PARA
Projects | Areas | Resources | Archives
An organizational system with the goal of rapid project turnover in mind.
Definitions
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A Project is “a series of tasks linked to a goal, with a deadline” Examples include: Complete app mockup; Develop project plan; Execute business development campaign; Write blog post; Finalize product specifications; Attend conference
Projects require you to be laser-focused, to ruthlessly drive toward an outcome, to smash through or circumvent obstacles, to ignore distractions (i.e. people)
A project without a corresponding goal is known as a “hobby”. A goal without a corresponding project is called a “dream”.
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An Area of responsibility is “a sphere of activity with a standard to be maintained over time”
Examples include: Health; Finances, Professional Development; Travel; Hobbies; Friends; Apartment; Car; Productivity; Direct reports; Product Development; Writing
Keep personally relevant information in Areas.
Areas require mindfulness, balance, flow, and human connection. This is the realm of habits, routines, rituals, and intentional communities. Areas require introspection and self-awareness, because determining whether or not you are meeting your standard is an intuitive exercise, not an analytical one.
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A Resource is “a topic or theme of ongoing interest”
Examples include: habit formation; project management; transhumanism; coffee; music; gardening; online marketing; SEO; interior design; architecture; note-taking
Keep generally useful information in Resources
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Archives include “inactive items from the other three categories”
Examples include: projects that have been completed or become inactive; areas that you are no longer committed to maintaining; resources that you are no longer interested in.
Building your project list
Use the same structure across all programs you use. This allows for the consistency of centralization, with the adaptability of decentralization.
PARA Flow
- Everything starts from a project.
- To Areas: Time scoped projects might converge over time to areas, long-term ongoing responsibilities.
- To Resources: Before finishing a project, scan it for material that might be useful for future projects.
