How To Implement The PARA Method Organising System
Summary
TLDRThe video outlines the 'power method' system for knowledge management created by Thiago Forte. It involves archiving existing files, then creating 'project' folders for current tasks with deadlines, and additional 'area,' 'resource,' and 'archive' folders. Tips are provided, like creating an inbox, numbering files by priority, naming folders consistently, working offline, and backing up data. The system aims to store valuable information in the optimal folder for ease of access and actionability at any time.
Takeaways
- 😀 The power system uses 4 folders to store valuable information: projects, areas, resources, and archives
- 📋 Step 1 to implement the power system is to archive existing files to reduce clutter
- 🗂 Step 2 is to create a projects folder and subfolders for current projects
- ➕ Step 3 is to create more folders like areas and resources when needed
- 📅 Numbering files helps prioritize and order the folders
- 🏷 Naming files consistently makes them easier to identify
- ⚙️ Activate offline mode so the system works without internet
- 💾 Back up files in case of data loss
- 📚 The book provides detailed guidance on implementing the system
- 🎥 There are other helpful videos explaining the power method
Q & A
What are the four folders used in the power system to store valuable information?
-The four folders in the power system are: Projects - for things you're actively working on with a defined end date and outcome, Areas - for things that require ongoing management over a long period of time, Resources - for things you have an active interest in or want to learn more about, Archives - for things you are not using right now but want to store for later.
What should you do as the first step to implement the power system?
-The first step is to archive all your existing files by moving them into a new folder called 'Archives' with that day's date. This puts all your current information into cold storage without losing anything.
Why is it important to archive existing files first when setting up the power system?
-Archiving existing files first is important because it clears out your current storage space to work with a clean slate. It also stores all that information so it doesn't distract you but is still available if you need it later.
What should you create in the projects folder and how should you name them?
-In the projects folder, you should create a separate folder for each current project you are actively working on that has a defined end date and outcome. Name each folder after the project name and include the deadline date so you can see at a glance when it is due.
When should you create new folders in the power system?
-You should only create new folders when you actually have something to put in them. Don't create folders in advance before you need them.
What are some tips to make organizing the power system easier?
-Tips include: creating an inbox to temporarily hold new information, numbering your power folders alphabetically so they stay at the top, using consistent naming systems for your folders, activating offline mode so you can access files without internet, and backing up your files regularly.
What naming system does the video recommend for power folders?
-The video gives two examples of naming systems: 1) Include deadline dates in project folder names to see when they are due, 2) Use emojis for projects, capital letters for areas, and lowercase for resources (Thiago Forte's system).
Why is it important to back up your power system files?
-It's important to back up your power system files in case something happens to your device and you lose access. Backups ensure you don't lose all the work you put into organizing and capturing valuable information.
Can you use the power system offline? Why?
-Yes, you can use the power system offline because the most important folder you need access to is your Projects folder. Since that contains your active work, you can advance projects without internet access.
Where can you get more information about the power method and knowledge management?
-The video creator provides links to: the book 'Building a Second Brain' which details the power method, a playlist explaining the knowledge management system, and Thiago Forte's website which has details on the overall productivity system and approach.
Outlines
📚 How to implement the Power System knowledge management method
The first step is to archive all existing files to declutter your workspace. Then create a Projects folder to store current items you're working on with deadlines. Finally, only create more Areas and Resources folders as needed when you have content to file there.
💡 5 tips for easy organization within the Power System
Useful tips include: 1) Create an Inbox to temporarily hold new info until you can file it properly. 2) Number key folders like Projects for easy access. 3) Use consistent naming formats. 4) Work offline since Projects hold active priorities. 5) Backup files in case of data loss.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡knowledge management system
💡Power Method
💡projects
💡areas
💡resources
💡archives
💡attention
💡implementation
💡actionability
💡productivity
Highlights
The power system is a knowledge management system that uses four separate folders to store valuable information: projects, areas, resources, and archives.
Projects are for things you're actively working on with a defined end date and outcome. Areas require ongoing management over time.
Resources are things you have an interest in learning more about. Archives are inactive things you may use later.
Putting information in archives gets it out of your main view so it doesn't take up mental bandwidth, but preserves it.
Step 1: Archive all existing information so you have a clean slate to work with.
Step 2: Create a projects folder and subfolders for everything you're actively working on now.
Step 3: Only create additional folders (areas, resources) when you have something to put in them.
Create an inbox to temporarily hold information until you can process it.
Number your power folders alphabetically so projects is first for easy access.
Use consistent naming schemes across folders like dates, emojis, or codes.
Activate offline mode since the power system works without internet access.
Back up your power system in case you lose access to the files.
The book and videos explain the power method's knowledge management approach.
The power folders allow you to capture information and store it in the most actionable place.
Implementing the power system takes only about a minute across your platforms.
Transcripts
the knowledge management system
contained in this book is one of the
easiest systems to capture and organize
all the information you find truly
valuable this book is the power method
by tagu Forte the developer of the
second brand productivity system the
method of storing notes otago has
devised is simple accessible and
ultimately actionable regardless of who
you are or what you do in this video I'm
going to go through the process of
implementing and organize the power
system across all the various platforms
that you use to capture and store
information and ideas for this video I'm
going to be using the Google apps before
that though the power system is a
knowledge management system that uses
four separate folders to store all the
information and all the ideas you
encounter that you think are truly
valuable and worth capturing proves
extra things you're actively working on
right normally with a defined end date
and outcome areas are for things that
require ongoing management over a long
period of time resources are things that
you have an active interest or want to
learn more about and archives are things
that you're not actually using right now
those are the four folders of the power
system that are going to allow you to
capture any piece of information and
that are going to allow you to store
that information in the most actionable
place at that moment in time time this
basically means that you're putting in
the players that you're the most likely
to use it at that moment in time so to
implement these power folders enter your
own Knowledge Management System there
are three steps that you can follow
which only take around a minute to do so
you might think that the very first step
in creating your own power system is to
create every folder you think you're
going to need and to move every piece of
information that you've already captured
into the relevant folder well that is
the completely wrong way to actually
start building your power system before
you look at the actual steps the build
your own power system if you have any
questions but anything in this video or
anything related to the power method or
the second brand productivity system
leave them down in the comments below
I'll try my best to answer any questions
you have so the first step to actually
implementing the power system in your
knowledge management system is to
archive all your existing files before
we started using computers to store our
digital information everything had a
specific place in a specific folder
however in the digital world we have
access to an almost unlimited amount of
information and we can capture as much
as this information as we could possibly
want to this basically means that we
never really have to throw anything away
although this sounds like a really good
thing that isn't always necessarily the
case the problem with keeping everything
that we capture is that it takes up one
of our most precious resources that we
have available which is our attention if
you're anything like me when you open up
your Google Drive and you see a whole
load of random fuzz and information and
documents just sitting there staring at
you in the face you can feel yourself
literally becoming drained by the sheer
amount of information just there looking
at you the truth is if our physical
environment is really messy and has just
random pieces of paper and information
all over the place the chances are we're
not going to be very productive and
we're not going to do the best work that
we can so why should we trade our
digital environment any differently
within the power system there is a place
where we can store all of this
information so that it's not going to
take up as much of our attention as it
otherwise would have that is something
called an archives folder by putting
something into an archives folder you're
basically putting it into cold storage
for when you might need that bit of
information in the future so here's what
you should do select everything that
already exists within your cloud storage
device doesn't matter whether it's
Google Drive I Collide the actual
physical documents on your computer and
you're going to move them all to a
completely new folder called archives
with whatever today's date is so today
is the 23rd of August so I would name
this folder archives 23rd of the 8th 23.
this allows you to preserve everything
that you have in your storage system on
that particular date without worrying
about losing anything or without
worrying about maybe misplacing it in
the future you're then going to add this
folder you've just created into your
completely new folder called archives
which is why you're going to put
anything that needs to be archived in
the future before we go on to step two
if you find this video useful or helpful
in any way why not consider subscribing
to this channel let me see that this
video has helped somebody which
encourages me to continue to make
similar content in the future it's
completely free to you but helps me out
in a massive way so step two is to
create project folders now you're
working with a completely blank storage
space apart from your archives folder
you're then going to create a completely
new folder called projects this is where
you're going to store anything relevant
to the things that you're working on
right now inside that folder you're
going to create a completely new folder
for every single thing that you're
working on right now which has a defined
outcome and a defined end date you
should really name each folder whatever
project you have going on the reason we
are focusing on projects next is because
they're the things that you're actively
working on right now usually with
deadlines attached to them any further
information that are going to help you
complete these projects before the
deadline can be moved to the relevant
folder but don't feel the need to do
this all at once this process can take
time to do so don't rush it for example
this Sunday is our NFL fantasy draft for
the upcoming season so this project
folder is going to be called NFL fantasy
draft 23 24. inside this folder I'm
going to have things like cheat sheets
team death charts mock drafts and
anything else related to Fantasy NFL
which I'm going to use in this project
step three is to create more folders
when you need to there is one basic rule
for this step of implementing your own
power system never create a folder
before you have something to put into it
this means you might have to wait a few
days or a few weeks before you actually
create your areas or your resources but
this is complete really fine it only
takes a moment to create a completely
new folder so there's no reason to
actually do this in advance so those are
the three steps for implementing the
power system and your own Knowledge
Management System but there are five
things that you can do to make the
organizing of this information even
easier the first thing to do is to
create an inbox as you go about your
day-to-day you may not have the time to
actually organize everything effectively
into your power system instead the inbox
allows you to temporarily hold
information until you have the time to
process it properly secondly you should
number your power files in my own power
system I have numbered my files from
zero one to zero four which means that
whenever you sort everything
alphabetically these files will always
be at the very top this gives me really
easy access to each folder that I need
this is also the order of actionability
of the parafas which means they are
organized in the order that I am most
likely to actually use them and most of
the time I'll only need to open up my
projects folder because those are the
things that I'm actually working on
right now and I'm only going to rarely
need you of my archive files so having
projects at the top just makes life a
lot easier when actually working on Pros
results thirdly use a naming system
consistently in your power system it's
really helpful to name all your folders
in a consistent way you might already
have noticed that all of my projects
have a date stamp beside them which
means that I can quickly see at a glance
when the deadline for that particular
project is about to happen tagoforte
uses another very different naming
system he uses emojis for projects
capitalized ladders for areas and
lowercase letters for his resources this
allows him to quickly see where each
folder fits in his own power system
there's only two examples of naming
systems that I use in Thiago Forte uses
but you can create your own as long as
it's consistent across all the different
apps and platforms that you're creating
a power system in fourthly activate
offline mode the vast majority of
software and platforms that you're using
to actually Implement your and organize
your power system they're going to have
some accessibility for an offline mode
the power system works flawlessly in an
offline environment as everything you're
likely to need is actually stored within
only one folder which is your projects
folder which basically means that even
if you're working without any internet
connection you still have access to
everything you might need to make
advancements or to make progress on any
project you currently have going on
fifthly and finally make backups as with
any method of digital Knowledge
Management always make sure you have
backups of your information as you never
knew what might happen if you're using a
code base storage system this is already
done for years the cloud will
automatically back up all your work as
you're online if your power system is
stored in your computer documents it
might be worthwhile investing in a good
external hard drive so that you can
backup everything onto it just in case
something might happen to your internal
hard drive imagine going through all
that effort of capturing and organizing
information using the power system to
all of a sudden find that it's
completely disappeared with no way of
retrieving it at least if you have a
backup on an external hard drive you'll
always have that information from that
point in time where you backed it up
onto the hard drive so that is always to
stop terabyte how to implement and
organize the power system according to
the power method by Thiago Forte if you
haven't already picked up this book I
will leave an Amazon affiliate link to
this book and also to his first book
building a second brain down in the
description below if you want any more
info information about the power method
here is a playlist where you can find a
range of other videos all dedicated to
this knowledge management system
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