A project has a goal to be achieved , this goal has a specific moment in time and a deadline or timeframeAn area of responsibility has a standard to be maintained, there is no end date or final outcome. Your performance in this area may wax and wane over time, but the standard continues indefinitely and requires a certain level of attention at all times. Projects always fall into Areas. A few examples:<ul><li>Running a marathon is a project, whereas Health is an area</li><li>Publishing a book is a project, whereas Writing is an area</li></ul>

PROJECTS VS. AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Now imagine if you broke down this “events” area into each individual event that you planned and executed. Not only would this show the clear progression and growth you’ve experienced, each event building on the one before, it would also conveniently provide you with a catalog of outcomes you’ve reached to include in your performance review at year’s end. And you’d have much more than a list — you’d have separate folders for each completed project, with tangible notes, assets, and learnings you’ve produced for each.

MAKING LIST (4)

You can’t connect your current efforts to your long-term goalsBy breaking these responsibilities into bite-sized projects (as in the list on the right), you ensure that your Project List will change nearly every week. This creates a rhythm and a momentum of project completion to maintain your motivation. It generates the constant novelty that the latest <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Satisfaction-Science-Finding-True-Fulfillment/dp/080507600X">research</a> suggests is essential for satisfaction.

MAKING LIST (3)

These are the two tools I recommend for using this method, but you can use any tool you want.<ul><li>Notion</li><li>Obsidian</li></ul>

PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION

<ul><li>Projects</li><li>Areas</li><li>Resources</li><li>Archives</li></ul>

P.A.R.A. STANDS FOR

You can’t truly know the extent of your commitmentsYou cannot know what to change until you know what you’re committed to. And what you’re committed to is not a collection of vague responsibilities, but a short list of tangible outcomes. In other words, projects.

MAKING LIST (2)

Project is “a series of tasks linked to a goal, with a deadline.”Area of responsibility is “a sphere of activity with a standard to be maintained over time.”Resource is “a topic or theme of ongoing interest.”Archives include “inactive items from the other three categories.”

DEFINITION

A perfect organizational system would have to be:<ul><li>universal</li><li>flexible</li><li>simple</li><li>actionable</li><li>cross-platform</li><li>outcome-oriented</li><li>modular</li><li>opportunistic</li></ul>

THE P.A.R.A METHOD

Do you see the problem? Not a single item on this list is a project. Do “vacations” ever end? Is there ever a time when you can cross off “productivity” from your list once and for all? No — these are ongoing areas of responsibility, not projects.

MAKING LIST (1)

This method has helped me to improve the way I organize my life, you should give it a try

Imagine for a moment the perfect organizational system. One that supported and enhanced the work you do, telling you exactly where to put a piece of information, and exactly where to find it when you needed it.  This system would have to be:  universal, encompassing any conceivable kind of information from any source flexible, able to work with any project or activity you take on, now and in the future