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Areas Overview

The Areas section of Universal Cake represents the living core of the organization’s ongoing practices. Following the P.A.R.A. framework, Areas are used to store and share evolving processes, decisions, and operational records. Unlike Projects, which are time-bound, Areas represent continuous streams of activity that keep the organization functional and transparent.

Filesystem Hierarchy

The following diagram shows the current and planned hierarchy of the /areas/ section, with systems (sys) as a top-level category:

areas/
├── finance/
│   ├── index.md                 → Overview of finance-related Areas
│   └── expenses/                → Transparent expense reports
│       ├── index.md             → Explanation of expense reporting
│       └── ai-assistants.md     → Example expense entry (AI tools)
│
├── strategy/
│   ├── index.md                 → Overview of strategy-related Areas
│   ├── tool-selection/          → Decision-making documentation
│   │   ├── index.md             → How tool decisions are recorded
│   │   └── ai-assistants-2025.md→ Example: AI assistant selection process
│   └── transparency-framework/  → Guides on how transparency is maintained
│       └── ai-assistant-selection-and-expenses.md
│
├── sys/
│   ├── index.md                 → Overview of systems-related Areas
│   ├── ops/                     → Operational practices
│   │   ├── index.md             → Explanation of ongoing ops practices
│   │   └── deployments.md       → Example: deployment automation practices
│   └── security/                → Ongoing security documentation
│       └── usg-audits.md        → Example: Ubuntu Security Guide audit notes
│
└── content/                     → (Planned) Knowledge and content practices
    └── library/                 → (Planned) Living resource library

Why “Systems” Instead of “Ops”?

The choice of sys (Systems) reflects a broader perspective:

  • Systems = the whole framework (infrastructure, security, automation, lifecycle).
  • Ops = the day-to-day execution, which remains as a subfolder under Systems.

This ensures that ops work is still represented, but within the wider context of interconnected systems.

Cross-Linking Example

  • A deployment script in /areas/sys/ops/ could link to its financial impact in /areas/finance/expenses/.
  • A security audit in /areas/sys/security/ could link to a strategic decision in /areas/strategy/tool-selection/.

This layered structure helps readers trace each action from system to strategy to finance.

Reference Section

Forte, T. (2022). Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential. Atria Books. Return to citation

License

This document, Overview of the Areas Section (v0.0.2), by Christopher Steel, with AI assistance from ChatGPT-5 (OpenAI), is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

CC License