What are the steps for landscaping a lawn?
A few thoughts...


Talk to some local landscaping companies. You can probably find one that will do a plan for you (for a fee). This will make it easier in that you have something to work from.
For the yard waste, look into renting a chipper that you can feed the brush into and it will spit out mulch. You can use the mulch in flower beds.
If you want to remove tiers, I'm guessing you're going to need to move a lot of dirt. You will probably need to rent equipment for this, unless you are willing to hire some one.


It sounds like you have a really big project in mind. If you are serious about doing it yourself, give yourself plenty of time.