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Glossary PARA

PARA

Acronym
Also known as: para-method
ProductivityMethodologyOrganization

Definition

Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives

A universal system for organizing digital information created by Tiago Forte.

Productivity
PARA: Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives when it goes inactive back when it is needed again PProjectsa goal and a deadlineship the redesignAAreasa standard to keephealth, financesRResourcesa topic of interesttypographyAArchivesanything inactivelast year’s talks more actionable less actionable
Tiago Forte's four categories, sorted by how soon you will act on what is inside, not by what it is about.

PARA is an organizational system for digital information created by Tiago Forte as part of his "Building a Second Brain" methodology.

The Four Categories

  • Projects: Short-term efforts with a goal and deadline
  • Areas: Long-term responsibilities to maintain over time
  • Resources: Topics or themes of ongoing interest
  • Archives: Inactive items from the other three categories

Principles

  1. Organize by actionability, not by topic
  2. Organize opportunistically, not upfront
  3. Move quickly, touch lightly
  4. Use the same structure everywhere

Related Terms

GTDSecond Brain
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