The PARA Method

I like to use an informal naming convention to make this possible, such as: •  Emojis at the beginning of titles for project folders •  Capitalized titles for area folders •  Uncapitalized titles for resource folders

I recommend you do all the upkeep of your PARA system in just five minutes per week. All you need to do is follow these three easy steps: 1. Retitle new items in your inbox 2. Sort new items into PARA folders 3. Update your active projects

let’s say you discover a new strategic framework during a client engagement and, once it’s finished, decide you’d like to utilize that knowledge with future clients. You could move that documentation to a new resource folder called “Strategy,” which you’ll be able to refer to again in the future.

Once you view your life through the lens of projects and areas, it becomes very clear that you need both: sprints to ramp up something new, and marathons to sustain it. Projects bring you the novelty and excitement of starting new things, whereas areas bring you the peace of mind and sense of perspective you want at the end of the day whether you succeeded or not.

The key here is to realize that there is a big difference between things you are directly responsible for and things you are merely interested in. I use uppercase titles for areas and lowercase titles for resources to constantly remind myself that one is more important than the other.

Resources encompass the vast number of things you might be interested in, curious about, or passionate about at any given time. Resources can include new skills you’re learning, such as breakdancing, photography, or golf. They could be fields or trends you’re curious about, like parenting, cryptocurrency, or artificial intelligence. Resources can also include your hobbies and passions: woodworking, bread baking, or playing the piano.

The word “resources” calls to mind the utility of a piece of information. Instead of asking, “Is this interesting?” which always results in overcollecting, I ask myself, “Is this useful?” That’s a much higher bar and forces me to consider what this piece of information will allow me to do that I couldn’t do otherwise, which problem it could help me solve, or which obstacle it might help me overcome.

Taking into account the importance of utility, resources can also include “assets” such as stock photos, product testimonials, code snippets, typography samples, or a “swipe file,”

Areas of responsibility are inherently private. It’s no one else’s business what material you save related to your Health, Finances, Personal Growth, or Kids. For example, in my Health (area) folder, I keep blood panels, notes from doctor’s visits, medical bills, and vaccination records

Resources are quite different, since learning and exploring new things are inherently social activities. There are many situations where you might want to share your notes with someone else—to get feedback on an article you’re writing, to compare notes with a colleague on a skill you’re both learning,

The line between areas and resources is an opportunity to be completely honest with yourself: What is inside the circle of your responsibilities, which no one else is going to take care of for you, and what is outside?

The contents of PARA are constantly flowing between different categories as your needs, goals, lifestyle, and priorities shift.

Seeing the range of their existing commitments all in one place, they realize that they don’t need another productivity app or technique—they need to say no to things that don’t matter.

PARA requires precision in only one place: the definition of projects. Everything else is not only allowed to remain somewhat messy; that’s how it should be. Highly precise systems require a lot of effort to maintain, which means most aspects of your digital world should remain loose and informal by default.