You can break a Project down into specific tasks with a specific endpoint, but you can’t do that with an Area of Responsibility. Updating your LinkedIn profile is a project, but social media is an Area of Responsibility. Redecorating your living room is a Project, but home is an Area of Responsibility. An Area of Responsibility, though, is never finished unless you decide it’s no longer important.įor example, creating a budget is a Project, but personal finance is an Area of Responsibility. Once a Project’s deadline has passed, you can move on to the next one. Your Resource topics might include things like photography, travel, or cooking. You’ll have multiple Areas of Responsibility at work and in your personal life.Ī Resource is a “topic or theme of ongoing interest.” These might support your Projects and Areas of Responsibility, or they might simply relate to your interests. Your family vacation Project could fall into “family,” a personal Area of Responsibility.Įveryone will have different Areas of Responsibility depending on their life, goals, and values. These areas aren’t specific, deadline-based tasks, though they’re overarching aspects of your life.įor example, the Project of writing a white paper for work might fall under “marketing,” a work-related Area of Responsibility. You break each project down into the necessary tasks or steps required to complete it.Īn Area of Responsibility is a “sphere of activity with a standard to be maintained over time.” Each of your projects falls into an area of responsibility. This allows you to easily track and find whatever you need, no matter which app or system you saved it on.Īccording to Forte, a Project is a “series of tasks linked to a goal, with a deadline.” Your projects might be work-related or not, but they must be specific, with specific endpoints.įor example, writing a white paper for your employer is a project, but so is a family vacation. Then, you use the four-category filing system across all digital platforms. According to this system, you put each piece of digital information into one of these categories. PARA is an acronym for Projects, Areas of Responsibility, Resources, and Archives. Let’s take a look at how this organization method actually works. This can turn an overwhelming list of hopes and dreams or to-do projects into a manageable system you can tackle step by step and achieve your goals. The method allows you to clearly see what you need to accomplish, when it needs to get done, and how each task relates to your larger goals. Essentially, it helps you organize everything you have to do and all relevant information connected to it. In the bigger picture, the PARA system helps you tackle things more effectively at work and in your personal life.