Laying The Foundation - How Do You Achieve Your Steemian Goals?

The universe is built around systems - the solar system, the ecosystem, the digestive system, etc. - we are surrounded by systems. Any Steemian who wants consistent results needs a system.

What is a Steemian system? Do I need one? What do I get in building one? are some of the questions we will answer here.

I will share with you how I built a system that fits me and I invite you to look into it and encourage you to build your own.

Limiting the scope

Two scenarios come to mind when it comes to systems:

1. An existing system and someone trains you to be part of it
2. No system and you build one

The first trains you to become a worker. The second trains you to be an owner.

We need both - the former to experience what it is to be part of a system, and the latter to experience how it is to be an owner of one. This post will focus on the latter.

What is a system?

The first thing that come to mind is the human cell. Since I'm not a scientist or a doctor, I really can't say much about it except that based on this article it has a nucleus, a mitochondria, and a cytoplasm.

These cells when grouped together form a tissue; tissues put together form an organ; a group of organs performing a specific function make up a system. (Whew glad that's over)

To put it simply, a system is a group of units working together to generate a certain output.

What do I get by building a system?

Building one helped me in creating a schedule. Creating a system for me meant trial and error. I stopped only when I found something that fit.

Here's what I did without one:

Write a post, join a contest; post, join a contest, comment, chat on discord; create a draft, create an outline; come up with another topic, write in gmail, read others blogs, write more. read more. work, eat lunch, eat breakfast, eat dinner, sleep. wash the dishes, take a shower, buy milk tea, go the the convenience store, write during commute, read more, write more. chat with friends, attend a gathering. look more. learn to use bots. use bots. sing. record a karaoke. join contest.

You see how systematic and organized it was?

What triggered me to build a system?

One of the lessons I've kept in mind is one I heard from a mentor Siegfried Francisco:

When there are no readily made systems that suits you, build your own.

What does a fit system feel like?

Ever experienced buying a dress too big for you? How about having one tailor-fit? Having a fit system feels just right.

The body is more important than clothes. The clothing should follow the body, not the other way around. - heard from Dr. Daniel Razon

Compare the following scenarios:

1. No system - you just do something when you're in the mood to do it. You depend on your mood.

2. Look for a system - You search for that 'holy grail' and come across scams , get rich schemes, etc. Spending unknown number of hours researching or looking for that all-in-one system.

3. Build your system - You couldn't find a system that fits you. But since you've read through this series, you've identified your strengths and weaknesses and decided to focus on your strengths. You've defined for yourself reasonable goals - your compelling reason. You decided to build your own system. You see the results of others as an inspiration of what's possible - how much they're making, how many followers they have, how much their account is worth, how much reputation they have, or how many posts they have - you don't envy them for their achievements because you know what you want and you're willing to work, and you're willing to learn.

Which of these scenarios are you in right now? Where do you want to be?

What does it need to build a system?

Let's first define what a FIT system is. A FIT system is:

1. F - Fundamentally sound - principles back it up; Flexible for you to put it on
2. I - Intriguing - it should keep your interest in a high level
3. T- Time-boxed - it must be executed within a certain amount of time

So how do you assemble one? These were the steps I followed:

1. Take inventory of your time
2. Allocate time
3. Identify times of the week
4. Adapt

I call it the 'TAIA' method. A homonym for the word 'taya' in Filipino.

'Taya' in Filipino means two things, either a bet, or the 'it' in a tag game

1. Take inventory of your time

We all have 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week. If you're an employee like me, you'll eventually have around 28 hours of free time every week. Here's how my weekly time distribution looks like.

2. Allocate time to Steemit

You see the 28 hours of 'Free time'? That's where my time in Steemit comes from. I split it into three - 1/3 for family, 1/3 for relaxation, and 1/3 for Steemit. Which gives me around 9 hours per week to work on my Steemian goals.

And then this 9 hours, I still have to split again into 3 - 1/3 for writing posts, 1/3 for spending time with the community, and 1/3 for to dilly-dally (ehem.. I mean study). This gives me around 3 hours to compose my posts; 3 hours to interact with the community, spend time in the comments; and 3 hours to study.

Again, this is a rough estimate.

Is this amount of time enough for me to achieve my goals?

Yes. The answer lies in time compression. In Japanese, it's 'jikan mitsudo' (時間密度).

"I don't have time". or "I'm too busy, I don't have time for that".

Drop it and take responsibility of how you spend your time.

3. Identify times of the week you will do Steemit

For illustration purposes, I'm sharing with you my schedule.

• The orange 'Sleep' is something I'm considering of spending on something else. We'll see how my body responds.
• The yellow blank cells, are my 'free time' and where I allocate time to Steemit

4. Adapt

The only thing constant is change. - Heraclitus

My system should be able to stand the test of time. This is what I'll do from here on.

What's Next?

This is the last post of this series. It's now time to put my system to work and keep track of my results. I've shared with you my foundation. I invite you to lay down yours.

About 'Laying the Foundation' series

'Laying the Foundation' is a series of posts where I share with you questions I believe are important for every Steemian to answer. It aims to add value to every Steemian. I also share with you my answers to these questions and challenge you to come up with your own and share your answers to them.

• Why Steemit?
• What Were Your Failures?
• What Were Your Successes?
• Have You Set Your Steemian Goals?
• How do you Achieve Your Steemian Goals?

Come for the rewards. Stay for the community. - Steemit

Image sources: [1][2][3]