Mind Mapping Made Easy - To Parent Directory

Mind Mapping Made Easy: Save Time, Make Money And Become More Creative Using Mind Maps

By Paul Urban

Copyright (c) 2006 Paul Urban, Essential MindMapping. All Rights Reserved. This document may not be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Publisher: Copyright C 2006 Paul Urban, for Essential MindMapping. Contact: http://www.essentialmindmapping.com/

Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 2

Mind Mapping Made Easy: Save Time, Make Money And Become More Creative Using Mind Maps

Table of Contents MIND MAPPING MADE EASY: SAVE TIME, MAKE MONEY AND BECOME MORE CREATIVE USING MIND MAPS ................................................................................................... 1 BY PAUL URBAN ............................................................................................................................. 1 MIND MAPPING MADE EASY: SAVE TIME, MAKE MONEY AND BECOME MORE CREATIVE USING MIND MAPS ................................................................................................... 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION: MIND MAPS HELP YOU TO USE MORE OF YOUR BRAIN .................... 5 MIND MAPS MIMIC THE WAY YOU THINK: YOU'RE MORE INTELLIGENT USING MIND MAPS ................. 7 HOW TO USE THIS EBOOK ................................................................................................................. 8 Discover Mind Maps with your own MindMapper free trial ........................................................ 8 1. MIND MAPS: TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR TIME AND YOUR WORK ............................... 9 Mind Mapping by hand............................................................................................................... 9 Mind Mapping on a computer ................................................................................................... 10 GETTING STARTED: DRAW YOUR FIRST MIND MAP FAST ................................................................. 10 MIND MAPS ON YOUR COMPUTER: FAST AND EASY ......................................................................... 11 EXERCISE 1: CREATE A MIND MAP WITH MINDMAPPER FAST ....................................................... 12 A MindMapper map step-by-step .............................................................................................. 12 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 14 2. LEARNING WITH MIND MAPS AND MINDMAPPER: SAVE STUDY TIME AND MEMORIZE FASTER .................................................................................................................... 15 MIND MAPPING MAKES LEARNING FUN – AND YOU'RE MORE CREATIVE........................................... 15 Technique: Chaining your Mind Maps with hyperlinks ............................................................. 16 USE PRESENTATION MODE FOR FAST TEACHING AND LEARNING MINDMAPPER ............................... 17 TEACHING MIND MAPPING TO CHILDREN ....................................................................................... 18 Give your kids' education a boost with MindMapper's Junior version ....................................... 19 EXERCISE 2: CREATE A PRESENTATION WITH MINDMAPPER ............................................................ 19

http://essentialmindmapping.com/

Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 3 From a MindMapper map to a presentation step-by-step .......................................................... 19 Microsoft Office gets a boost from MindMapper ....................................................................... 21 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 24 3. THINKING AND BRAINSTORMING WITH MIND MAPS: GET MORE AND BETTER IDEAS............................................................................................................................................... 25 GOT A QUESTION OR A CHALLENGE? CREATE A MIND MAP............................................................. 25 General questions ..................................................................................................................... 25 Specific questions ..................................................................................................................... 25 NEED FAST ANSWERS? BRAINSTORM WITH MINDMAPPER .............................................................. 26 USING "SCRATCH" MAPS ................................................................................................................ 26 CREATE A MIND MAP AT THE START OF EACH PROJECT ................................................................... 27 EXERCISE 3.................................................................................................................................... 27 A MindMapper brainstorm map step-by-step ............................................................................ 28 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 29 4. MAP MAPPING YOUR DAY: GET MORE DONE IN LESS TIME....................................... 30 END PROCRASTINATION WITH MIND MAPPING AND MINDMAPPER .................................................. 30 PLANNING YOUR LIFE WITH MIND MAPS......................................................................................... 30 PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITH MIND MAPS ..................................................................................... 32 RUNNING MEETINGS WITH MIND MAPS .......................................................................................... 33 EXERCISE 4.................................................................................................................................... 33 Use MindMapper's clip art and your own images to create impact and stimulate ideas............. 33 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 35 5. MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUES WITH MINDMAPPER: ENHANCE YOUR PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY ............................................................................................................................ 36 THE BENEFITS OF USING MINDMAPPER ........................................................................................... 36 MindMapper gives you the help you need at every stage ........................................................... 36 You can go from Mind Map to complete project easily .............................................................. 36 You can organize your life with MindMapper............................................................................ 37 MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUES WITH MINDMAPPER .......................................................................... 37 Add graphics to your MindMapper maps .................................................................................. 37 Print your maps ........................................................................................................................ 38 Develop a complete Web site with MindMapper's help.............................................................. 38 Try it: create a map and turn it into linked pages...................................................................... 39 EXERCISE 5.................................................................................................................................... 40 Use MindMapper's hyperlinks to corral all documents for a project to get an instant overview of any project................................................................................................................................ 40 6. TEN TOP MIND MAPPING TIPS AND TECHNIQUES: BUILD YOUR MIND MAPPING SKILLS ............................................................................................................................................ 42


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 4 MIND MAPPING FOR EVERYONE – THE BEST MIND MAPPING TIPS.................................................... 42 1. Use Mind Maps for everything .............................................................................................. 42 2. Use colour and images in your Mind Maps ........................................................................... 43 3. Get your ideas onto the map.................................................................................................. 43 4. Use Mind Mapping to enhance understanding ...................................................................... 43 5. A project not working? Mind Map it...................................................................................... 44 6. Mind Map challenges and Help desk questions ..................................................................... 44 7. Create Mind Maps before writing documents ........................................................................ 45 8. Mind Map procedures manuals ............................................................................................. 45 9. Mind Map your company mission statement (the real one) .................................................... 45 10. Mind Map your goals.......................................................................................................... 45 11. (Bonus) Mind Map your day................................................................................................ 45 EXERCISE 6.................................................................................................................................... 46 Use MindMapper to develop a goals Mind Map: get a quick overview of your goals in all areas of your life ................................................................................................................................ 46 GET STARTED MIND MAPPING TODAY ................................................................................. 48



Introduction: Mind Maps help you to use more of your brain

We're all snowed under with information every day. How do we make sense of that never-ending avalanche of material? Mind Maps have become popular because they help us to organize the data that overwhelms us each day and turn that data into actionable knowledge. Keen Mind Mappers are everywhere: you'll find students Mind Mapping their notes, business people Mind Mapping projects and meetings, and Web developers Mind Mapping development projects and Web sites. If you're aware of Mind Maps but don't yet use them, chances are that it's because you think they're complex to learn – and you're too busy to bother investing the time. Whatever system you're using now to get your work done works (although it could be more effective) – what will Mind Mapping do for you that would repay the time you invest in learning? Mind Mapping can assist your in every area of your life and work. It can:

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Make you more efficient – you'll get your work done more quickly;

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Help you to think and solve challenges – every day and everywhere;

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Help you to find solutions – (because the answer is always in the problem);



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Help you to remember and make you more creative.

Big promises? Yes, and Mind Mapping will more than fulfil them. Once you've learned a few simple techniques, you'll use Mind Maps like a pro. Essentially, a Mind Map is a diagram which helps you to think. It displays your ideas in a visual form, usually around a central word, phrase or image. Although used for centuries, Mind Maps were popularised by authors like Tony Buzan around 30 years ago, and are now widely used in business and in education. The major benefit of using a Mind Map rather than a list or an outline is that using both graphics and images involves both sides of your brain; when you use a Mind Map, not only do you find it easier to remember information, but it's also easier to make connections between disparate ideas and develop fresh concepts. In this book we'll focus on using computer-generated Mind Maps. When you Mind Map on a computer, you can change your Mind Map at will, can print out dozens of copies, and can also use them for purposes like creating presentations, developing Web sites, and demonstrating your ideas. Of course you can Mind Map anywhere and with little more than paper and pens, as in the Mind Mapping example below.



Above: A Hand-drawn Mind Map in a student's notebook.

Mind Maps mimic the way you think: you're more intelligent using Mind Maps Your brain is constructed like a conglomeration of millions upon millions of infinitesimal Mind Maps. At the centre of each one these Mind Maps is an individual brain cell, and each tiny brain cell has tens of thousands of connections called http://essentialmindmapping.com/

Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 8 dendrites, which are like the branches of a tree, and one main dendrite, called an axon, which is believed to be the main transmitter of information for that cell. As electrical impulses travel through your brain, along the connections of millions of Mind Maps, they move and create chemicals which help you to think. Your thought processes are also similar to Mind Maps, because thinking is associative. If you think "dog" not only does your brain form images of dogs, but it also triggers emotions and sensations, and this leads to other thoughts: you think: dog ! dog food ! my dog ! oh no! I forgot to put Fido's dog food out for him this morning ! phone ! call next door neighbour and ask her to feed Fido, and so on. Each thought leads to another thought. Mind Maps help you to think because they show connections.

How to use this ebook Mind Mapping Made Easy is organized into chapters which focus on using Mind Mapping – no theory, just ideas that you can use right away. Each chapter includes an exercise, using MindMapper software, which is available from Essential Mind Mapping at http://essentialmindmapping.com/

Discover Mind Maps with your own MindMapper free trial Visit Essential Mind Mapping today and download a completely FREE 30-Day, fully functional version of our MindMapper Productivity Software. You'll be amazed and thrilled at the effects, as you watch your life get a whole lot easier. Go to http://www.essentialmindmapping.com/FreeResources.php to download your free trial right now. The program is easy to install and to use. You'll be creating your first Mind Map within a few minutes – and you can follow along with all the exercises in this book.



1. Mind Maps: take control of your time and your work

You can use Mind Mapping right throughout your day. In this chapter we'll look at Mind Mapping styles: using hand drawn Mind Maps versus computer Mind Mapping software – pros and cons.

Mind Maps don't need to be complex. You can use them anywhere. When you get into the habit you'll find yourself jotting effective Mind Maps on anything from sticky notes to the back of invoices. However, although you can Mind Map successfully using pens and paper, Mind Mapping is much easier on a computer. Let's look at the pros and cons.

Mind Mapping by hand Pros: •

It's fast

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You can Mind Map anywhere you have a pen and paper

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If you're artistic, your Mind Maps can be works of art

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Some people think better using a pen and paper than using a computer

Cons: •

It becomes messy as you arrange and rearrange items

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It takes more time than Mind Mapping on a computer http://essentialmindmapping.com/

Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 10 •

You need a photocopier or a scanner to make copies

Mind Mapping on a computer Pros: •

It's fast, because you can save maps like meeting agendas to use again and again

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You can rearrange items on a map by deleting, and dragging and dropping

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You can link maps together

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You can print out unlimited copies

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You can share maps on the Web, over your network, or by sending them via email

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You can use Mind Maps to develop projects like Web sites and presentations, cutting down on the amount of work you have to do

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You can use Mind Maps as the focus for all your projects, linking Mind Maps together

Cons: ! You need to have a computer, PDA or other electronic tool available to you

Getting started: draw your first Mind Map fast It's time to draw your first Mind Map. Grab a piece of paper – or a sticky note. Write the topic of your Mind Map in the centre of the page, and circle it. Now radiate some lines outward from the centre. You can write on a line immediately after you've drawn it, or draw a collection of lines and then write on them. Here's a Mind Map of shopping reminders on a sticky note. "Shop" is the centre. "Today" was drawn as a heading on the map.



Above: Ultra-fast reminder Mind Map on a sticky note. The benefit of short, quick Mind Maps is in their memory-enhancement. Let's say you drew the above Mind Map on a sticky note and stuck it on your computer monitor. Even if you forget to take the sticky with you at the end of the day, you'll remember the shape of the Mind Map, and you'll remember the errands that you have to run easily.

Mind Maps on your computer: fast and easy Hand-drawn maps have limited applicability in a profession setting – for work you need MindMapper, because Mind Mapping with computer software is faster and the Mind Maps are easier to duplicate and also to change. You can also create template Mind Maps on your computer, that is, Mind Maps that you can use over and over again – design your favourite kind of Mind Map once, and not only can reuse it as a template, you can also share it with colleagues and others in your work group. For example, if you create a Mind Map to schedule your week, you can save a copy of the Mind Map, make it Read Only on your computer, and can then create many Mind Maps based on the original. Template Mind Maps: create a template once, use it forever


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 12 When you've created a Mind Map that's useful, like a meeting agenda Mind Map, or a To Do list Mind Map, and you know that you'll be creating many Mind Maps like this, turn your Mind Map into a template. Save it with a descriptive name like "TMP_mm" in a directory, or create a directory just for Mind Maps. Then locate the document in Windows Explorer, and right click on it. The context menu will open. Choose Properties. In the General tab of the Properties window, place a checkmark in the Read-Only box next to Attributes, and click OK. To create a new document based on the template, just open the template. When you save it, it will ask you for a new file name. You can also use the Mind Maps you create within projects, or re-purpose them entirely, by changing your Mind Map into a Web site, for example, or turning it into an outline.

Exercise 1: create a Mind Map with MindMapper FAST The MindMapper software makes it easy to create Mind Maps. Here's how to create your first Mind Map in MindMapper.

A MindMapper map step-by-step 1. Click the New Map icon on the toolbar, or choose New from the File menu.

2. A new map opens, with "Title" as the central topic. Double-click the box to access Edit mode, select the text, and type a new topic for your map. You'll see that when you double-click, your mouse pointer will turn into a text pointer, ready for you to type text.



3. Type your topic: "To Do Today". Press Enter. Type: "Work", press Enter. Select the new topic "Work". Type: "MacDavis Report" and press Enter. Notice that your topic "Work" remains selected? This means that you can add additional topics to "Work". Type "Calls" and press Enter.

4. You can annotate your map too. Choose Floating Topic on the Insert Menu, click on the map, and type: "3pm Flight".

When you've finished adding topics to your map, save it.



Resources •

Essential Mind Mapping, home of MindMapper software: http://essentialmindmapping.com/



2. Learning with Mind Maps and MindMapper: save study time and memorize faster

Mind Maps help you to retain information. This makes Mind Maps essential tools not only for students, but also for anyone who needs to study and memorize information quickly. In this chapter we'll look at ways in which you can use Mind Mapping to make learning fun.

Mind Mapping makes learning fun – and you're more creative Even if you're not currently involved in formal study, you will be – in the 21st century education is on-going, and it can be stressful. Want take the stress and effort out of study and make learning fun? Use Mind Maps – in conferences, lectures and meetings, don't take notes. Create a Mind Map. Don's recently learned Mind Mapping and he's surprised at how the process helped him. Don's a marketer, but according to his company, he's also a SME – a Subject Matter Expert, and as such he was handed the job of developing the Marketing section of the company Web site. He therefore attended a one day training in how to use Macromedia Dreamweaver, a popular graphic Web development tool, that he would have to learn and master. Although Don hates technology (he considered quitting when he heard about his new responsibility) he sailed through the training day. He says: "I Mind Mapped everything – I drew ten maps on a lecture pad. That night I copied the maps into MindMapper and printed them out for my colleagues. I can't believe it, but the


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 16 training day was fun. I'm using Mind Maps to develop my ideas for my area on the Web site: when I'm done, I'll just export the maps to HTML. Easy!" Jillian's taking an advanced education degree and teaching during the day. With her heavy teaching load, she was slipping behind in her reading and study. She discovered Mind Maps just in time. "When you're studying at night, what you read can slide off you like water off a pane of glass because you're tired. I started Mind Mapping the required reading – creating Mind Maps kept me awake, because I got interested in what I was reading. The Mind Maps made writing essays easier, because I Mind Mapped my ideas first."

Technique: Chaining your Mind Maps with hyperlinks When you're studying, you'll want to create many individual maps on your computer, but it's difficult to remember what each map contained when you're looking at a folder of file names. You can chain your Mind Maps together with hyperlinks.

Above: Linking Mind Maps with hyperlinks in MindMapper – you can link to any file on your computer, not just Mind Maps. http://essentialmindmapping.com/


In MindMapper, choose Hyperlinks from the Insert menu. You can add a link to a local file – which can be another Mind Map or any other file, a URL, or an email message.

Above: Linking a topic to a local file on your PC. You can add links to any file on your computer, your network, or on the Internet.

Use Presentation Mode for fast teaching and learning MindMapper Just as Mind Maps make studying easier, they also make it easier to teach others. The MindMapper software has a simple "scenario" presentation mode which converts your Mind Map into a slideshow, which is useful for both teaching an learning. To create a lesson for your students, just create the Mind Map of the class plan, then choose View Scenario and Default Scenario from the Presentation menu.


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 18 MindMapper creates individual slides of your topics and sub-topics instantly. You can run the presentation by choosing Run Presentation from the Presentation menu.

Above: Super-fast presentations using MindMapper – the scenario window is on the left. You can use the Scenario mode to study a subject too – create a Mind Map of the information you need to learn, create the presentation, and then use Run Presentation to test yourself on the information – the rest of the Mind Map is hidden, on the topics are shown. You can customize MindMapper to make it easier to create your own tests.

Teaching Mind Mapping to children Children love Mind Maps. Show your children how to create a Mind Map with lots of images in large sketch books: display the Mind Maps proudly. For very young children, provide stamps, paints, gold foil and other material so they can decorate their Mind Maps.


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 19 Children under ten love finding clip art on the computer with which to decorate their Mind Maps. Children older than ten can use Mind Mapping software like MindMapper to create projects for classes.

Give your kids' education a boost with MindMapper's Junior version

MindMapper's great for students – check out the Junior and Academic versions from Essential MindMapping at http://www.essentialmindmapping.com/index.php

Exercise 2: create a presentation with MindMapper It's easy and efficient to use MindMapper to create a presentation. You can run your presentation right within MindMapper, or you can export it to Microsoft PowerPoint by choosing Send To Microsoft PowerPoint from the File menu.

From a MindMapper map to a presentation step-by-step 1. Create your presentation as a Mind Map in MindMapper.

2. To run your presentation from within MindMapper, choose Run Presentation from the Presentation window.



Your presentation will run within MindMapper. Each topic is a slide. Click from slide to slide by using the arrow keys on your computer. Press Escape to end the presentation. 3. You can export your map to Microsoft PowerPoint. Choose Send to Microsoft PowerPoint from the File menu. (PowerPoint must be installed on your computer.)

A wizard will open – choose the destination file, and other preferences by following the export process step by step.


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 21 4. Your Mind Map will be exported and will open in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Microsoft Office gets a boost from MindMapper MindMapper works well with all the Office applications, and integrating MindMapper into your workflow is as easy as clicking an icon. On the MindMapper toolbar, you'll see icons for those Office applications which are installed on your computer:

Exporting your work to any application is handled by a wizard. Just choose the Mind Map you want to export, and click the icon:



Above: The first screen in the process of exporting a Mind Map to Microsoft Excel.



Above: The second screen lets you choose how you want the Excel Worksheet to be formatted.

Above: The completed Mind Map in Microsoft Excel.



Resources ! MindMapper adds horsepower to your thinking: http://essentialmindmapping.com/MindMapper.php



3. Thinking and brainstorming with Mind Maps: get more and better ideas

When you need a solution to a challenge – create a Mind Map. You can use Mind Mapping in many ways to not only help you to think, but also to become more creative. In this chapter we'll look at ways in which you can use Mind Mapping to think, to solve challenges, and to brainstorm.

Got a question or a challenge? Create a Mind Map Many challenges are easier to solve than you think. Just create a Mind Map with a question. Your questions can be general, or they can be specific.

General questions Let's look at general questions for business. (You can of course use Mind Mapping for anything, not just for business.) •

What should I do to market my business this month?

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How can I learn more about my target audience?

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What's the next best step in this project?

Specific questions Again, these are business questions – but remember you can Mind Map any questions. •

What added terms should I add to the Company X contract?

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How can I cut the inputs on Project N?

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What should I ask the applicants for the position of CFO?


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 26 After you've created a "question" Mind Map, print it out, and let the question gestate. (See the Resources for a link on the gestation of ideas, which is also known as the Incubation period of the creative process.) Gestation is important, because it allows your whole mind, and your subconscious mind, to work on the question. Leave the print-out on your desk, or pin it to a corkboard where it's in your field of vision.

Need fast answers? Brainstorm with MindMapper Sometimes you don't have the time to allow a question to gestate. You need answers NOW. The MindMapper software is a great tool for brainstorming, because you can add topics just by typing: simply select the centre of the Mind Map, or the topic you want as the parent of the new topic, and type. This makes it easy to get all the thoughts in your head out onto the map. When you're brainstorming with a group, one person can act as the recorder, entering all the ideas into MindMapper. Here are some tips for brainstorming: •

Enter everything that comes into your head. If you're brainstorming in a group, enter all the suggestions. Often you get the answer to a problem or develop a great new idea by combining topics;

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Place a time limit on your brainstorming sessions. Ten minutes is ample. Then have a break. Have a cup of coffee. When you return, you can continue working on the same map, or use a topic from that map to develop another map;

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Make a note of the concepts generated after one or two brainstorming sessions. After you've been brainstorming for a period, you'll find that your ideas cluster into areas: write down the areas. In this way, you're going from the specific to the general.

Using "scratch" maps Many new Mind Map users are intimidated by the colourful Mind Maps they see in books or online, but most of your Mind Maps won't require this amount of effort. Your Mind Maps don't need to be works of art. In fact, 99 per cent of your maps will be scratch maps, maps you've created to do something quickly, or to develop your http://essentialmindmapping.com/

Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 27 ideas. MindMapper lets you "think" on a Mind Map as fast as you can type, so feel free to create Mind Maps that you delete, or that you never bother to save at all – these Mind Maps are simply tools.

Above: A scratch map gives you a fast start in organizing a document. When you've finished outlining the report, you can print copies of the Mind Map to give to team members.

Create a Mind Map at the start of each project Make it a practice to create a Mind Map at the start of every project. This gives you a head start on the project: you will see the resources you need, the time frame you have to work in, and you can send the Mind Map to other people in your work group for their input.

Exercise 3 Create a brainstorming Mind Map. The topic? How YOU can use Mind Maps in your work and in other areas of your life. Yes, you can use Mind Maps for all projects. Buying a house? Create a Mind Map. Planning an event? Create a Mind Map.



A MindMapper brainstorm map step-by-step 1. Create a new Mind Map by choosing New from the File menu in MindMapper. By using this option to begin your Mind Map, you can choose a design for your new map that best suits your project. Of course, you can change the design later.

2. Choose your style, and click OK. Select "Title", and type: " What should I do to market my business this month?" Press Enter. Now simply start brainstorming ideas, pressing Enter each time. As long as the focus stays on the centre topic, you can simply keep typing ideas, pressing Enter after each one.



3. When you've finished adding ideas, you can add notes. Select the item to which you want to add a note, and choose Note from the Insert menu.

Resources •

Mind Mapping gives you access to more of your intelligence: http://essentialmindmapping.com/WhatIsMindMapping.php



4. Map mapping your day: get more done in less time

Mind Maps make terrific planning tools, especially for managing your time. If time management is a challenge for you, use Mind Maps for a few days. Mind Mapping helps you to feel more in control of your time, which leads to reduced stress. With the weight of stress lifted from you, you'll be amazed at how much more you achieve.

End procrastination with Mind Mapping and MindMapper Do you procrastinate? We all do. One way to help eliminate this productivity-sapping nuisance from your life is to Mind Map. When you create a Mind Map for a project, you can not only number the tasks so that you always know what comes next, but you can also remove complete tasks, and add new tasks as they become necessary. If you're a follower of David Allen's Getting Things Done book and time management system, you can use a Mind Map as your catchall "Inbox". MindMapper has great Inbox functionality. For example, you can drag a URL, an email address or a file from Windows Explorer into a Mind Map you can create an instant link.

Planning your life with Mind Maps Mind Maps can keep you on schedule – during each day, and during your life. Let's see how this works. The Mind Map below is a Mind Map of a trip. (This is a sample Mind Map included with the MindMapper software.)



Above: Using a MindMapper Mind Map to create a visual outline of an upcoming trip. The Mind Map gives a fast overview of the trip, with airline bookings, and includes a smaller map of important factors. As you can see, using Mind Maps as personal information managers is more effective than using notebooks or calendars, because you can see a vast amount of information at a glance. Your brain makes easier connections between items, and it's easier to remember the important points. You can use this same format, of a rightward process tree, for creating a weekly calendar Mind Map. (In MindMapper, select the centre of your Mind Map and choose Mapping Direction, Rightward Process Tree from the Format menu to format any Mind Map in tree form.) Type in each day as a topic, and then enter your tasks and appointments under each day. You can create links to URLs and to files on your computer. For a daily task list, try a list format, radiating to the right. (In MindMapper, select the map's centre and choose Mapping Direction, To Right from the Format menu.) This style of map lets you cover everything that's important for your day – all your tasks and scheduled items. You can include notes for each item by clicking the Note Window icon and typing in notes.



Project management with Mind Maps If you're working on a large project, you know how difficult it is to keep the project on track. You've got a million details that you need to remember and organize. You also need to follow up with other people. Without a clear sense of direction, many projects just die: this is much less likely to occur when you use Mind Maps. Mind Maps can help at every phase of a project. In this Mind Map below (one of the sample Mind Maps from MindMapper) you can see how a single Mind Map can give you a clear overview of a project.

Above: A sample project management Mind Map in MindMapper. Each of the topics in the Project Management map could generate a new map, and as each phase of the project is complete, you could delete it from the map. Mind Maps are used as project management tools by government departments, large corporations, and businesses at every level for project management, because they cut down on the explanation time needed. Just by looking at a Mind Map, you can see exactly how much work has been done, and how much remains to be done.



Running meetings with Mind Maps Although business meetings are necessary, they can also be huge time sinks. This is especially true when a meeting is run without an agenda. You can cut down on the numbers of meetings in your department by using Mind Maps. For example, if you usually have a Monday morning meeting to set the goals and targets for the upcoming week, why not just create a Mind Map and distribute it to the group? You can display the targets met for the previous week, plus the targets for the coming week. If a meeting is still necessary, create a Mind Map as a meeting agenda and distribute it to the attendees. Your meeting Mind Map can provide links to documents and files on the server and company intranet, which means there's no need to create printouts. MindMapper includes a Mind Map called How To Run A Successful Meeting, which covers the basics of efficient meetings: setting a purpose, keeping the meeting on track with the agenda, and gathering all materials. You can use this meeting-guide to create an agenda for the meeting, with all the attendees' names, and assign tasks right within the meeting.

Exercise 4 Get attention by adding images and colour to your Mind Maps.

Use MindMapper's clip art and your own images to create impact and stimulate ideas 1. Create a new Mind Map in MindMapper. You can add clip art easily. From the Insert menu, choose Picture/ Clip Art. The Clip Art Organizer will open.



2. Choose a collection, and click an image. Choose Copy from the Edit menu. 3. Paste the image into MindMapper at any spot on the map by pressing Ctrl+V, or choose Paste from the Edit menu.



Resources ! View a one-minute guide on creating a Mind Map: http://www.mindmapper.com/product/screenshots.asp?screenshots=basic1.swf



5. Mind Mapping techniques with MindMapper: enhance your personal productivity

In this chapter we'll look at how you can benefit from Mind Mapping with a computer program, specifically MindMapper.

The benefits of using MindMapper When you use MindMapper to create your Mind Maps the primary benefit is simplicity. Not only can you create template Mind Maps that you can use over and over again, you can change your Mind Maps at will. Your MindMapper Mind Maps can be huge – they can be wall-size, if you wish. Or you can create simple Mind Maps with little more than a single topic and sub-topic.

MindMapper gives you the help you need at every stage MindMapper has an excellent Help system, including a glossary and a complete set of keyboard shortcuts so that you never need to remove your fingers from the keyboard. In addition, if you're new to Mind Mapping, MindMapper provides you with a supply of sample maps that you can use to jump start your own Mind Maps.

You can go from Mind Map to complete project easily The biggest benefit of using MindMapper is that the program automatically formats your maps for you, and sends them to other programs. You can export Mind Maps to Microsoft Word as outlines, to Microsoft PowerPoint as slides, to Microsoft Prpject as plans, and to Microsoft Outlook as a list of tasks. http://essentialmindmapping.com/


You can also reverse the processes – you can import documents from Microsoft Office to use Mind Maps. If someone send you a Word document, you can add level headings with Styles, and can import the document into MindMapper. Want to export a Mind Map to the Web? MindMapper makes it easy to transform a Mind Map into a collection of Web documents. You cent even create a complete site in MindMapper. The benefits of creating sites and Web pages in MindMapper is that the site structure and all the navigation links are created for you.

You can organize your life with MindMapper When you're working on a project, whether you're working alone or with a group of people, it’s often difficult to keep track of all the files and tasks associated with the project. Using MindMapper, not only can you create hyperlinks to files and URLs, you can also import and send tasks to Microsoft Outlook.

Mind Mapping techniques with MindMapper Add graphics to your MindMapper maps Because your right brain thinks in images, adding images to your Mind Maps does much more than provide decoration. When you add images to a Mind Map, it's easier to remember aspects of the map, and it's also easier to make associations. A Mind Map with images makes you and your team much more creative. MindMapper lets you add images at will, from the program itself, or from your computer, network, or the Web. You can add images in popular formats like BMP, PNG, and TIF. You can add images to a topic's background, to floating text, and images can be moved and resized within your maps.



Above: Adding photos to Mind Maps in MindMapper. You can add photos from your digital camera, or a scanner. When you add photos to your Mind Maps, they're exported to other applications with the Mind Map, so you can get a headstart on your presentations or other documents.

Print your maps MindMapper has many options to help you to print your maps in the sizes and the styles you want. You can even print a map to a file, creating a PRN file, which you can print on another computer – this feature is very handy if you're creating Mind Maps on a notebook computer, and want to print them later on your primary desktop machine.

Develop a complete Web site with MindMapper's help While creating a Web site is relatively easy, keeping control of the site is difficult. For small businesses, as your business changes and grows, you'll want to add sections and pages to your Web site. For large businesses, maintaining control of the company site is even more difficult: you have teams working on site sections trying to keep each other updated on progress, and trying to maintain cohesion on the site, but before too long, the site degenerates into chaos. MindMapper to the rescue. You can turn any MindMapper map into a series of LINKED Web pages. The operative word here is "linked". This is a huge benefit,


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 39 because site structure is hard to maintain. Broken links proliferate like garden weeds after rain. MindMapper lets you maintain control. The graphic below shows a Web site page created by a company called Kerika – this is an actual page on their site.

Above: A Mind Map as an explanatory navigation page, a Kerika page at http://www.kerika.com/ What's interesting about this page is that it looks just like a Mind Map that you could create with a view to turning the page into a Web site, or a section of a site.

Try it: create a map and turn it into linked pages

Create a Mind Map for a Web site. Each topic will be a page on the site. When you save the map as HTML pages, the index.html page shows a list of the topics, each of which is hyperlinked to its own page. If you have sub-topics, these are linked off their topics. Notes that you've created for a topic or sub-topic become the content for the relevant page. When you've completed the map, choose Save As Web Pages from the File menu. http://essentialmindmapping.com/


The Save As Web Pages dialogue box will open. Choose a folder for your map – navigate to a folder, or create a new folder. Fill in details for the Company section, the Images (locate them on your computer or network), and the colours you want for the Web page backgrounds. Then click OK, and your site is created. Navigate to the folder in which the HTML pages were created, and double-click the index.html file. The pages will open, hyperlinked and ready for you to send to your Web server, or to edit in an HTML program like Macromedia DreamWeaver.

Exercise 5 Do you have a series of files on your computer that you regularly open? MindMapper can help keep those files organized. Create a new Mind Map, with topics for all the files. Then select a topic, choose Hyperlinks from the Insert menu, click Local File, and navigate to the file. Click OK.

Use MindMapper's hyperlinks to corral all documents for a project to get an instant overview of any project 1. Start a new Mind Map in MindMapper, or use an existing Mind Map. Add a hyperlink to a local file on your computer or on your network by choosing Hyperlink from the Insert menu.

2. As work on the project progresses, you can open any document from the Mind Map – the Mind Map also shows you which documents have been completed, and who is working on them.



3. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you can export scheduled tasks to Outlook. Select a task on your Mind Map, and press Ctrl+D to create a scheduled task. The Planner window will open, and you can choose a date and time for your task.

4. Choose the Export to Outlook Tasks icon on the toolbar, and Microsoft Outlook will open. Choose Tasks, and you will see that your scheduled task has been added to the Tasks folder.



6. Ten top Mind Mapping tips and techniques: build your Mind Mapping skills

The more Mind Mapping skills you develop, the more you'll save time and energy in all your tasks. In this chapter we'll look at ways in which you can enhance your skills.

Mind Mapping for everyone – the best Mind Mapping tips

1. Use Mind Maps for everything Mind Mapping is a skill, and like any skill, it improves and becomes more effective the more you use it. New Mind Mappers tend to learn how to create a Mind Map for a special event, like business presentation, or to create a Mind Map of a topic to study for an examination, and once the event is over, forget about Mind Maps. This is a waste, because Mind Maps can be used for just about anything – so try creating Mind Maps for everything, both hand-drawn maps, and maps on your computer. Within a week, you will be amazed at your enhanced effectiveness. You'll find that with a Mind Map, events you used to dread, like writing a white paper, or giving a speech, become effortless. Your Mind Maps help you to integrate both sides of your brain, so that you're using more of your abilities.



2. Use colour and images in your Mind Maps Colour and images aren't just decoration – they stimulate your brain as you're creating the map, and they also help anyone who sees the map to absorb the information and retain the information. MindMapper keeps your images organized via the Microsoft Windows Clip Organizer. To insert an image in a map, select a topic and choose Picture from the Insert menu. The Clip Organizer will open. You can also add images directly from your computer.

3. Get your ideas onto the map When you begin a map, just start typing. MindMapper will create a new topic each time you press the spacebar. Just enter your ideas into the map. To add a note to a topic, press F3, or click on the Note icon on the Standard toolbar. More ideas will emerge as you work on the map. If you find that you want to change the arrangement order of a map, just click the Format menu and chose your preferred arrangement from the list of Mapping Direction selections. You can turn on Auto Numbering at any time from the Format menu.

4. Use Mind Mapping to enhance understanding Mind Maps are excellent tools for helping you to see holes in arguments, missing elements in a project, or to understand something. Just create a Mind Map for the project, or the document. Mind Maps are also useful when you're delegating work. Creating a quick Mind Map can explain exactly what needs to be done. It gives a quick overview of a task or a project and eliminates misunderstanding.



Above: Need to explain a project to a colleague? A MindMapper Mind Map prevents misunderstanding.

5. A project not working? Mind Map it Mind Maps are useful when something isn't working. Got a project that's stuck? Or a document that's missing an element – but you don't know what the element is? Create a Mind Map. A Mind Map graphic lets you combine, eliminate, add and review.

6. Mind Map challenges and Help desk questions Got a problem that no one's got around to fixing? If you have Help desk, or a customer service department, you know that there are customer problems that are common and could easily be resolved, if the engineers created a fix. Mind Map the problem, and hand it to the department which can create a fix. Seeing the problem clearly displayed on a Mind Map saves hours of explanation.



7. Create Mind Maps before writing documents Do you procrastinate when it's time to write a report, a newsletter or a speech? If you create a Mind Map before you begin, you'll find it easier to write and complete your writing task. Start by entering your map's topic: the title of your project. Then add these sub-topics: who, what, when, where, why and how.

8. Mind Map procedures manuals Procedures manuals save time. Many companies put off developing them because the development itself takes time. However this means that even more time and energy is wasted in an organization because errors are made. Mind Maps can streamline the development of procedures and processes.

9. Mind Map your company mission statement (the real one) What does your business do? What are the business's real goals? Most company mission statements are waffle and spin. Create a Mind Map of your business's mission, and display it prominently.

10. Mind Map your goals It's easy to lose sight of our goals. If you Mind Map your goals, you're much more likely to remember them, and to gain insights which will help you to achieve your goals more quickly. Create a Mind Map for your goals for the next five years, the next year, and the coming month.

11. (Bonus) Mind Map your day Take a couple of minutes at the start of each day to Mind Map your tasks and appointments. You'll be amazed at how much more you get done each day.



Exercise 6 Create a Mind Map of your goals for this year, with a path for achievement.

Use MindMapper to develop a goals Mind Map: get a quick overview of your goals in all areas of your life 1. Start a new Mind Map by choosing New from the File menu, and then choose a rightward tree, or a rightward fishbone map.


Mind Mapping Made Easy Page: 47 2. Double-click the title, and type: "Goals". Add the areas of your life in which you want to set goals – business, health, finances – whatever areas matter most to you.

3. Add goals to each area. Set time limits on your goals. For example, if you want to lose five kilos to improve your health, create a schedule. MindMapper lets you develop schedules right in the program, and then send the scheduled tasks and appointments to Outlook – this saves you time, because you can go from the general to the specific in an instant. There's no re-typing of information, MindMapper does it for you.



Get started Mind Mapping today We hope you've enjoyed our brief description of the many benefits of Mind Mapping, and that you, your colleagues, employees and your family will join the many hundreds of thousands of MindMapper users around the globe. Please contact us at any time via http://www.essentialmindmapping.com/index.php If you haven't yet downloaded your completely free trial version of this wonderful software, please do so now, at http://www.essentialmindmapping.com/index.php Happy Mind Mapping! ###
