I have been studying PARA recently and feel that Agenda is particularly suitable for this task. It not only has a comprehensive note taking function, but also has linkage with calendar and other data. Is there a best practice case for implementing PARA in Agenda without relying on third parties or shortcuts?
I am not familiar with PARA, but it sounds like a methodology that you could discuss with other Agenda users in the Talk section of this site. That is often used for sharing experiences. I recommend just reposting this there in Talk.
I agree with Drew. Probably best to discuss this with other community members. It looks like you will be breaking new ground here, but surely someone else is doing this. I did search through Tiagoâs official website for information but he doesnât mention it. I seem to recall seeing someone on YouTube running the traps on this, but a search just turns up a lot of Spanish YouTube videos.
I hadnât heard of PARA before â is The PARA Method: The Simple System for Organizing Your Digital Life in Seconds the home page? Sound very interesting indeed. If you create a forum discussion about it, please post a link to it here so it wonât go unnoticed!
Old thread mentioning PARA here Anybody using Johnny.Decimal in Agenda? - #10 by christian.bogen
I have a feeling there are others, but itâs not an easy term to search!
FWIW, I implemented the PARA structure in my Agenda database today, introducing an additional level âDâ (for domain) at the top of the hierarchy as I prefer to keep my private and two different business contexts separate. So I use Agenda categories for my three different âdomainsâ, and below each âdomainâ I have the four PARA items âprojectsâ, âareasâ, âresourcesâ and âarchivesâ as Agenda sub-categories, which may include Agenda projects either directly or in sub-sub-categories. It is nice that Agenda doesnât seem to limit how deep sub-categories may be nested, so in case the need for sub-sub-sub-categories and so forth should arise I could use these too.
To me the #1 benefit is that stuff that isnât immediately needed in a certain context or situation can be easily hidden away â clutter leeches attention and energy, so it has to be minimized however much possible. In fact I already found my Agenda database looked too cluttered, and the fact that Agenda projects are meant to encompass everything related to a project in a single file, even older stuff, gives me the feeling of losing grip as project files get so big that I donât feel in control anymore. Being able to move âdoneâ stuff out of Agenda projects into the PARA âarchivesâ section, where they are out of sight, seems to provide a relief.
And the #2 benefit of PARA is that it is so easy to store stuff away and then find it again later because it is always simple and clear where it belongs. Gives a feeling of grip, too.
I was searching for a system, which isnât cluttered by tons of categories. Now I have the categories Projects, Areas, Resources and Archives. I have one project as an Inbox, which I can use with a shortcut to capture information, which might be useful or which I want to remember. There I can use Siri to dictate a new note. In the evening I go through my notes to check them.
I was thinking about sorting all my files within Agenda, but thatâs not what Agenda is made for. And links to files donât work on iOS and MacOS. So I created the same structure in my documents folder.
I am still not sure, if the timeline methodology doesnât get in the way for information which doesnât need a date, but is important. Therefore I use an overview note, which I pin at the top.
Personally Iâm not a big fan of all the âsecond brainâ hype, but here is a link to a LOT of info regarding note taking from Andy Matuschak whoâs researched the topic for many years.
âDomain.â Oh my good lord above this is brilliant Iâm serious. For years, literally, Iâve struggled to organize my digital life using categories, sub-categories, areas of responsibility etc etc. None of them started high enough up that I could keep my views (and head) clutter free. I set up PARA only recently but using the system as designed means I have a genealogy project for my dad, home improvement projects and my various writing, research and publishing projects sorted under sub-categories under Projects. Itâs better than it was but far from ideal. So a belated thank you, but a very big one. The word Iâve been looking for, and it was there all along. (I have a Resources note for âDomain Names I Ownâ
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Remember that in PARA, Projects have deadlines. From the little context in your post, it seems to me that most of what you are listing belongs in the Area section, with sub-folders.