PARA Method
Sources:
- Building a Second Brain
- Tiago Forte
Overview
The PARA Method is an organizational system developed by Tiago Forte as part of his “Building a Second Brain” methodology. PARA stands for Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives - the four main categories used to organize all digital information.
The Four Categories
1. Projects
Definition: A series of tasks linked to a goal, with a deadline.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Outcome | Has a defined deliverable |
| Deadline | Has a timeline (even if self-imposed) |
| Tasks | Involves multiple action items |
| Completion | Has a clear “done” state |
Examples:
- Launch a new website
- Write a business proposal
- Develop a new feature
- Plan an event
2. Areas
Definition: Spheres of activity with standards to maintain over time.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Ongoing | No completion date |
| Responsibility | Contains roles, not goals |
| Standards | Has quality benchmarks |
| Attention | Requires continuous focus |
Examples:
- Health
- Finances
- Professional Development
- Relationships
- Business Operations
3. Resources
Definition: Topics or themes of ongoing interest.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Topic-based | Organized by subject |
| Reference | Valuable for future lookup |
| Not actionable | No immediate tasks |
| Knowledge | Information worth preserving |
Examples:
- Programming languages
- Industry research
- Book notes
- Tool documentation
4. Archives
Definition: Inactive items from the other three categories.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Completed | Projects that are done |
| Paused | Areas no longer active |
| Outdated | Resources no longer relevant |
| Preserved | Kept for historical reference |
Flow Between Categories
graph TD P[Projects] -->|Completed| A[Archives] AR[Areas] -->|Deprioritized| A R[Resources] -->|Outdated| A A -->|Reactivated| P A -->|Revived| AR A -->|Referenced| R
Key Distinction: Project vs Area
The most important distinction in PARA:
| Project | Area |
|---|---|
| ”Finish writing book" | "Writing" |
| "Lose 10 pounds" | "Health" |
| "Launch product X" | "Product Development" |
| "Hire new developer" | "Team Management” |
The Test
Ask yourself: “Can I mark this complete?”
- Yes → It’s a Project
- No → It’s an Area
Adaptation for This Vault
This vault adapts PARA for a knowledge base rather than task management:
| Standard PARA | This Vault |
|---|---|
| Projects | Kept with project repos, not in vault |
| Areas | MOCs in 03-AREAS/ |
| Resources | 04-RESOURCES/ (Code, Definitions, Lists, Guides) |
| Archives | 99-ARCHIVES/ |
See PHILOSOPHY for the rationale behind this adaptation.
See Also
(c) No Clocks, LLC | 2024