File Organizer

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

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: smithjoshua
• Source: smithjoshua/claude-code-cowork-skills-file-organizer
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.