🏗️P.A.R.A. Folder Structure

At the heart of Obsibrain’s organizational system lies the renowned P.A.R.A. (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) method developed by Tiago Forte.

Unlike traditional filing systems that organize information by topic (e.g., "Marketing," "Health," "Psychology"), P.A.R.A. organizes information by actionability—how soon you need the information to achieve a goal.

What is P.A.R.A?

P.A.R.A. is a universal system for organizing digital information. It is designed to be flexible, scalable, and above all, action-oriented. Instead of creating a complex library where things go to be forgotten, P.A.R.A. ensures that your most important information is always at your fingertips when you are working on a specific outcome.

The Four Pillars of Actionability

1. Projects (1-projects)

Definition: A series of related tasks linked to a specific goal, with a clear deadline.

• Key Question: "What am I actively working on right now that has a finish line?"

• Examples:

  • Work: "Launch Q3 Marketing Campaign," "Write Annual Budget Report."

  • Personal: "Plan Summer Vacation to Japan," "Complete JavaScript Course."

  • Home: "Renovate the Kitchen," "Organize 30th Birthday Party."

• In Obsibrain: Use the New Project command to create dynamic project notes that track progress and link to your higher-level goals.

2. Areas (2-areas)

Definition: Long-term responsibilities that require a "standard of performance" over time. Unlike projects, areas have no end date.

• Key Question: "What am I responsible for maintaining indefinitely?"

• Examples:

  • Life: "Health & Fitness," "Finances," "Parenting," "Car Maintenance."

  • Professional: "Direct Reports," "Professional Development," "Product Management."

• In Obsibrain: Use the New Area command. These folders act as the "containers" for your ongoing life domains, holding notes, resources, and recurring tasks.

3. Resources (3-resources)

Definition: A topic or theme of ongoing interest. These are libraries of information that support your areas and projects but aren't immediate responsibilities.

• Key Question: "What am I interested in or learning about for the future?"

• Examples:

  • Interests: "Coffee Brewing Techniques," "Obsidian Tips," "Architecture Photography."

  • Hobbies: "Garden Design," "Classic Rock History," "Gaming Strategies."

• In Obsibrain: Use the New Resource command to build your personal encyclopedia. Resources are often "on hold" or "static" reference materials.

4. Archives (4-archives)

Definition: Completed or inactive items from the other three categories.

• Key Question: "Is this still active, or can I move it out of my way?"

• Examples:

  • Completed Projects.

  • Areas you are no longer responsible for (e.g., a former job).

  • Resources you are no longer interested in.

• In Obsibrain: Use the Archive Page command. Obsibrain handles the move while ensuring links remain intact, keeping your active folders clean and focused.

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The Dynamic Flow: How P.A.R.A. Evolves

The beauty of P.A.R.A. is that information is never stuck. It moves between categories based on your current focus:

1. Resource → Project: You’ve been collecting "Home Decor" ideas in Resources. You finally decide to redo your living room. You create a "Living Room Makeover" in Projects and link to your decor notes.

2. Project → Archive: You launch your website. The "Website Launch" project is moved to Archives.

3. Resource → Area: Your interest in "Nutrition" (Resource) becomes a serious "Health" commitment (Area) after a doctor's visit.

4. Area → Resource: You stop managing the "Social Media" area at work and move it to Resources for future reference.

Customizing the Folder Structure

Obsibrain is flexible. While we provide a proven default structure, you can customize the paths to suit your personal preference.

To access the folder structure settings, navigate to Settings > Obsibrain > Folder structure settings.

Folder structure settings.

For every default folder (1-projects, 2-areas, 3-resources, 4-archives), you can:

• Rename: Change the folder name (e.g., from 1-projects to Active Projects).

• Relocate: Move folders deeper into your vault structure.

• Consolidate: Map multiple categories to a single folder if you prefer a flatter structure.

• Sub-folders: You can freely create sub-folders within any PARA category to further organize your files (e.g., 1-projects/Work/ and 1-projects/Personal/, or 3-resources/Books/ and 3-resources/Courses/). Obsibrain commands will continue to work seamlessly with nested structures.

Understanding the P.A.R.A. Hierarchy

The relationship between these folders demonstrates the hierarchical nature of the system. Your Projects are often subsets of your Areas, and both are supported by the Resources you’ve gathered.

Hierarchical diagram of the PARA methodology

Example of the hierarchical diagram

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🎨 P.A.R.A. in Action: Real-World Use Cases

To help you visualize how to organize your own life, here is how two different personas might use the P.A.R.A. structure in Obsibrain:

🎓 The Student Persona

• Projects: "Write Thesis Chapter 1," "Study for Finals Week," "Apply for Internship."

• Areas: "Semester Grade Maintenance," "Student Loan Management," "Physical Health."

• Resources: "Research on AI Ethics," "Citation Styles Library," "Programming Snippets."

• Archives: "Completed Classes (Spring 2024)," "Old Internship Applications."

🎬 The Content Creator Persona

• Projects: "Edit YouTube Video #42," "Launch Newsletter," "Design New Merch."

• Areas: "Audience Engagement," "Brand Sponsorships," "Video Production Quality."

• Resources: "Color Palettes," "B-Roll Footage Library," "Scriptwriting Techniques."

• Archives: "Completed Video Scripts," "Expired Contract Templates."

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Best Practices for a Frictionless Vault

• Organize by Action, not Topic: If you have a note on "Tax Laws," don't put it in a "Taxes" folder. Put it in the "2024 Tax Return" Project folder where you'll actually use it.

• Use the Commands: Always use the built-in Obsibrain commands (New Project, New Area, etc.). This ensures your notes receive the correct metadata and templates automatically.

• Don't Overthink: If you aren't sure if something is an Area or a Resource, put it in Resources. You can always move it later.

• Archive Aggressively: Keep your 1-projects folder lean. If a project is on hold for more than a month, move it to Archives or change its status.

P.A.R.A. Metadata

Each category in Obsibrain comes with specific metadata to power your dashboards. For example, a Project note includes:

• Status: ongoing, on hold, completed, or canceled.

• Priority: high, medium, or low.

• Goal: The higher-level mission this project supports.

• Deadline: The target completion date (YYYY-MM-DD).

This metadata allows Obsibrain to automatically surface the right information in your Daily Planning and Periodic Reviews.