I can’t believe I’m finally writing about this system after thinking about it for so many years. Behold. (Or ignore, at your own ignorance. I have enough ignorance for my lifetime.)

What is a system?

Better google it, but I’ll attempt a pollockian description - Things that work together (in harmony) to reliably make some particular thing happen. Kinda repeatable (so, not majorly chaotic) and as idiot-proof as possible. Higher efficiency with it than without it.

Probably glossed over quite a bit, but you get the gist. I’m not a scientist. You either know what a system is, or you’re reading a shoddy writer.

The question you should ask next is

What is a system for?

I didn’t say I have a straight answer. A system is for whatever you want. The GREAT system is a system for life as a conscious agent, assuming you, as one of them, want to make stuff happen. Very meta, don’t roll your eyes too far back. The core assumption is “Volo Ergo Sum” - I want, therefore I am. If that’s not true for you, this system is not really for your entire life, just for accomplishing goals, which should still be a good chunk of your life. Ok realistically, this is more a framework than a system. Please don’t sue me.

Why is it GREAT?

Finally, the acronym reveal - GREAT stands for the five different phases or states in this system. They are less rigid mechanical parts, and more regimented stages of an andaazaa-based recipe. They are (somewhat linearly):

1. Goals

Make them gregarious, frame them for growth, but for anything to happen by volition, we need to know ‘what it is’ and ‘what is is not’. As emotional beings it also helps to capture the ‘why’. It works for future motivation and optional guilt tripping, enhanced by some descriptions of ‘or else’. This phase is meant to maximise our faculties of visualization and imagination. (What are the different types of Goals?)

What you want -

What you don’t want -

What is the most it can be -

What is the least it can be -

2. Research

To be honest, this was also about to be named Resources, and then Roadmap, which are still relevant parts of this phase, but Research probably is the best name because there can still be a lot of unknown at this point. The Research phase is a strategic design phase, where we survey the current state, it’s distance from the desired state, and whatever is needed for change. If we’re being really serious we can use tools like the Theory of Change. Generally speaking, we want to collect any resources we will need, earmark their acquisition if we don’t have them already, and output some high-level chunky roadmap of checkpoints to our goal.

What is the playing field? (Rules/constraints, competitors)

How to win? (Strategy, tactics)

What are the big pieces of what needs to be done?

3. Execution

This phase is more for planning still, but it’s the detailed planning of the execution. At minimum, we need to SMART-ly get to the first checkpoint in the roadmap. If this is not possible, go back to Research or maybe even Goals. Set yourself a preferred resolution and break the tasks towards a checkpoint down to size. Separate or tag automatable or delegateable tasks. Prepare and link any resources you might need. Pre-process as much as possible. The software development community has generally tended towards defining these in the JIRA parlance of Epics, Stories and Subtasks. (An Epic would accomplish a checkpoint or a major part of it, stories would be the key steps along the way, composed of Subtasks which would be the leaf node, the most granular definition of work that goes on the todo list.)

Anything that needs collaboration?

Anything that needs lead up time?

Anything that is blocked by something else?

4. Analysis

Based on the previous phases, you should ideally have a good idea of what are the measurable changes you want to see over time. These may or may not inform the direction you take if your roadmap branches in places. It gives you an idea of how good it’s going, and helps prioritize and make decisions when necessary. Consider this like setting up a feedback loop.

5. Time

The last phase is where sh*t gets real. There is only now - All of existence is a linked list of moments all called ‘now’ at some point.. This is where things get done. Basically replace this phase with your calendar, and put the todo tasks from the Execution phase in it. It should give you a good estimate of when things will get done. If you did the other phases well, you should be getting through your optimized productive life efficiently, even if you’re almost brain dead.

And there we have it, an abstract enough system to help you get what you want.