The PARA Method is here! A short review

A short review of the PARA method by the author of Building a Second Brain

Phew! I read the book in one sitting! What a thrill!

The PARA Method by Tiago Forte was meant to be a follow-up to his astounding bestseller, Building a Second Brain, which took the internet by storm only last year.

I was very excited to get my hands on this one, so I preordered and read it cover to cover on the day of its launch, just yesterday!

What’s in it, and is it worth my time?

If you are like me, the concept of a second brain is very appealing to you, but you struggle with organizing what you decide to put in your personal management system. This book is the antidote you’ve been looking for.

In it, you’ll find a deep dive into each level of Tiago’s organizing principle, PARA

• P for Projets

• A for areas

• R for resources

• A for archives

Four folders to conquer them all

The idea with PARA is that every piece of content you’d like to keep in your Second brain should fit within these four categories, which become four folders, be it in your computer, your note-taking app, or your Second brain software.

How do I start?

I’ve heard Tiago say this before, but it threw me for a loop! Tiago advocates that you should start fresh and manually transfer every file straight to the archive. Wait what?

After you’ve done so, you create a folder called Projects and subfolders for each of your current projects. But wait!

Only create folders if you actually have content to put in it!

And that's it!

Digital bankruptcy and just-in-time processing

Tiago favours just-in-time processing of the pieces of your Second brain. No need to spend hours managing your data. And if it becomes a mess again, put every straight into the Archive folder, labeled with the date.

Declare digital bankruptcy at any time, and with the search function in your app of choice, you should be able to find everything right when you need it.

This is nothing short of revolutionary! It’s an immediate end to digital clutter and overwhelm. Exactly what I was looking for! Such a relief!

My take in three sentences

While a very short read with only 200 pages or so, I found every ounce of value in this new book.

I feel that I have now a broad idea of how to organize my files and not let overwhelm creep in once again.

I know I can now confidently apply the notions of Building a Second Brain and get use of my notes and ideas to create meaningful content. Isn’t it

the ultimate goal?

Pick up your copy of The PARA Method today and get to build your second brain like a pro!

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