RVSM -
All that book learning is awesome. Now you'll have to translate into the **real** world.
I would totally agree with the looking outside part. I still sturggle with my students to do the same thing. They get so engrossed looking inside at all the information flooding the cockpit or looking at the radar or FLIR that I have had them fly right over (and past) the target without realizing it!
As far as particular pitch and power settings - I guess that would work. I know that we use something similar to that. Set a certain RPM after takeoff on climbout, set a certain pitch attitude and that will give you an approximate climb airspeed that we are targeting. Now that works for a particular configuration under certain conditions and they are only starting points. Change the configuration and weight (loaded with extra fuel tanks or bombs), environmental conditions (early morning or heat of the day in the middle of summer), engine performance of a particular plane (did you get the race horse or the dog today) and everything changes.
Flying is a FLUID thing. Nothing works all the time and everything changes. You'll need to have a basis to start from and then be able to adapt to be successful.
USMCFLYR