ccowork-file-organizer-skill-para

name

ccowork-file-organizer-skill-para

description

Organize files using the PARA method (Building a Second Brain). Intelligent categorization into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archive with inbox workflow. Triggers on "organize my files", "organize my downloads", "second brain", "PARA method", "clean up files", "declutter". Creates numbered PARA folders (0-Inbox, 1-Projects, 2-Areas, 3-Resources, 4-Archive), renames poorly-named files, and maintains complete audit trails.

File Organizer (PARA Method)

Organizes files using the PARA methodology from "Building a Second Brain" by Tiago Forte. Intelligent categorization with inbox workflow and complete audit trails.

What is PARA?

#	Category	Contains	Lifespan
0	Inbox	New files awaiting processing	Temporary
1	Projects	Active work with deadlines	Short-term
2	Areas	Ongoing responsibilities	Long-term
3	Resources	Reference materials by topic	Evergreen
4	Archive	Inactive/completed items	Preserved

Workflow Overview

Phase 1: Discovery     → Scan, count, assess filename quality
Phase 2: Analysis      → Read file contents for poor names, propose renames
Phase 3: Preparation   → Create PARA folder structure, get user approval
Phase 4: Execution     → Rename and move files (with logging)
Phase 5: Completion    → Generate summary, prompt inbox review

Quick Start

1. Create _ORG/ folder in target directory
2. Initialize tracking files from references/templates.md
3. Customize references/config.md for your needs
4. Execute phases with user approval checkpoints

Folder Structure (PARA Method)

Target-Directory/
├── 0-Inbox/                    # New files land here first
│   └── _REVIEW/                # Files needing manual attention
├── 1-Projects/                 # Active work with deadlines
│   ├── Work/
│   └── Personal/
├── 2-Areas/                    # Ongoing responsibilities
│   ├── Finance/
│   ├── Health/
│   ├── Legal/
│   └── Career/
├── 3-Resources/                # Reference materials by topic
│   ├── Media/
│   │   ├── Images/
│   │   ├── Videos/
│   │   ├── Audio/
│   │   └── Screenshots/
│   ├── Tools/
│   │   ├── Installers/
│   │   └── Utilities/
│   └── Learning/
│       ├── Articles/
│       ├── Books/
│       └── Courses/
├── 4-Archive/                  # Inactive/completed items
│   ├── Completed-Projects/
│   └── Past-Years/
└── _ORG/                       # Organization tracking files
    ├── _PLAN.md
    ├── _LOG.md
    └── _MANIFEST.md

Inbox Review Workflow

Daily Quick Review (5 minutes)

Process files in 0-Inbox/ by asking:

1. Is this actionable with a deadline? → Move to 1-Projects/
2. Is this an ongoing responsibility? → Move to 2-Areas/
3. Is this useful reference material? → Move to 3-Resources/
4. Is this completed/inactive? → Move to 4-Archive/
5. None of the above? → Delete or keep in Inbox

Weekly Deep Review (15 minutes)

1. Clear remaining items in 0-Inbox/
2. Check 1-Projects/ for completed projects → Archive
3. Review 2-Areas/ for items no longer relevant → Archive
4. Clean up 3-Resources/ duplicates
5. Organize 4-Archive/ by year/category

File Naming Convention

Format: [DATE]_[CODE]_[DESCRIPTION].[ext]

Component	Format	Example
Date	YYYY-MM-DD, YYYY-MM, or YYYY	2025-01-13
Code	PARA category code	PROJ, FIN, REF
Description	lowercase-with-hyphens	quarterly-report

Example: 2025-01_PROJ_website-mockup.pdf

PARA Category Codes

Code	Category	Use For
PROJ	1-Projects	Active project files
FIN	2-Areas/Finance	Financial documents
HEALTH	2-Areas/Health	Medical records
LEGAL	2-Areas/Legal	Contracts, agreements
REF	3-Resources	General reference
LEARN	3-Resources/Learning	Educational materials

Content Analysis Triggers

Analyze file contents when filename matches:

• Generic: Document*.pdf, Untitled*, Copy of *
• Camera: IMG_####.*, DSC_####.*, scan####.*
• Screenshots: Screenshot *, Screen Shot *
• Ambiguous: notes.*, report.*, data.*, export.*

Do NOT rename: Software installers (.dmg, .exe, .pkg), files with version hashes

Approval Checkpoints

Required user approval before:

1. Executing any renames
2. Moving files to destinations
3. Handling sensitive files (financial, medical, legal in 2-Areas)

Never delete files without explicit user confirmation.

Logging Requirements

Update tracking files in real-time:

_PLAN.md: Task checklist with timestamps

• ⬜ Not started → 🔄 In progress → ✅ Complete

_LOG.md: Action journal with entries:

### [TIMESTAMP] - [ACTION TYPE]
**Task**: [Reference to plan]
**Action**: [What was done]
**Result**: [Outcome]
**Next**: [Next step]

_MANIFEST.md: File operations audit trail

• Every rename and move logged with timestamps
• Enables rollback if needed

Reference Files

• references/config.md: Customizable PARA structure and detection keywords
• references/templates.md: Blank templates for _PLAN.md, _LOG.md, _MANIFEST.md

Session Resumption

If session is interrupted:

1. Read _LOG.md to find last completed action
2. Read _PLAN.md to find next incomplete task
3. Log: ### [TIME] - SESSION ... Resuming interrupted session
4. Continue from that point