Mind maps-paul-urban

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

http://essentialmindmapping.com/

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



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 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:

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

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

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



• 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



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

• You can Mind Map anywhere you have a pen and paper

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

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

Cons:

• It becomes messy as you arrange and rearrange items

• It takes more time than Mind Mapping on a computer



• 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

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

• You can link maps together

• You can print out unlimited copies

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

email

• You can use Mind Maps to develop projects like Web sites and presentations,

cutting down on the amount of work you have to do

• 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



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:




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



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.



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.



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.



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.



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?

• How can I learn more about my target audience?

• 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?

• How can I cut the inputs on Project N?

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



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;

• 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;

• 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



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.



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,



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.



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.



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!

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