The Origin Story

Why I built the 4To1 Planner™.

Hi, I'm Mark Zhou.

I spent years trying every productivity system under the sun. Bullet Journal, GTD, digital apps, sticky notes. They all had one problem: Short-termism.

They were great at helping me check off tasks for today, but terrible at helping me build a vision for tomorrow.

I realized that the most successful people—Olympic athletes, CEOs, visionaries—don't plan in days. They plan in cycles. Specifically, 4-year cycles.

So I built a system that forces you to align your daily actions with a 4-year vision. It's not just a planner; it's a strategic operating system for your life.

My Philosophy

  • 1. Vision First: If you don't know where you're going, speed doesn't matter.
  • 2. Subtraction > Addition: Success is about what you say NO to.
  • 3. Systems > Willpower: Don't rely on motivation. Rely on a system.