Most people who start taking notes hit the same wall six months in: the system works until it doesn't. Notes pile up, folders multiply, and finding something becomes a small archaeology project. The problem usually isn't too few notes — it's no clear logic for where things belong.
PARA is a four-category system for organizing everything you capture — Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archive — so that every note has a home and you can find things when you actually need them.
Developed by productivity writer Tiago Forte as the organizing layer of his "Building a Second Brain" approach, PARA's core insight is that information is most useful when it's sorted by how it connects to your life right now, not by topic or format.
The four categories
Every piece of information you capture goes into exactly one of four places.
Projects are things you're actively working toward with a finish line. A report due Friday, a course you're partway through, a move you're planning — these are projects. They're temporary. Once the project ends, it leaves Projects.
Areas are ongoing responsibilities with no end date. Your health, your finances, your role at work, your relationships — these are areas of your life you maintain over time. They don't finish; they continue.
Resources are topics you're curious about and might want to return to someday. Articles you found interesting, research on something you're learning, a collection of recipes — these are interests, not commitments. No deadline, no obligation.
Archive is everything inactive: completed projects, old reference material, paused areas. Nothing gets deleted; it moves here so it's findable but out of your way.
| Category | What belongs here | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| Projects | Active work with a clear finish | Short-term |
| Areas | Ongoing responsibilities | Permanent |
| Resources | Topics and interests for later | Long-term |
| Archive | Finished or paused items | Indefinite |
Why the order matters
PARA is listed in order of actionability — how soon and how often you need to touch each category.
Projects need attention today. Areas get reviewed weekly. Resources are browsed when curiosity strikes. Archive is searched only when you're looking for something specific from the past.
This design matches how you actually work across the week. When you sit down to get things done, you open Projects. During a weekly review, you scan Areas. When you're learning something new, you explore Resources. When you need to find an old document, you search Archive. Each category has its moment, and none of them compete.
A concrete example
Say you're preparing for a job interview at a company you're excited about. Here's how PARA sorts what you're working with:
- Your prep notes, research on the company, practice questions — Projects (active, has an end: the interview)
- Your ongoing career development, skills you're building, your network — Areas (no end date, you maintain these)
- General articles about interviewing, a book on negotiation you're reading — Resources (reference, no deadline)
- Notes from a job search two years ago, an old version of your resume — Archive (done, but worth keeping)
Same information, four different homes — each telling you exactly how to treat it.
Why it matters
The most common alternative to PARA is organizing by topic: a "Finance" folder, a "Work" folder, a "Reading" folder. The trouble is that topic doesn't tell you why you saved something or when you'll need it. You end up with loosely related piles that gradually lose your trust.
PARA solves two things at once. First, it matches organization to action — Projects are things to work on, Areas are things to maintain, Resources are things to browse, Archive is things to retrieve. The structure tells you what to do, not just where to look. Second, Archive solves the clutter problem: instead of deleting things you're not sure about, you move them. Nothing is lost; the active space stays clean.
The system also travels across tools. You can run PARA in a notes app, a folder structure, a task manager, or all three. The logic doesn't depend on any particular software.
Try this
Pick one tool you already use for notes — a folder on your desktop, an app on your phone, a notebook. Create four top-level groups labeled Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive. Then take the next five minutes to sort what's already there into those four buckets.
You'll find that most things land quickly. The interesting friction comes when something doesn't fit — that usually means it's something you haven't committed to (Project) or haven't admitted you're done with (Archive). The act of sorting is as clarifying as the system itself.
In JustJot.ai, you can set this up in minutes: create four folders at the top level, then let notes find their home as you capture them. See [how to build a second brain](how-to-build-a-second-brain.md) for the broader framework PARA lives inside, or [how to organize your notes](how-to-organize-your-notes.md) for the hands-on setup walkthrough.