P.A.R.A. gives you the best of both worlds: the **consistency** of centralization, with the **adaptability** of decentralization. ## 1. [[magic number 4]] - The entire hierarchy is four categories wide (projects, areas, resources, archives), and no more than four levels deep (e.g. in Evernote, application > stacks > notebooks > notes). ## 2. Mirrors task/project management - All four top-level categories are replicated across programs. ![[PARA Replicated Categories.jpeg]] - There are 3 reasons for not making areas the top-level folders that contain projects: 1. The importance of separating the very small amount of actionable information from the much larger amount of non-actionable information. There are a lot more areas and potential projects than current projects. 2. Reduce visual clutter. Using areas as the top-level of the hierarchy means looking through dozens of starting points to find your project rather than four. 3. To achieve rapid project turnover by storing all projects in one place. For example, on a centralized task manager or to-do list. ## 3. Separates actionable from non-actionable - Recognizes that actionability is not black or white. Instead, it is a gradient that is hidden or revealed depending on the context, also known as *progressive disclosure* -- only show the user as much information as they need in the moment. ![[PARA Progressive Disclosure.jpeg]]