Ben AI System - PARA Organization

This directory implements the PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) organizational framework designed by Tiago Forte.

📂 ben-ai-system/
├── 1. Projects/        (Actionable: Short-Term Goals with Deadlines)
├── 2. Areas/           (Ongoing: Standards to Maintain)
├── 3. Resources/       (Reference: Topics of Interest)
└── 4. Archives/        (Inactive: Completed or Dormant)

• Move Down: Completed Projects → Archives
• Move Across: Resources → Projects/Areas when they become actionable
• Move Up: Resources feed Areas, which generate Projects

YYYY-MM-DD-[status]-description-[tags].extension

Status Prefixes:

• [wip]- : Work in Progress
• [review]- : Pending Review
• [final]- : Approved Final Version
• [ref]- : Reference Material
• [archived]- : Archived Item

Example: 2025-11-29-[wip]-project-proposal-[marketing-strategy].docx

1. Just-In-Time Organization: Organize items as they arrive (30-second rule)
2. The "P-A" Test: Ask "Is this a Project?" first, then "Is this an Area?"
3. Minimize Active Projects: Keep 10-15 active projects maximum
4. Weekly Review: Move completed items to Archives regularly
5. Tool Agnostic: Apply the same structure across all tools

The following are excluded from PARA organization:

• .git, .gitignore
• node_modules/
• .DS_Store
• tools/

This repository includes an AI assistant system prompt that can help you organize files and enforce PARA standards before committing:

Location: 3. Resources/Frameworks/System-Organisation/2025-11-17-[ref]-para-system-enforcer-[system-prompt].md

The PARA System Enforcer is a specialized AI assistant that can:

• Automatically organize files into the correct PARA categories
• Enforce proper file naming conventions (timestamps, status prefixes, tags)
• Validate that files are in the most actionable location
• Suggest moves between categories based on actionability
• Preserve git history when moving tracked files (git mv)

Before committing new or modified files:

1. Provide the enforcer prompt to your AI assistant along with context about your files

2. Use activation phrases like:

   • "Apply PARA to my files"
   • "Help me organize using PARA"
   • "Check if these files follow PARA standards"
   • "Organize this directory using PARA"

3. The enforcer will:

   • Assess your current file structure
   • Map files to the correct PARA categories
   • Suggest proper naming conventions
   • Provide commands to move/rename files (using git mv for tracked files)

# 1. Add some files to your workspace
# 2. Before committing, ask the AI:
"Apply PARA organization to the files in my ben-ai-system directory"

# 3. The enforcer will analyze and suggest:
#    - Correct category placement
#    - Proper naming (YYYY-MM-DD-[status]-description-[tags].ext)
#    - File moves preserving git history

# 4. Review and execute the suggested commands
# 5. Commit the organized files

• Actionability Hierarchy: Enforces P > A > R > Archives priority
• Naming Standards: Ensures ISO 8601 timestamps and status prefixes
• Git-Aware: Uses git mv for tracked files to preserve history
• Conflict Resolution: Resolves dual-fit items by most actionable category
• System Prompt Protection: Never moves [system-prompt] files to Archives unless marked [archived]-

The enforcer automatically ignores:

• .git, .gitignore, .keep
• node_modules/
• .DS_Store
• tools/

1. Review each category's README file for detailed guidelines
2. Start placing new items in the appropriate category
3. Use the PARA enforcer before committing to validate organization
4. Schedule a weekly review to maintain the system
5. Follow the naming conventions for all files

Remember: The goal is to maximize actionability and minimize digital clutter. When in doubt, place items in the most actionable category.