Good question man. I'll give you three versions of progressions, and then an overall summary.
I. Standard
This is a fav pic of mine. This gives a roadmap of possibilities for 'normal' progressions, with a little bit of personal option allowed.
The * means that the I chord can go to anything.
II. The Circle
Another way is by the circle of 5ths progression - I V ii iv iii viii* IV I, or the other way with I IV vii* iii iv ii V I.
III. Contemporary
The third is a more contemporary form with chords called
Chromatic Mediants.
Chromatic mediants are two chords of the same quality (both Major or both minor for example).
The roots of the chords must be related by a distance of a minor third or a Major third, up or down.
Here's an example:
A Major can go to-
- F# Major - a minor third down.
- F Major - a Major third down.
- C Major - a minor third up.
- C# Major - a Major third up.
Enharmonic spellings are fine (A major can go to Db Major, for example).
If you do a chromatic mediant, but change the quality of the chords, (A major to c minor for example), it's called a 'doubly chromatic mediant'.
IV. Summary
Finally, it doesn't really matter WHAT you do. Music is what you want it to be. Make up your own system, lest you'll sound like everyone else. These progressions I've mentioned are popular for two reasons - they sound good, and they're used very very very often. If you do something new that sounds good TO YOU, then run with it. And then other people will be tuning their ears to your sounds and dig 'em too.