Create this mental snapshot: your workday begins. Are you staring at a blank page, wondering how to make your day count?

That’s where many of us get stuck — knowing we need to move forward but unsure exactly where to start.

What if I told you there’s an easy method for making every day productive and eliminating start-of-day paralysis once and for all?

Today, I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at my secret weapon for daily success and consistent progress. I’ve never shared it before, and I call it my SOLO 7.

🚀 Meet your productivity powerhouse

The SOLO 7 is a game-changing framework for organizing your day. I developed it decades ago to keep my solo business on track and on target.

The framework was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s technique of stopping his writing sessions when he knew what to write next. For writers, it eliminates writer’s block, maintains momentum, and builds anticipation for the next day.

With the SOLO 7, I’ve adapted Hemingway’s technique for the daily tasks of solopreneurs.

Here’s how it works: At the end of each day, you create a list of 7 tasks for tomorrow. These aren’t just any tasks — they’re strategically chosen to keep you focused, productive, and moving your business forward.

List 7 items in 3 sections

The SOLO 7 has three sections. Let’s break it down:

⭐️ The MVP (Most Valuable Priority)
This is your day’s headline act. It’s the one task that must get done — the kind that moves your business forward in a significant way. Maybe it’s finishing a client proposal, launching a new product, or making an important sales call.

🔺 The Power Trio
Next up are your supporting acts — important tasks ideally completed that day. They might not be as crucial as your MVP on this specific day, but they're still significant players in your success story.

💪 The Flex Three
Here’s where it gets interesting. These smaller tasks use in-between moments that might otherwise be lost. They’re perfect for when you’re on hold, waiting for a meeting to start, or need a break from intense focus

By structuring your day with the SOLO 7, you ensure a balance of crucial tasks, important work, and productive gap-fillers. This approach keeps you focused on what matters most while maximizing your workday.

Why the SOLO 7 works

The SOLO 7 isn't just another to-do list. It’s a strategic approach to managing your day that offers several benefits:

✅ Clarity
You start each day knowing what needs to be done.

✅ Focus
By prioritizing tasks, you work on what matters most.

✅ Flexibility
The mix of big and small tasks lets you adapt to your energy levels and interruptions.

✅ Progress
Even on challenging days, you can usually tick off those smaller tasks, giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Is the SOLO 7 the only time management tool I use? No. It’s in tandem with broader weekly, monthly, and quarterly planning, as well as time boxing to manage the day. Over the decades, however, I've realized I get a lot more done when I consistently use the SOLO 7.

A SOLO 7 IRL

Here’s an example of one of my recent SOLO 7’s. You’ll see that it’s nothing fancy.

The main task was creating a Landing Page for an upcoming Solo Business Canvas Workshop. (More details in a future newsletter, but if you’d like to be added to the early notification list, click here.) I set aside a few hours for this, knowing I had other tasks that day.

The middle section included a coaching call, writing this newsletter, and invoicing a client. The coaching call was an hour, the newsletter gets compiled over several days, and the invoice took about 15 minutes.

The last three tasks were lighter: preparing an Amazon return, sending a birthday note to a colleague, and watching a YouTube video on integrating two software programs. Although they were smaller tasks, they contributed to progress.

Putting the SOLO 7 to work

Ready to give it a try? Here’s how to implement the SOLO 7 into your daily routine:

🔵 End-of-day ritual
Take 5-10 minutes at the end of each workday to create your SOLO 7 for tomorrow.

🔵 Prioritize ruthlessly
Be honest about what needs to get done.

🔵 Mix it up
Ensure you balance big, important tasks with smaller, flexible ones.

🔵 Keep tweaking
Look back at your SOLO 7 lists weekly. What worked? What didn’t? Adjust accordingly.

The power of the SOLO 7 lies in its consistency. Aim to complete all 7 tasks daily, but don’t stress if you fall short.

The key is staying committed to the process, adapting as needed, and striving for meaningful progress. This clear, prioritized plan keeps you moving toward your business goals, even on challenging days.

Your challenge this week: Implement the SOLO 7 for the next few workdays. At the end of the week, reflect on its impact on your productivity and focus. I’d love to hear about your experience — hit reply and let me know!

📕 Our final winner of the new Seth Godin book

Congrats to Katie Hall, an award-winning nonfiction developmental editor and co-writer. She joins four other SOLO readers who won copies of Seth Godin's new book on strategy arriving later this month. Katie was one of 61 SOLO newsletter readers who answered the three quick questions to help me understand readers.

A big thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts. Your responses will guide me in creating future issues of SOLO that are on-target for your needs as you grow your one-person companies.

If you missed out and still want to share your thoughts, I welcome your participation. Just go here. There are 3 questions that take about 2 minutes to complete.

🗣️ Readers share streamlining tips

Last week’s newsletter on battling complexity prompted SOLO readers to share business streamlining strategies. Trade show expert Steve Curtsinger describes creating a PDF to reply to low-cost offerings requests, replacing individual emails. “Fast, easy, and on to bigger high-margin projects,” Steve says. If you get bogged down answering individual customer emails, how might you adapt Steve’s streamlined approach for your solo business?

Dave Edyburn nominated a favorite book, Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz. The book challenges our instinct to solve problems by adding, and highlights instances where subtraction is more effective. Dave writes: “The author is a University of Virginia engineering professor, so the work is academically grounded. However, his story-telling skills are amazing.”

Thanks, Steve and Dave! Do you have a solo business question or an idea to share? Just hit reply. I read my email and love hearing from readers.

❤️ My favorite visual delights

Here are this week’s gems from around the Web for all types of visual thinkers and solopreneurs:

🧠 The 6 core skills of the smartest thinkers
Are great strategic thinkers born or made? The answer, according to leadership prof Michael Watkins, is “yes.” 🙂 In this 7-minute video, Watkins explains how the smartest people have mastered these six core skills. See how you stack up.

📚 Tracing the roots of favorite words
What do apostrophe, elbow, and swagger have in common? They’re among the hundreds of words invented by Shakespeare. If you love exploring the origins of words as much as I do, here’s one source and a contrasting list of Shakespeare’s creative lexicogenesis (now isn't that a great word?! Lexico for words + genesis for origin). Thanks to SOLO reader Greg Godek for this gem.

✍️ Free online calligraphy classes
Montblanc, the iconic brand behind luxury pens (and more recently, upscale lifestyle goods), offers free online calligraphy and handwriting classes. You can browse upcoming classes and view nearly 40 past sessions of their Inspire Writing Series. Anyone ready to brush up on their cursive, learn Spencerian script, or enhance their journal entries?