Areas are the second of four categories in Tiago Forte's 📝PARA Method, defined by Forte Labs as important parts of work and life that require ongoing attention.
Forte's work examples are marketing, human resources, product management, research and development, direct reports and engineering; his personal examples are health, finances, kids, writing, car and home. Areas occupy the second of PARA's four top-level folders, after 📝Projects.
In the Forte Labs article Project People vs. Area People, Forte defines an area of responsibility as having a standard to be maintained that is continuous over time. A project, by contrast, has a desired outcome that allows it to be marked complete and a deadline or timeframe. In his summary, projects end, while areas continue indefinitely.
Forte writes that every project has a corresponding area it falls within. Saving three months' worth of expenses is a project, whereas finances is an area; planning an anniversary dinner is a project, whereas spouse is an area.
Forte describes areas as the stable infrastructure that lets a project take off: keeping areas healthy builds reserves of strength that can be spent in a burst of energy toward a goal. He also cautions that insisting on perfectly maintaining every area at all times leaves too little speed to take off. Because an area never ends, he writes, the endless horizon never seems to get any closer, and until areas are broken down into specific projects, a person cannot truly know the extent of their commitments.