Post-PARA: What Survived 4 Years of Real Use
Introduction
Six years ago I started using a simple to-do list. Four years ago I read about PARA and moved to it. After four years of actual use, I want to share what survived and what I changed.
At some point I realized that some activities in my personal life weren’t easier than work projects. So if I use a task tracker for work, why not for personal life? My goals were:
- Remind myself about recurrent tasks
- Have notes with useful information connected to tasks
- Use structure for complex projects that can’t be done as 2-3 tasks
What I Added to PARA
PARA is a great approach for organizing your “Second Brain”. The distinction between projects and areas was eye-opening - I realized I’d been confusing them constantly. But it was missing one critical component: tasks.
PARA covers Projects/Areas/Resources/Archive but lacks the execution layer. So I added:
Tasks database - Linked to projects and areas. Each task designed to take 5-20 minutes
Recurrent tasks - Tasks that appear automatically with specified periods. But used sparingly (more on this below).
Inbox status - Quick capture point for new tasks. You don’t need to set all properties immediately - just dump it in inbox and process later.
Time-delayed activation - Tasks appear when they become relevant, not before.
Why Notion
Notion’s paradigm matches relational databases - each entry is a page with structured properties. I can implement almost any structure I could build with SQL and create appropriate views. This made it natural to extend PARA with tasks while keeping everything connected.
Tasks page in Notion
What Changed Over 4 Years
Abandoned
Over-automation - I tried using AI to create and manage tasks. My trust in the system immediately dropped. When I make all changes myself, I fully trust it. When something else starts editing tasks, that trust disappears.
Excessive recurrent tasks - At one point I added everything I do regularly (even shaving, cutting nails). After a 2-week vacation, I returned to 50 newly appeared tasks. My desire to use the system was gone.
Complex task structures - Simplicity beats sophistication. Every time I tried to make things more elaborate, the system became harder to maintain.
Kept
Area/Project distinction - Still the most valuable PARA insight. Areas are ongoing parts of life (family, health, hobbies). Projects are time-limited activities within those areas.
Actionable task phrasing - Tasks must be concrete actions, not vague goals. “Call to clinic and book time for medical check-up” not “Pass medical check-up”. This single change reduced my internal resistance dramatically.
Inbox as entry point - Sometimes you don’t have time to create a proper actionable item. That’s fine. Dump it in inbox and process when you have time.
Areas page
Learned
Taking breaks is healthy - I’ve abandoned this system multiple times for weeks or months. System should serve you, not vice versa. The surprising part: returning to it was always natural when I actually needed task tracking again.
Perfect system doesn’t exist - It’s always about continuous tuning, adapting, reflecting. Just accept this as truth.
Structure alone doesn’t make you productive - This was my biggest naive assumption. Building the structure was actually the easy part. The hard part is smoothly introducing it to your life and adapting it based on what actually works.
Get the Template
Warning: Don’t expect that copying this structure will make you productive. Identify your actual pain points first. Build the minimum system that addresses them. Then adapt based on real use.
What You Should Actually Do
Don’t copy this wholesale. Identify where your current approach causes anxiety or drops tasks. Build the minimum viable system to address that specific problem. Then use it for a month and see what breaks.
The structure I ended up with after 4 years probably won’t be the structure you need. But the process of adapting it will be the same.