PARA Part 4: Setup Guide

This article is a guide for getting started with PARA, an organizational system for your digital life.

Here’s the 5-step process I recommend you follow:

1. Step 1: Move existing files to a new folder called “Archive [date]” (with today’s date)
2. Step 2: Create folders for each of your current projects
3. Step 3: Move all the project folders into a new folder called “Projects”
4. Step 4: Create a new “Archives” folder and move the existing one into it
5. Step 5: Create new folders only if and when you need them

Step 1: Move existing files to a new folder called “Archive [date]” (with today’s date)

This is the “line in the sand” moment. Instead of trying to “migrate” hundreds of old files into a new system, like a hoarder moving all their stuff into a brand new house, wipe the slate clean and begin anew.

You aren’t actually losing all your existing files. If you really need something from the past, you are always free to dive into the archive, where you will find everything exactly as you left it. But in the meantime, they are out of sight and out of mind, freeing you to focus on new projects and goals.

In your Documents folder on your computer, you’ll go from what is likely a morass of confusing files cluttering up your workspace, to a centralized Archive:

Step 2: Create folders for each of your current projects

Now that you have a beautiful blank slate, it’s time to create a little bit of structure to store the new things you’ll be creating and capturing.

The best place to start is to create a single folder (or notebook) for each of your current projects. You can complete the Project List Mindsweep exercise to identify your list of projects. Once you’ve created a folder or notebook for each of the projects you’ve identified, you’ll have a minimal but complete set of containers to store anything you might be working on:

Step 3: Move all the project folders into a new folder called “Projects”

Place all these project folders inside one folder called “Projects,” so that you can find them all in one place:

Step 4: Create a new “Archives” folder and move the existing one into it

Move the archive of existing files into a new folder called simply “Archives,” so that you can separate what was saved before today’s date from what is saved in the future:

This leaves you with the two essential PARA folders – Projects and Archives. The former you can use for storing files you’re currently working on, and the latter for archiving away anything you’re done with.