63cd7fe102
- Rename skill/ to skills/ for consistency with naming conventions - Rename agent/ to agents/ and command/ to commands/ - Update AGENTS.md with all directory references - Update scripts/test-skill.sh paths - Update prompts/athena.txt documentation This aligns with best practices of using plural directory names and updates all documentation to reflect the new structure.
191 lines
5.0 KiB
Markdown
191 lines
5.0 KiB
Markdown
# PARA Methodology Reference
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PARA is a universal system for organizing digital information, created by Tiago Forte.
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## The Four Categories
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### Projects
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**Definition**: A series of tasks linked to a goal, with a deadline.
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**Characteristics**:
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- Has a clear outcome/deliverable
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- Has a deadline (explicit or implicit)
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- Requires multiple tasks to complete
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- Can be completed (finite)
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**Examples**:
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- Launch NixOS Flakes course
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- Hire senior backend developer
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- Complete Q1 board presentation
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- Publish self-hosting playbook video
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**Questions to identify**:
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- What am I committed to finishing?
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- What has a deadline?
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- What would I celebrate completing?
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### Areas
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**Definition**: A sphere of activity with a standard to be maintained over time.
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**Characteristics**:
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- Ongoing responsibility (infinite)
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- Has standards, not deadlines
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- Requires regular attention
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- Never "complete" - only maintained
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**Sascha's Areas**:
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1. CTO Leadership
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2. m3ta.dev
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3. YouTube @m3tam3re
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4. Technical Exploration
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5. Personal Development
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6. Health & Wellness
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7. Family
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**Questions to identify**:
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- What roles do I maintain?
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- What standards must I uphold?
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- What would suffer if I ignored it?
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### Resources
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**Definition**: A topic or theme of ongoing interest.
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**Characteristics**:
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- Reference material for future use
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- No immediate action required
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- Supports projects and areas
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- Can be shared or reused
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**Examples**:
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- NixOS configuration patterns
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- n8n workflow templates
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- Self-hosting architecture docs
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- AI prompt libraries
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- Book notes and highlights
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**Questions to identify**:
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- What might be useful later?
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- What do I want to learn more about?
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- What reference material do I need?
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### Archives
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**Definition**: Inactive items from the other three categories.
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**Characteristics**:
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- Completed projects
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- Areas no longer active
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- Resources no longer relevant
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- Preserved for reference, not action
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**When to archive**:
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- Project completed or cancelled
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- Role/responsibility ended
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- Topic no longer relevant
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- Information outdated
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## The PARA Workflow
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### Capture
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Everything starts in the **Inbox**. Don't organize during capture.
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### Clarify
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Ask: "Is this actionable?"
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- **Yes** → Is it a single task or a project?
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- **No** → Is it reference material or trash?
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### Organize
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Place items in the appropriate category:
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- Active work → Projects (linked to Area)
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- Ongoing standards → Areas
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- Reference → Resources
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- Done/irrelevant → Archives
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### Review
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- **Daily**: Process inbox, check today's tasks
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- **Weekly**: Review all projects, check areas, process resources
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- **Monthly**: Archive completed, assess areas, audit resources
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## Project vs Area Confusion
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The most common PARA mistake is confusing projects and areas.
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| If you treat a Project as an Area | If you treat an Area as a Project |
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|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
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| Never feels "done" | Feels like constant failure |
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| Scope creeps infinitely | Standards slip without noticing |
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| No sense of progress | Burnout from "finishing" the infinite |
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**Test**: Can I complete this in a single work session series?
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- Yes → Project
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- No, it's ongoing → Area
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## Maintenance Rhythms
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### Daily (Evening - 10 min)
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1. Process inbox items
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2. Review completed tasks
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3. Set tomorrow's priorities
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### Weekly (Sunday evening - 30 min)
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1. Get clear: Inbox to zero
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2. Get current: Review each Area
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3. Review all active Projects
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4. Plan next week's outcomes
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### Monthly (First Sunday - 60 min)
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1. Review Area standards
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2. Archive completed Projects
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3. Evaluate stalled Projects
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4. Audit Resources relevance
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### Quarterly (90 min)
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1. Review life Areas balance
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2. Set quarterly outcomes
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3. Major archives cleanup
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4. System improvements
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## PARA in Anytype
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### Type Mapping
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| PARA | Anytype Type | Notes |
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|------|--------------|-------|
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| Project | `project` | Has area relation, deadline |
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| Area | `area` | Top-level organization |
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| Resource | `resource` | Reference material |
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| Archive | Use `archived` property | Or separate Archive type |
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| Task | `task` | Lives within Project or Area |
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| Inbox | `note` with status=inbox | Quick capture |
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### Recommended Properties
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**On Projects**:
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- `area` (relation) - Which area owns this
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- `status` (select) - active, on-hold, completed
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- `due_date` (date) - Target completion
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- `outcome` (text) - What does "done" look like
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**On Tasks**:
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- `project` or `area` (relation) - Parent container
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- `status` (select) - inbox, next, waiting, scheduled, done
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- `priority` (select) - critical, high, medium, low
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- `due_date` (date) - When it's needed
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- `energy` (select) - Required energy level
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- `context` (multi_select) - Where/how it can be done
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**On Areas**:
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- `description` (text) - Standards to maintain
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- `review_frequency` (select) - daily, weekly, monthly
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## Common Pitfalls
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1. **Over-organizing during capture** - Just dump it in inbox
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2. **Too many projects** - Active projects should be <15
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3. **Orphan tasks** - Every task needs a project or area
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4. **Stale resources** - Archive what you haven't touched in 6 months
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5. **Skipping reviews** - The system only works if you review it
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