How to Setup PARA in OneNote: Organize Your Life Like a Pro!

In this video, we dive into the transformative power of combining PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) with OneNote to supercharge your productivity and information management. Developed by Tiago Forte, the PARA method is a framework designed to organize your tasks, responsibilities, interests, and more. Whether you're a professional, student, or simply someone looking to streamline your life, this video is for you.

We'll walk you through:

A high-level overview of what PARA is and its components.
How to set up each of the PARA categories in OneNote for optimal organization.
Customizing and color-coding your OneNote notebooks for easy navigation.
Real-life examples to help you understand the benefits of this system.
Tips and tricks to adapt PARA to your individual needs.
By the end of the video, you'll have the tools you need to declutter your digital space, make information more accessible, and focus on what truly matters. Don't miss out on unlocking a more organized and productive version of yourself!

For a deeper understanding of the PARA method, make sure to check out Tiago Forte's books, linked in the description below. (NOTE: These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using the below links, I earn a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you.)

⌛Time Stamp
00:00 - Start
00:29 - PARA Overview
02:33 - PARA in OneNote
04:13 - Create new notebook
05:40 - Sections
08:45 - PARA as a Dynamic System
09:21 - Tips
10:29 - Wrap up

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[blackhannahofficial]

I'm the person who for years and years, purchased and depended on physical notebooks. Thanks to your channel I'm learning a weightless, paper-free way of organizing myself 🤗

[pablotavaresbr]

Thank you very much for sharing your outline of the PARA method. Last week I saw Tiago Forte' videos and tried to implement it in my onenote repository, merging private items and work. I used it for 2 days and found it very terrible and not very productive. I undid and regrouped by macro subjects.
But today, when you posted the video for the first time, it gave me an inspiration... Now that night I finished arranging the documents on ONENOTE... Next week, let's get to work to feel the usability...
I am extremely grateful for you sharing your ideas and all your help. Hug from Brazil.

[vkrmsjn]

This confirmed that what I was doing with notebooks to implement PARA is correct.
But thanks a lot. Its very useful.

[Skitsfosho]

Pure One Note Gold. It was the missing piece to my organization. Thank you!

[elizabethwang.]

I just watched Tiago's videos on PARA. Then, I saw your videos! Perfect timing! Thanks, Andy!

[TheWid]

Been doing PARA on OneNote for over a year now, but your video here gave me lots of tips e.g. using icons, capitalising and pinning. Thanks a heap!

[jrgarciab]

Man, this channel is so good. This gentleman explains so well and his speaking cadence feels like he majored in broadcasting/communications.
And the production quality is top notch.
This video in particular is going to help a LOT of people.
Thank you, sir.

[oandre]

Andy, I've been following your videos for a while now. My favorites are One Note, and although I've been using the program forever, thanks to Andy I learned some very practical tricks. I'm Portuguese and I didn't know Tiago Forte, and your demonstration of the PARA method in One Note was fantastic and made me research Tiago and his methods. Keep up the good work.

[bellmusic]

Very helpful! I have so many paper note books of information I knew it was time to go digital but I didn't know where to start. Now I feel motivated and this the combination of PARA and One Note will be a killer combo!

[debracox]

Excellent video. Thank you! I just finished The PARA method. Already setting up my onenote. So helpful to see your concrete examples!

[regrr]

Thank you! I've been waiting for this.
I learned and got to organize my One Note (after 3 years of usage!) for the first time because of your tutorials. I tried watching Tiago's and other youtubers' videos on how to do PARA but I couldn't figure out how to make sense of it in One Note. Your explanation is giving me hope to try the PARA method once more.
🤞

[Jenny-riob]

I love OneNote and I’m glad for every Tipp to organize it’s better. I’m an engineer and it’s sometimes very hard to sort all these information in an practical way. We often have new trainings with organizations methods but the trainers never can really explain how the real life workflow would look like

[erniehayden]

Nicely done, Andy! I am a "Tiago" follower and set up my PARA in OneNote by using a "leader" for Responsibilities (RESP) and References (REF) before each title. Overall, though, your video will be immediately of interest to the Windows OneNote users in Tiago's Second Brain following.

[ZenTeaNow]

Useful! I am migrating my PARA folders from Evernote to One Note and your video helps. My structure is similar so it gives me confidence.

[suzywest]

Thank you for this! I just read Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte and was trying to figure out how I wanted to incorporate PARA into the OneNote system I use. Love how you set up PARA and will use your tips!

[BennyurenaVMPGlobal]

Thank you so much, I've been waiting to see someone structure PARA in OneNote, you nailed it brother !

[annebogardus]

This was so helpful! I love the PARA concept but have been struggling with how to implement it. Thanks for the clear guide on how it works in OneNote. 😀

[altruologist]

Thank you so much for sharing this. The pace of your presentation is excellent and very easy to follow. The timing was great for me after deciding to migrate from another note taking/knowledge software.

[isalarda]

Very straight forward. Exactly what i needed.. Thank you for sharing, Sir..

[cleeveharmony]

Thanks for this Andy. Ive been using ON for some time, but just picked up on PARA recently. I'd be really interested in seeing how you actually use PARA from day to day.