The PARA Method
A universal foldering scheme that organises everything by actionability: Projects now, Areas ongoing, Resources maybe, Archives done.
author
Tiago Forte
Model type
About
Developed by Tiago Forte and popularised via “Building a Second Brain.” PARA is tool-agnostic and aims to reduce search and decision cost by structuring information around work states rather than apps or topics.
I use this to organise my notion / life.
I use this to organise my notion / life.
How it works
Projects – short-term efforts with a clear outcome and deadline (e.g. “Close SIMI carve-out by 30 Nov”).
Areas – ongoing responsibilities with standards to maintain (e.g. “Deal strategy practice,” “People leadership”).
Resources – reference materials by topic you might use later (e.g. “AI CapEx trends,” “Indonesia AM landscape”).
Archives – inactive items from any of the above (finished projects, paused areas, stale resources).
Areas – ongoing responsibilities with standards to maintain (e.g. “Deal strategy practice,” “People leadership”).
Resources – reference materials by topic you might use later (e.g. “AI CapEx trends,” “Indonesia AM landscape”).
Archives – inactive items from any of the above (finished projects, paused areas, stale resources).
Use cases
File and notes architecture across Drive/Dropbox/Notion/Obsidian so the same four roots exist everywhere.
Deal execution – each live engagement is a Project; playbooks and checklists live in Areas; sector briefs in Resources; closed deals in Archives.
Content production – draft posts as Projects; your site’s ops in Areas; research clippings in Resources; published items in Archives.
Team onboarding – reduce cognitive load with a standardised home for work in progress vs reference.
Deal execution – each live engagement is a Project; playbooks and checklists live in Areas; sector briefs in Resources; closed deals in Archives.
Content production – draft posts as Projects; your site’s ops in Areas; research clippings in Resources; published items in Archives.
Team onboarding – reduce cognitive load with a standardised home for work in progress vs reference.
How to apply
Create the four roots in each tool you use (Files, Notes, Tasks, Bookmarks).
Define Projects with an outcome + due date; one folder/page per project.
Map responsibilities into Areas; add the standard you must maintain (SLA, KPI, cadence).
Park reference into Resources; keep light naming and avoid deep nesting.
Archive aggressively when a project closes or a topic goes cold; reduce noise.
Weekly review – promote/demote items between buckets as their state changes.
Define Projects with an outcome + due date; one folder/page per project.
Map responsibilities into Areas; add the standard you must maintain (SLA, KPI, cadence).
Park reference into Resources; keep light naming and avoid deep nesting.
Archive aggressively when a project closes or a topic goes cold; reduce noise.
Weekly review – promote/demote items between buckets as their state changes.
pitfalls and cautions
Project/Area confusion – if it has a finish line, it’s a Project; otherwise an Area.
Over-tagging and deep trees – PARA prefers shallow, movable items over rigid hierarchies.
Skipping reviews – without a cadence, Projects bloat and Areas become dumping grounds.
Tool-centric setups – the structure should be identical across apps; don’t mirror each app’s quirks.
Over-tagging and deep trees – PARA prefers shallow, movable items over rigid hierarchies.
Skipping reviews – without a cadence, Projects bloat and Areas become dumping grounds.
Tool-centric setups – the structure should be identical across apps; don’t mirror each app’s quirks.