How I Apply the P.A.R.A. System in Supernote

The P.A.R.A. System — Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives — is my framework for keeping Supernote organized and purposeful. Originally developed by productivity expert Tiago Forte, P.A.R.A. is designed to give every piece of information a clear home based on how actionable it is. Instead of filing notes by topic or type, it focuses on how you’ll use them.

That simple shift has changed everything for me. With Supernote, P.A.R.A. becomes not just a filing system, but the structure that turns my digital notebooks into both a workshop and a library.

What is P.A.R.A.?

Here’s a quick breakdown of Tiago Forte’s method:

Projects – Short-term efforts with a clear outcome and end date (e.g., finishing a presentation, writing a draft, or running a training).
Areas – Ongoing responsibilities that don’t really end but require consistent attention (like finances, health, or professional development).
Resources – Useful material you might need to reference later: articles, quotes, ideas, research, or clippings.
Archives – Completed projects and inactive material you don’t want cluttering your active system, but still want to keep for the future.

Instead of scattering notes everywhere, P.A.R.A. creates a rhythm: what’s active stays in view, and what’s done gets preserved.

📝 Notes Folder — My Control Center

On my Supernote, the Notes folder is where my P.A.R.A. system lives. It’s my control center — the dashboard I check into daily. Inside, I divide notebooks into the first three P.A.R.A. categories:

Projects – Active notebooks with a goal and deadline. When the project ends, the notebook moves on.
Areas – Long-term notebooks for responsibilities that never stop, like training or finances.
Resources – A collection of references and clippings that feed into the work above. My Digests often land here before they connect to bigger projects.

By separating each notebook by subject, I know exactly where things belong and can link between them without losing momentum.

📂 Documents Folder — Archiving & Retention

The Documents folder is my version of the Archives. Finished projects, old reflections, and completed notebooks all move here. It keeps my Notes folder lean and active, while still holding onto the history of what I’ve done.

I think of it as my library shelves: quiet, organized, and always available if I need to revisit something.

The Balance of Notes and Documents

Notes = workshop. It’s where the work happens now, where projects are alive and areas are maintained.
Documents = library. It’s where past work lives, out of the way but not lost.

This balance lets me focus without clutter, while also keeping a reliable archive I can return to.

Why P.A.R.A. Works on Supernote

Supernote gives me the feel of paper with the power of digital linking. Adding Tiago Forte’s P.A.R.A. system on top brings clarity:

Notes stay actionable.
Archives stay safe.
Every notebook has a home.

For me, that’s the difference between “just storing notes” and building a system I can actually live inside.

Supernote, shaped by P.A.R.A., has become more than a digital notebook. It’s a second brain that helps me build, track, and preserve ideas in a way that grows with me.

Interested in Second Brain system/ Personal Knowledge Management Tool (PKM)?

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