How many active projects should I have at most?

Maintain 8-10 active projects max; more and you risk spreading yourself too thin.

What belongs in Archive vs Resources?

Archive holds inactive items that are done, paused, or deprecated. Resources are reference materials to be found later. Archiving is free and helps reduce clutter.

What if something doesn’t fit any category?

Use the decision tree: if there is a clear end goal and deadline, it goes to Projects; ongoing responsibility goes to Areas; reference material to Resources; if done or no longer relevant, archive it. If none apply, don’t capture it until the review clarifies its place.

Para System

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill aroyburman-codes/para-second-brain/para-system --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

2.2 KB

PARA Second Brain System

You have access to the PARA (Projects/Areas/Resources/Archive) methodology for organizing work and knowledge.

When This Skill Activates

Activate when the user:

Mentions PARA, "second brain", or "where should I put this"
Asks about organizing their work, notes, or knowledge
Wants to decide between Projects, Areas, Resources, or Archive
Asks about review cadence or PARA hygiene

Core PARA Concepts

Projects = Goal + Deadline. Bounded efforts with a clear finish line. Areas = Ongoing Responsibility. No end date — standards to maintain. Resources = Reference Material. Things to find later, no action required now. Archive = Inactive Items. Done, paused, or deprecated — not deleted, just shelved.

Quick Decision Tree

Has a clear end goal + deadline? → Projects
Ongoing responsibility to maintain? → Areas
Reference material for later? → Resources
Done or no longer relevant? → Archive
None of the above? → Don't capture it.

Key Rules

8-10 active projects max. More means you're spread too thin.
Archive aggressively. Clutter has real cognitive cost. Archiving is free.
Capture fast, organize later. Don't agonize over categories — the weekly review is when you sort things out.
Every item needs a filled-in context.md. Empty templates are noise.
Cross-reference related items. Projects often connect to Areas and Resources.

Available Commands

/para-setup [path] — Initialize a PARA directory structure
/para-add <category> <name> — Add a new item to any category
/para-review [weekly|monthly] — Walk through your system and update statuses
/para-capture [text] — Quick-capture a note from the current conversation
/para-status [category] — See an overview of your PARA system

Review Cadence

Weekly (30 min): Scan projects, check areas, capture and archive
Monthly (60 min): Weekly + strategic alignment + resource refresh
Quarterly (90 min): Monthly + growth review + system health check

Reference Files

For detailed templates, see references/templates.md. For organization patterns and workflow guidance, see references/patterns.md.

Source

git clone https://github.com/aroyburman-codes/para-second-brain/blob/main/skills/para-system/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

PARA Second Brain extends the PARA framework to organize work and knowledge. It divides items into Projects (goal + deadline), Areas (ongoing responsibilities), Resources (reference material), and Archive (inactive items). Regular reviews help keep clarity and prevent clutter.

How This Skill Works

Items are categorized into the four PARA categories using a simple decision process. Each item should have a filled in context.md file, and empty templates are avoided. Weekly reviews sort new items, assign statuses, and archive items that are no longer relevant.

When to Use It

You mention PARA, second brain, or where to put this in a conversation
You are organizing your work, notes, or knowledge and need a scalable system
You need to decide between Projects, Areas, Resources, or Archive for a new item
You want to establish or understand the review cadence or PARA hygiene
You prefer fast capture now and plan to organize later during a weekly review

Quick Start

Step 1: /para-setup [path] to initialize the PARA directory structure
Step 2: /para-add <category> <name> to add items to Projects, Areas, Resources, or Archive
Step 3: /para-review [weekly|monthly] to review statuses, sort items, and archive as needed

Best Practices

8-10 active projects max to avoid being spread too thin
Archive aggressively to reduce cognitive clutter and keep the system lean
Capture fast, organize later; rely on the weekly review to sort items
Every item needs a filled-in context.md; empty templates are noise
Cross-reference related items; Projects often connect to Areas and Resources

Example Use Cases

A marketing campaign is stored as a Project with a clear deadline and milestones
An ongoing customer support process is an Area with defined standards and checklists
A product specification document is saved as a Resource and linked to related Projects and Areas
A completed conference presentation is archived for future reference
A new data analysis capability is added as a Project with learning milestones

Frequently Asked Questions

Add this skill to your agents