Mindmapping meetings

One of the key factors in a management successful stories is preparation.
Other question we all are involved in continuosly are the meetings.
So if you want to take the most out of the different meetings you lead, the preparation must be located onto the headlines in your to-dos list.
The map from above is an approach to this thought.
Other important question is that making this, you get a very easy way to export the notes you take, to a MS Word file but utilizing the Export tool in MindManager.

Mindmapping Business Scorecard

One of the main possibilities MindManager 7 has, it is the ease to include Excel Spreadsheet range within a map. it does make a clear and significant difference between the software maps and the handmade ones.
It is rather simple, just selecting the range, pussing the button and you got that range within your selected branch in the map.
It opens up a wide range of different possibilities like the one shown hereby, a mindmap to have the main indicators from a management point of view, all of them gathered forming a Management Scorecard Map.
Hope you enjoy it.

Mindmapping buying a house

You still think it is a business?
Mindmapping also provides another method to calm down when you are angry, by analyzing the money flows from payments and paybacks.
The same characters earn the money, the same characters lose the money.
The following map determines money flows by buying a house.

Guidelines for Mindmapping styles

At this point in the blog, I will like showing you how I work with these tools, in order to get a consistent map.

This method allows free ideas generation and also free associations among them, so you do not constraint the creation process. In these processes the two brain hemispheres (the rational/mathematical and the creative) work in a jointly manner to get the most out.

I continue prefering the handmade maps but I must say that the different software packages provide a cute layout.

The following map sets up guidelines for taking the most advantages of these techniques.

My to-dos list

One of the courses my company assigned to me, turned out very interesting.

The consultants were talking about how to take out the maximum productivity to the most valuable possession you got (your time).

Some of their ideas and some others I did read some time ago, they made me think about how to manage the multiple tasks I have every day.

In my job as manager I have lots of tasks I am responsible for and others I must delegate/control in/from any other colleague.

After thinking about, I determined some important points:

1.- I use a mindmap, whose central point is "my to-do´s for today".
2.- I define the different tasks to fulfill.
3.- I group the tasks in differente groups (branches in the map).
4.- I define the priority of the every task
(by icons in MindManager or by colors/numbers in a written MM).
5.- I define a branch called "not to-dos", where I define the tasks I have to delegate (I must say that I force me to do that).
6.- Everytime I finish with one tasks, I give myself the little pleasure of crossing it out.

It is rather productive for me dedicating some minutes everyday at the beginning of the workday, to determine the tasks I have to fulfill, so I avoid to be hanging around thinking of what I have to do.

That is the way I work everyday.

Here you get an example by using MindManager, but I prefer the manual method (sheet, pen and crossing tasks out by pen).

Excuse me because it is done in Spanish.

Personal Presentation

Which one will be the best way to introduce myself?
Ok, good enough, right.

Opening up

What am I thinking this webpage for?

1.- Showing different experiences working with mindmapping techniques.
2.- Explaining different approaches using these techniques.
3.- Sharing knowledgements among different colleagues.
4.- Having a Mindmapping meeting point.
5.- Gathering information from different sources.
6.- Improving continuosly the different mindmaps layouts existing on the net.

In my opinion, Mindmapping is indeed a powerful tool to boost up productivity, not just in businesses but in the different situations one can face in his/her lifetime.

From notetaking approaches to preparing meetings in advance passing throught splitting down huge projects into different workpackages (everyone with its own owner and time schedule) and so on.

I must say that I am not an expert on this issue but I am trying to do my best and explaining other people what I do, knowing that this blog can help other people to improve, would be a desirable outcome.

First question about Mindmapping is talking a little bit about Tony Buzan, father founder of the whole movement. I do recommend reading his book The Mind Map Book: Radiant Thinking - Major Evolution in Human Thought

Dealing with Mindmaps is not related to utilize one specific software tool, there are different software packages on the market to help us, but I must also say that I use Mindjet Mindmanager from the first approach they launch to the market.

Also it does not imply using any software, most part of the day I make my maps via "hardware" (pen, sheet,...).