You probably already have a shining image in your mind of what life will be like once you’re living the PARA lifestyle. And I sincerely hope it all comes true. But if you falter at any point along the way, come back to this spot in the book. I know that life often gets hectic, so PARA is designed to “fail gracefully” in a couple of different ways.
First, it doesn’t matter where you put a given file or note. If you find that the “filing” of items is too mentally taxing or time-consuming, don’t worry too much about it. You’ll likely be retrieving information using the search function most of the time, which means placing items into specific subfolders is a nice-to-have, not a must-have.
You’ll see in chapter 9 that you will have many opportunities in the future to “flow” items between categories, so the decision of where to put something in the first place is very forgiving. There are backup plans and safety nets at every stage.
Second, it doesn’t matter that you have exactly four PARA categories. Believe it or not, even the four main folders described by the letters of PARA are optional. I’ve seen people who prefer more and add an extra letter for an additional category of information (such as S for “Systems” or V for “Values”). I’ve also seen people make do with only two, such as a “Hot” folder for anything currently actionable and a “Cold” folder for everything that’s not.
The important principle is to separate out whatever is most actionable and timely and give it the majority of your attention, and there are countless ways to do so. Don’t feel the need to follow my prescriptions exactly—I give you permission to customize.