How to Organise Your Business With the PARA Method
You're building your business in pockets of time, between client calls, dinner plans, and everything else life throws at you. You’ve got ideas in Notes, resources in bookmarks, and half-finished project plans spread across a dozen tabs. And when you finally sit down to work, you spend more time finding things than doing them.
When I first started using Notion for my business, I genuinely thought I had it all under control. My workspace was filled with neatly labelled pages and folders. But the reality? It was a bit of a mess. Notes scattered across different tools and pages (screaming internally), project plans buried three clicks too deep, and me wasting time trying to remember where I saved something instead of actually doing the work.
Sound familiar?
Most entrepreneurs don’t struggle with motivation, they struggle with managing the stuff. Without a structure in place, ideas get lost, projects stall, and the mental clutter builds up fast. It’s not about doing more, it’s about making it easier to access what matters.
That’s where the PARA method comes in. It’s a simple, flexible way to organise your business that helps reduce stress, stop things falling through the cracks, and keep you focused on what’s next. And while I don’t follow it to the letter (because life doesn’t fit neatly into four folders), the core of it has seriously changed the way I work.
What is the PARA method (and where did it come from)?
Tiago Forte created PARA as a way to bring order to digital chaos. PARA isn't just a system, it’s a gentle way to give your ideas, plans, and responsibilities a home. So you can stop reinventing the wheel every time you open your laptop.
Everything you store—whether it’s a to-do, a document, or a piece of inspiration—falls into one of four categories:
Projects: Short-term efforts with a goal and a deadline
Examples: launching a product, updating your website, writing a proposal
Areas: Ongoing responsibilities that need regular attention
Examples: marketing, finance, client care, operations
Resources: Things you’re keeping for reference
Examples: templates, research, swipe files, course notes
Archives: Completed projects or past areas that are no longer active
Examples: old campaigns, client offboarding docs
The beauty of PARA is that it’s not rigid. It’s a structure, not a rulebook. And that’s why it works—especially if you’re building your business solo and wearing all the hats.
If you want to learn more about the PARA method, I’d highly recommend reading Tiago Forte’s book, it’s short and easy to read and I found it helped me better structure my thoughts and systems (in general, not just in Notion).
Why PARA works (and why most systems don’t)
Most entrepreneurs try to organise their work based on what they think they should do: neat folders, colour codes, fancy naming conventions. But those systems often fall apart because they don’t match how we actually work.
Here’s what PARA does differently: it organises information based on how actionable it is. That way, you always know what to focus on, what to maintain, what to keep for later, and what can go in the digital attic.
Let’s break it down.
Projects = what you’re actively working on
These are the things you’re currently moving forward. There’s a goal, a deadline, and a clear end in sight.
Gives you focus, ie you know what’s on your plate
Easy to track progress: once done, you move it to the archive
Keeps things manageable: you’re not juggling too many things at once
Examples:
“Client website launch”
“Q2 content plan”
“Email welcome sequence refresh”
Areas = what you’re responsible for
These are the parts of your business that are always running in the background. They don’t have an end date, but they still need attention.
Keeps core responsibilities front and centre
Stops important stuff from slipping through the cracks
Helps you stay consistent
Examples:
“Marketing”
“Client communication”
“Finance admin”
Resources = what you might need later
This is where most people get overwhelmed, by saving things without a clear system. PARA gives these bits a home that makes sense.
Separates reference material from actual tasks
Makes inspiration easier to find when you need it
Helps you avoid digital hoarding
Examples:
“Design inspo”
“Sales call notes”
“Notion tutorials and templates”
Archives = what’s no longer active
Once something’s done or no longer relevant, it gets moved here. Still accessible, just out of the way.
Keeps your workspace clean
Lets you revisit old projects if needed
Prevents clutter in your day-to-day setup
Examples:
“Old client onboarding workflow”
“2023 year-end campaign”
“Past offers that aren’t in use anymore”
How I’ve adapted PARA in my own business
Here’s the thing, PARA is a framework. Not everything in my Notion space is perfectly filed (some stuff is still floating in the void), but it gives me a structure to come back to when things start to feel messy.
Here’s what that looks like for me:
Projects and Areas are the non-negotiables. I track active work in a Projects database and have an Areas database for ongoing stuff like marketing and operations.
Resources are still a bit scattered. I’m slowly bringing them into a single space, but some things still live in iCloud or are saved as random bookmarks. It’s a work in progress.
Archives get cleaned up occasionally, but I’m not precious about it. If something old is still in my active space for a while, that’s fine, as long as it’s not in the way.
How to set up PARA in Notion
If you want to bring more structure and clarity into your business, here’s a simple way to start building your PARA system in Notion.
Step 1: Set up your four core databases
This keeps everything organised from the start.
Projects: Add properties like start date, status, deadline, and goal.
Areas: One page per key responsibility in your business.
Resources: Decide where you’ll store these (Notion, Google Drive, or both).
Archives: Keep old projects and inactive areas out of the way, but still accessible.
Step 2: Build a dashboard to pull it all together
Think of this as your business homepage in Notion.
Show active projects front and centre
Highlight your key areas of responsibility
Link to useful resources
Keep it clean and minimal, you don’t need to see everything at once
Step 3: Make it your own
Your system should evolve with you, not become another thing you feel guilty about not using.
Add tags, relations, and filters to suit how you work
Set up reminders to review and archive
Don’t worry about making it perfect, just make it useful for YOU.
Want to build your own PARA system (without the overwhelm)?
The PARA method can bring so much clarity to your business, but only if it works for you.
If you want support setting it up in a way that feels simple, sustainable, and actually helpful, I’d love to help. Let’s build a system together that feels calm, not chaotic. Book a free discovery call!
