PARA Method

Summary

Aims to simplify the process of storing information thus increasing the efficiency of retrieving that information.

Categories

PARA is based on a simple observation: that there are only four categories that encompass all the information in your life;

Projects

Are things you’re actively working on:

• Learning a piece of software
• Planning a holiday
• Renovating a room
• A sales pitch

Areas

Areas of responsibility, things in work or life that require ongoing attention:

• An area of work such as Testing.
• A past-time such as running.
• A personal responsibility such as the house.

Resources

Is a distinct collection of things, I use this to collect things I need to retrieve regularly:

• Receipts
• Images
• Notes
• Blog Posts
• People
• Locations I have been
• Minutes from meetings

Archive

Is where I would put anything that is potentially no longer needed, but is at least available if needed:

• Projects you’ve completed or put on hold
• Areas that are no longer active or relevant
• Resources that you’re no longer interested in

I actually have each of the other three categories saved as subdirectories in my Archive so I know where that information came from.

Variations

I have been using this method since 2020, and it has matured a little over that time to suit my needs, here are a few additional categories that I use:

• Inbox: perhaps part influenced a little by Obsidian, the tool I use to manage my PKM, and part influenced by GTD the task management system I use, I have a directory where notes get stored by default before they are classified later.
• Diary: I try to write a daily note…daily! Arguably this is a resource, but I have made this a first class citizen for better organisation of my Obsidian vault.
• Wiki: I have so much content around tech and learning, to the point that it became a challenge to store it all within the PARA system. Simply to avoid flooding other areas, I have a Wiki directory so I can store notes related to software, languages, tools.

So effectively, I have a PADRAW system :)

In all seriousness though, both the diary and the wiki are arguably resources, it’s just because of their business and levels I just wanted to make them first class citizens. This is a method not a requirement, do what works.