterate. If not, turn it off. The best automation is the one you barely notice, because it just works.