The PARA Method: Simplify, Organise and Master Your Digital Life by Tiago Forte

Widi Asmoro

Stepping into a larger role, I need to elevate myself by reviewing my productivity and this book promises to simplify my digital life.

Book I Read:

  • The PARA Method: Simplify, Organise and Master Your Digital Life by Tiago Forte

The reason I read the book:

  • Stepping into a larger role, I need to elevate myself by reviewing my productivity. I am someone who appreciates frameworks; they provide me with a sense of security and help me focus on my priorities.
  • I found this book interesting. The premise of the book suggests that by reading and implementing its principles, we can stop wasting time searching for information. This resonates with me, especially in this information age where we are constantly overwhelmed with data.
  • This book is practical and easy to understand. I also appreciate its flexibility, as it can be applied in various formats.

Type of Book:

  • Productivity
  • Management
  • Self-help

Keywords:

  • PARA consists of 4 words:
    • Project: short-term efforts in your work or life that you’re working on now
    • Areas: long-term responsibility you want to manage over time
    • Resources: topics or interests that may be useful in the future
    • Archives: inactive items from the other 3 categories
  • Three easy steps:
    • Retitle new items in the inbox
    • Sort new items into PARA folders
    • Update your active Project folders
  • There is nothing as constant as change in today’s world, which is why we need to avoid systems that encourage a fixed mindset toward information.

Key Takeaways:

  • Organizing information should be simple and supportive of day-to-day life.
  • PARA stands for  parallel or side-by-side. So this must be a helpful tool for supporting my daily tasks.
  • My focus is solely on the Project folder, the rest is just there to provide support.

How I apply it:

  •  I started applying it to my Notes apps on my iCloud account because my Notes serves as my ‘source of truth’. After a couple of weeks of implementation, I found it very practical. I then extended this approach to my personal Mac file folder structure. The next step is to implement it in my email structure. While this may take some time, the effort will undoubtedly be worthwhile.

Other reference(s) I need to explore:

  • Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte
  • Hooked by Nir Eyal
  • Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman