%% ID: 13204927 Updated: 2022-01-28 %% ![](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article3.5c705a01b476.png) # About Title: [[Other/Obsidian Starter Vault(Second Brain)/Readwise/Articles/The PARA Method- A Universal System for Organizing Digital Information]] Author: [[Tiago Forte]] Category: #articles Number of Highlights: ==22== Last Highlighted: *2021-12-03* Readwise URL: https://readwise.io/bookreview/13204927 Source URL: https://fortelabs.co/blog/para/ # Highlights universal, encompassing any conceivable kind of information from any sourceflexible, able to work with any project or activity you take on, now and in the futuresimple, not requiring any time-consuming maintenance, cataloguing, tagging, or reorganizing beyond a bare minimumactionable, integrating seamlessly with task management and project management methodscross-platform, able to be used with any application, now existing or yet to be developedoutcome-oriented, structuring information in a way that supports the delivery of valuable workmodular, allowing different levels of detail to be hidden or revealed, depending on the needs of the current taskopportunistic, in the good sense, taking advantage of work already being performed, instead of requiring dedicated overhead time ^278319609 --- A project has a goal to be achieved — a discrete event that will happen, allowing this item to be completely checked off and struck from the list ^278319610 --- It has a deadline or timeframe, whether externally or self-imposed. ^278319611 --- Your performance in this area may wax and wane over time, but the standard continues indefinitely and requires a certain level of attention at all times. ^278319612 --- Projects always fall into Areas. A ^278319613 --- Is there ever a time when you can cross off “productivity” from your list once and for all? ^278319614 --- You cannot know what to change until you know what you’re committed to. ^278319615 --- Second, you can’t connect your current efforts to your long-term goals: ^278319616 --- Knowledge work requires not only our time and effort, but also our engagement and creativity. For that reason, personal motivation is the prime problem that supersedes all other problems. ^278319617 --- Third, you can’t know if you’re making progress toward your goals ^278319618 --- One final note on projects vs. areas: they require completely different ways of thinking, approaches, tools, and methods. 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). ^278319619 --- Areas, on the other hand, require mindfulness, balance, flow, and human connection. This is the realm of habits, routines, rituals, and intentional communities ^278319620 --- Areas require introspection and self-awareness, because determining whether or not you are meeting your standard is an intuitive exercise, not an analytical one. ^278319621 --- a project without a corresponding goal is known as a “hobby.” ^278319622 --- If you’re not committed to or haven’t fully articulated the outcome you want, you must be doing it just for fun ^278319623 --- And if you have a goal without a corresponding project, that’s called a “dream.” ^278319624 --- Now there’s nothing wrong with hobbies and dreams. They give life meaning and purpose. But please don’t confuse them with projects and goals. ^278319625 --- Start by defining your project list ^278319626 --- define your projects, or they will define you ^278319627 --- P.A.R.A. gives you the best of both worlds: the consistency of centralization, with the adaptability of decentralization ^278319628 --- perfectly mirrors your task management and project management systems. ^278319629 --- between actionable and non-actionable information. Making this distinction allows you to set aside 95% of the information coming your way, to focus on the 5% necessary for the task at hand. ^278319630