Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

My System For Getting Things Done [Strategy for 2010]

View Comments | Posted In Life & Mindset by David

What you’re about to read is part of a system which I present my students in a training video at the outset of the Blog Masters Club training program. There is more to it than this, but I thought this section of it might prove useful to everybody as we embark on a new year.

2010 One of the things I make a point to do every year is sit down for serious, solid strategic planning for the coming year.

I take some time off. I reflect on what I have accomplished in the prior year. I then set forward my plans for the coming year.

The biggest thing that sets apart a successful entrepreneur from an unsuccessful one is that the successful entrepreneur knows how to make a plan, put it into action, and GET IT DONE. In other words, putting a list of hopes down on a piece of paper doesn’t turn any of those hopes into a reality. The job of an executive is to make planning turn into reality.

That is all he does.

It does start, however, with setting forth plans. With the plans in place, you set forth the action it will take to turn those plans into reality.

Let me let you into a system I find works for me…


My System For Getting Things Done

Like a lot of people, I use to-do lists. However, they are lists with a madness behind them.

See, most people make to-do lists which are merely lists of things they HOPE to achieve. The list is very short-term, usually made in the morning for things you want to get done that day. Everything else remains in your head, right?

Not good. Not good at all.

My system has at it’s foundation this very simple concept: Keep as little information in your head as you possibly can.

You want systems in place so that your mind isn’t cluttered with “gotta-do”’s. It is distracting and you’re at risk of forgetting things or feeling overwhelmed. In fact, usually the feeling of being overwhelmed with “so much to do” is because of your lack of a system, not reality.

My system of to-do lists is a simple hierarchy:

  1. Goals. Broad, long-range things you want to achieve.
  2. Plans. More specific, but still broad plans which will add up to the goals being achieved.
  3. Tasks. Steps of your plan.
  4. Sub-Tasks. Smaller, finite tasks which will add up to a larger task being completed.

The goal is to have each task doable in a finite amount of time, usually no more than a few hours. You want every single task to be able to be accomplished and checked off your list in a short amount of time. If you cannot sit down and accomplish a task in one sitting, then break it up into more sub-tasks.

Let’s illustrate:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Putting The System Into Action

Start out by listing your main goals. These goals will be long-range plans, perhaps for the next year.

Then, take each goal and create a plan or a set of plans which, when completed, will add up to that goal being accomplished.

Then, take the plans and break them up into action steps (tasks). Then evaluate each task and break it up into sub-tasks (if necessary) such that every task is able to be finished in a short, finite amount of time.

Each morning (or the night before), your daily to-do list will be comprised of tasks or sub-tasks from this overall plan. Each week, you set forth a weekly plan which, too, is comprised of these tasks and sub-tasks. Each month, you should go through another strategy session where you review the tasks you have accomplished, revise the plans as necessary, then move onto the next month.

Picture 3

As you can see, the entire system leads to a structured approach to your day. Your daily to-do lists are no longer coming from the dreamland which is your head. Instead, it is all coordinated. Each and every day, the tasks on your list will all get you further toward your goals being accomplished. You know this because your list comes directly from this strategic planning system.

Wrapping Up

My Blog Masters students have access to more information on this, including the measurement of success in this system and the importance of policies to keep it all moving. If you would like access to the entire thing (plus all 16 modules of the this intense training program for probloggers), then I invite you to stay tuned….

The Blog Masters Club will be reopening soon. I have not allowed anybody into the Club since the first launch back in June. I have two modules left to create for my existing students, then it is time to relaunch.

If you want to be notified when things begin to heat up, I encourage you to sign up for my notification email list for the Club.

For now, however, I encourage you to begin to apply this strategy to your blogging in 2010.

What goals do you have for your blog? Your income? Your traffic?

Great! Next, lay out some plans for doing it, then break those plans into tasks.

Don’t worry if you have questions. Everything is editable. :)

Lastly, start using to-do lists which are authored using this system rather than short-term lists of things you hope you can get done by the end of the day.

By applying a structured system of GOAL ACCOMPLISHMENT, you can have a truly kick-ass 2010.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

  1. Do You Pause And Reflect On Your Business?
  2. Don’t Fail (Again) At Your New Years Resolutions
  3. Do You Have Any Blogging New Years Resolutions?
  4. Getting the Work Done – Time Management
  5. Blog Income Report, 2010 YTD
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  • Great stuff here David... thank you! I love the images, visually explains very well.
  • David. This is well explanatory. Thanks for breaking it down. I believe if we approach things bit by bit. We will get more things done.
  • Well that one is sounding very time consuming and any middle layer removed you will have to plan again for such goal.

    I just want to keep things as simple as I can without driving any kind of confusion. I divide my plan in three phase. Long one, middle one and small one and according to that I set the goal in monthly basis and than set the plan for everyday.

    At the end of every month I judge my position.
  • I beleive that everyone has their own way of planning their tasks - whatever they are comfotable with.

    The main thing is that there should be some kind of planning.
  • On to a kickass 2010.
  • This system is great. I've been using similar planning methods in the past and it works wonders. Just be careful you don't have too many goals set for a short term or your head might explode. Not literally, but you know what I mean. :)
  • Whoa - these must be very extensive to-do lists! Do you write them down on paper or keep it digitally?

    I find that I'm much more likely to achieve my big picture goals if I hand-write it. It makes it instantly more personal to see it in my own handwriting.
  • this is just a superb content to start off 2010.. Hopefully I can integrate this to what methods I already use and maximize it.. Good stuff!
  • Gr8 advice., definetly if any blogger wants to make success in blogging or any other area of life planning is necessary for that and most important thing is to implement these planning as per requirement.
  • MAC has stickies and I keep a long range to-do list in my notebook and an immediate must be done now list on stickie notes. I just click on the stickies and I know what I need to do right now, and that is finish my ebook on sensory descriptions for bloggers.
  • This is some great information, a lot of people will procrastinate. You can't make any money like this.
  • Just out of curiosity, what are is your favorite app to use for a to do list. I know Mike mentioned TuexDuez. I have been using Googles tasks basically. I also use evernote but have not found it good for tasks.

    I usually write down the daily tasks on a pad or in Google. But for long term goals or tasks I actually do not even write them down (I know bad, bad lol).

    I heard that Don't Forget The Milk was a good to do list as well. Anything that integrates with Google and iPhone of course would rock.
  • That's very similar to my system except in my business I have constant "walk-ins" which disrupt the overall flow (not that I am complaining!).

    As long as I FORCE MYSELF to refer back to my master and daily plans, it really doesn't matter how many unplanned "interruptions" I have. But make now mistake.....a daily system is KEY!

    I would also like to take this opportunity (if it's okay with David Risly!!!) to thank one of my former co-workers and freinds (when I lived and worked in Guam) and current SUPERSTAR blogger on the subject of getting things done....Leo Babauta over at Zen Habits.
  • The only thing I would add to this is to also have fun with it. I have done a lot of my goal setting, mapping out my road but as we all know life sometimes gets in the way and sometimes that throws us off track. So we need to remember to have a little fun. My post today is Why Do We Drop the Ball? We start off the year celebrating dropping the ball. Food for thought anyway? Happy New Year!
  • I started getting to know the importance of planning and excuting the goals when I had too many plans and nothing was really happening. My mind was as cluttered as were my plans.

    Once I sent out the goals and the plans, everything started falling into place.

    Thanks for the post and making my eyes open a bit wider.
  • I gotta say, your system of getting things done has really stream lined my method and the results have been great. Plus, a great thing is that if I put it on the todo list, it has to get done. I keep hearing your voice when I look at my todo list and see things that aren't done.

    I've also started using TeuxDeux - to put my todo list online, instead of writing it down on paper. Mix that in with my Google Calendar and I'm rocking.
  • Great high-level advice David. Admittedly, I'm one of those hopeful list people and never really put to much thought to it. It's ironic really, I own a successful web design and multimedia firm in which I have a business plan and plan my day, week, month and year completely. You'd think this would transcend to my blogging career where I offer the same training and advice on internet marketing and web design... I guess I need to heed your advice on treating my blog more like a business rather than a passive hobby if I intend to transform it into a lucrative business.

    Thanks again for your insight and for sharing. Goal setting is a necessity for success in any aspect of life.

    To Your Success!

    Sean Smith
  • I can't imagine adding anything to that post. It's exactly how I execute my plans as well. Take the big picture(goal) and work it down to a daily task on a to-do list. It's the only way.
  • Yes this kind of micro-planning had helped me alot. At the end of the day when I tick off the things that are completed, I feel a sense of accomplishment!

    It reduces alot of stress too.
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