What Is the PARA Method?
P (Projects) · A (Areas) · R (Resources) · A (Archives) — a framework for organizing all your information into just four folders. Once everything has a place, “where did I put that note?” becomes a thing of the past.
| Folder | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Projects | Active work with a deadline | Product launch, moving house |
| Areas | Ongoing responsibilities | Health, finances, skills |
| Resources | Reference material for future use | Book notes, interesting articles |
| Archives | Completed or inactive items | Finished projects, old documents |
Folder Structure in TextTree
Register a root folder in TextTree and divide it into the four PARA sections.
PARA/
1_Projects/
Product Launch/
meeting-notes.txt
task-list.txt
Moving House/
checklist.txt
2_Areas/
Health/
exercise-log.txt
Finances/
2025.txt
3_Resources/
Book Notes/
Web Clips/
4_Archives/
2024_Moving_Done/
Prefix folder names with 1_, 2_, etc. to keep them in a fixed order in the tree.
Three Steps to Get Started
Step 1: Define your Projects clearly
List everything that is actively in progress and has a deadline — give each one its own folder. If something has no end date, it belongs in Areas, not Projects.
Step 2: Route daily notes to the right folder
After writing a note, decide which PARA section it belongs to. When in doubt, drop it in Resources and sort it later — that is perfectly fine.
Step 3: Move completed work to Archives regularly
When a project finishes, move its folder to Archives instead of deleting it. You will be glad to have the history when you need it.
Tips for Sticking With It
- Create an Inbox — A
0_Inboxfolder for unsorted notes removes the pressure to classify everything immediately. - Keep Projects under 10 — Too many active projects means none of them get proper attention. Be ruthless about what really qualifies.
- Review weekly — Moving finished Projects to Archives once a week keeps the structure clean without much effort.
The PARA Method was created by productivity coach Tiago Forte. Wikipedia