Have a Fantastically Fulfilling 2010 and Goal Set!

Goal setting is fundamental to success in any aspect of your life – be it in personal pursuits, health, work or financially. Now that we have arrived at the foothills of a new decade, in the midst of widespread social and economic change, it is the perfect time to reflect on your own situation in life and consider your ambitions and dreams. Now is the time to decide how you WILL make these a reality, and become a more confident, happy and successful individual.
Constructive goal setting using Mind Mapping can help you get back in control of your life in a time when many are having to re-evaluate and adapt in order to stay afloat. It can create the clarity you need to find new direction for the future. By allowing you to explore yourself innermost wishes, Mind Mapping can help you resolve any internal conflicts and establish clearly defined priorities for all areas of your life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you can focus your time, energy and resources accordingly.

 iMindMap is the perfect tool for goal setting. Not only can you create an organic, visual representation of your goals, that stimulates your mind, but you can also enjoy the flexibility of the software – editing, adjusting, and expanding on ideas with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Let’s find out how you can do this!

(1) Brainstorm Your Main Goals
Spend as much time as you need brainstorming your key goals. Use the iMindMap Goal Setting template and base your goals around these main themes:

‘ Career/Business ‘ What aspirations do you have for your career? What could you do to improve your performance? Do you want to change careers? If you are running your own business, how do you want it to progress?
‘ People ‘ How do you want your relationship with your partner to develop? Do you have any aims in relation to being a parent or improving your parenting skills? If single, do you want to find a relationship? Do you want to improve relations with your extended family and friends?
‘ Wealth/Finances ‘ What are your goals regarding your personal finances? How much do you want to earn by a particular stage? Is there anything in particular you want to save for? Do you have any debts to pay off?
‘ Physical/Health ‘ Do you have any goals in regards to your health or fitness? Do you have any aims in terms of weight loss, or a specific physical training programme or sport?
‘ Growth/Personal Development ‘ Are you interested in pursuing any further education or training? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals? For instance, you may want to learn a language or develop your abilities at public speaking.

 2) Make goals SMART
Once you have outlined your goals for 2010, you need to get a little more specific. Ensure that each of your goals follow the SMART guidelines (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based).

It is important to be precise and include dates, times, targets and amounts so that your achievements are measurable. To do this, add the following branches to each goal:

‘ Now ‘ Your current situation in regards to the goal
‘ Target ‘ What exactly do you want to accomplish?
‘ When ‘ Establish a time frame.

(3) Actions
Now you can outline the steps and actions that you will take to achieve your goals. Add a new branch entitled ‘How’.

Break down the tasks that you need to carry out to achieve each goal. If you want to go into further detail, you can set time-frames or milestones for your tasks, allowing you to measure your progress.

(4) ‘To-Do’ Mind Maps
You can also create a daily/weekly ‘To Do’ Mind Map outlining the tasks that need to be done within that timeframe for each goal. This will improve the practicality of your goal setting as you can quickly identify any changing priorities, as well as progress. You can then adjust your main ‘Goals’ Mind Map to reflect these changes, boosting your motivation along the way. What’s more, as Mind Mapping encourages a free flow of ideas and associations, you could end up discovering new, innovative ways to reach your goals.

REMEMBER
Every time you reach a goal, update your Mind Map to show your achievement. You should also review your Mind Map and adjust it to match any changes in your perspective. For instance, if you reached the goal too easily, make your next goal in that area more challenging. However, if the goal took a disheartening amount of time and effort, make the next one a little more attainable.

If you fail to meet any of your goals, do not be discouraged. You can learn from your experience, and feed this knowledge back into your Mind Map. Likewise, if particular goals no longer hold any attraction, then simply remove them from your Mind Map and focus your attention on goals that you are eager to achieve. Your Mind Map should work with you and for you, making the goal setting process more enjoyable and rewarding.

GOOD LUCK! Dirk

Related posts:

1. They laughed when Rob started using Mind Maps…But when the exam was on!
2. Success Through Goal Setting ala Brian Tracy
3. Improve Your Memory with Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping

How to harness the potential of wandering thoughts

Think back to the last meeting you participated in or the last lecture you listened to. Do you remember what the other participants were doing? Did they listen attentively or did they sometimes look a little absent minded – like being somewhere else? Have you ever observed your own mind and what it does whist you are sitting in a meeting or listening to a speaker?

It is most likely that you were not focused on the actual topic most of the time but instead thinking about something else. The American Psychological Association completed a research project on the topic and found out what people actually think about during a meeting or a speech at any given time:

• 18% are really listening and are focused on the topic
• 25% have erotic thoughts
• 57% are thinking about something else

We may argue about the exact distribution of the percentages, however, one thing seems to be obvious: it is a natural tendency for the mind to wander around and to follow associations that have been triggered by a certain key word or an event during the meeting or lecture.

Research has found that:

• People cannot concentrate much longer than 20 minutes
• The brain works by constantly creating associations

Therefore it is only natural that the mind wanders, even more so when the meeting or the lecture is not completely fascinating and attention grabbing. Even if it is, the brain constantly makes connections to already existing knowledge and causes listeners to drift off.

Most people take notes of the content they are listening to, but not of the other thoughts that occur during that time. The above numbers illustrate that we seem to have more non-topic related thoughts, than thoughts that fit the topic. Concluding that a lot of possibly very valuable thoughts are lost because we do not write them down.

The technique “In and Out Writing” helps us to harness the potential of this natural tendency of our mind by capturing not just the content of whatever we are supposed to focus on, but also the associations that are trigged while listening.

The traditional way this technique is done is in form of a table with two columns, the left side for “In” and the right side for “Out”. By dividing your paper into two parts and take notes like this you are most likely to have more notes on the “In” column than on the “Out” column. When using this technique remember that whenever an interesting “Out” thought occurs jot it down.

Mind Mapping = In and Out Writing¹⁰

This technique becomes many times more powerful when you use Mind Mapping techniques and iMindMap to implement it.

When you take notes in the form of a Mind Map you already visually structure the content (the “In” thoughts) you are listening to. Whenever an “Out” thought occurs you can add this thought by creating specially marked sub-branches to an “In” thought on your Mind Map. You can mark the sub-branches by using one of iMindMap’s icons, e.g. a light bulb or by assigning it a special colour that symbolises “Out” thoughts for you. If you combine these two options your map becomes even more visual.

The general concept of how it works using iMindMap is shown below.

If this method is used with iMindMap “In and Out Writing” becomes much more effective than in the traditional way using a table and writing down everything sequentially:

• Using an iMindMap format “Out” thoughts are not separated but are attached to the “In thought which visually becomes clearer and helps to reinforce the associations.
• By being connected to a context, knowledge transfer and new connections are facilitated.
• By being in a context as shown in the Mind Map, it is much easier to remember and recall the information.
• The Mind Map form enables the “Out” thoughts to be further developed by adding additional sub-branches.
• The Mind Map form triggers even more associations.

Next time your mind starts to drift away, capture your thoughts, they might be worth remembering!

Please Note: All the example Mind Maps were created using Buzan’s iMindMap™ – The offical software from Tony Buzan, inventor of Mind Mapping. To open and edit these files you will need to have iMindMap™ installed. If you do not have iMindMap™ you can easily download and try the software for FREE by clicking HERE.

by Florian Rustler

About iMindMap™

Tony Buzan is the world’s leading expert on the brain and is the inventor of Mind Mapping®, the thinking technique used by over 250 million people worldwide. Whilst many products have claimed to allow you to Mind Map on a computer, none have managed to fully duplicate Tony’s world renowned process. Until now that is… iMindMap™ gives you the infinite visual variety, portability, freedom, brain friendliness and effectiveness of traditional, highly proven Mind Mapping® techniques. iMindMap™ is the ultimate thinking tool which allows you to work, learn and think smarter so you can excel in any area of your life.

For more information on mind mapping, free videos, additional articles and to download a free trial of iMindMap™ visit here.

2 your learning success,

Dirk

Related posts:

1. Improve Your Memory with Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping
2. Perfect Your Online Business Presentations through Mind Mapping
3. Why Mind Mapping Works – The Proof Is Here!

It is a far too common procedure for lecturers to prepare presentations with a few pages of notes made up of linear sentences. They stand up behind the podium and start to read, expecting their diligent audience to take ‘proper notes’. They drone on monotonously at a pace enabling their audience to copy their words. Drooping shoulders and heavy heads become more and more visible. Is this method actually doing any good?

To summarize, no. Words alone are worthless in helping in understanding and remembering. Not only are they boring but they do not represent the brain’s naturally fluid nature. Presentations need to impart information in a form that is easily digested by the brain. The most effective presentation will include keywords, images, colors, visual rhythms, connections and associations. These are main aspects in triggering imagination, a key process in learning. But how do you achieve these in a presentation?

Mind Maps are perfect for structuring and organizing:
It is important that you Mind Map the basic facts of your presentation before you even begin to concentrate on the subject matter. Mind Maps are perfect for structuring and organizing current ideas and plans in a memorable way for presenting to others. Firstly, you need to know who your audience is and what they stand to benefit from your presentation. Your Mind Map may include branches such as ‘Case studies’, ‘Analysis’, ‘Inspiration’, ‘Understanding’ etc. With the aid of this Mind Map you will be able to turn the keywords and ideas into a coherent order ensuring that you use hard data to back up any views or ideas that you may use in the presentation. Ensure your central image incorporates the subject, while the branches should represent the subjects for discussion. By using a Mind Map, you will find your role in a wider context will be clearer, and will find it easier to stick to your subject as your thoughts will be less likely to wander off on a tangent.

Be bold – use images and colors:
In your presentation you should use images, colors and symbols. This is one of the most effective ways of getting your point across. The visual stimuli will make the presentation more dynamic and interesting. A long list of boring information can be transformed into colorful, memorable, highly organized diagrams that reflect your brain’s natural way of thinking and encourage synergetic thinking. Therefore in your Mind Map include a branch of thoughts and ideas to make you presentation more fun, interactive and memorable for your audience.

Practice makes perfect:
It is important that one of the branches on your Mind Map should focus on the practice you feel is necessary to ensure that you do not over run your allocated time. You may also use the Mind Map to allocate how much time you would like to spend on each topic.

How can computer software help you?
Thanks to computers, presentations have become even easier with the aid of state of the art visuals. With Mind Mapping software available such as Tony Buzan’s iMindMap, computerized Mind Maps can be transferred to PowerPoint. Do not fall into the trap of believing that using PowerPoint means simply making a linear list of sentences and phrases – this will fail to keep your audience interested and able to learn. By exporting your Mind Maps into such programs you maps can come to live and animate your ideas. By clicking a button branches can appear and extend ask you are discussing each area.

 Interaction with your audience is another key aspect to a successful presentation. This can be achieved by building up the Mind Map as you share your information with your audience and asking them to contribute any ideas or thoughts to the map.

Alternatively, encourage your participants to take notes in the form of their own individual Mind Maps on your presentation. This will require the audience to think for themselves and encourage active participation; consequently the audience is more likely to get the most out of your presentation. Mind Maps allow participants to break the linear tradition of note taking and helps them to make appropriate associations and absorb more information effectively.

You should now be ready to start planning a great presentation, so good luck. If you want to use the software try it out free here

2 your learning success,

Dirk

Related posts:

1. Improve Your Memory with Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping
2. They laughed when Rob started using Mind Maps…But when the exam was on!
3. Why Mind Mapping Works – The Proof Is Here!

Improve Your Study Skills with Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping – Tips in Note Taking

We all have had times when we tried out something new which was not yet part of the mainstream habits of people we get ridiculed. But if your resist to give up that new method because of that …you might be rewarded in hours coming soon….

If you are a full-time student or are studying from home, you probably make a lot of notes during your lectures and lessons and when reading your text books and course materials. Later you will almost certainly review these notes when preparing for an exam or when you have a written piece of work to do.

Disadvantages of Traditional Note Making
The main problem with making notes in a traditional, linear way is that it is a very passive process. Your brain does not get very involved in processing the information. By actively engaging your brain in organizing the new material, you will be able to improve your understanding and recall of it. You can do this by using the Mind Mapping technique for making notes.

A Simple and Effective Way to Make Notes
Mind Mapping is an excellent diagrammatic way of organizing key ideas or concepts from lesson notes or textbooks. You simply take the essential elements from linear material (textbooks or your lesson notes) to generate your Mind Map. In this way, you can capture all your notes on one page / screen, enabling you to see the interconnections of certain ideas. What’s more, Mind Mapping encourages you to utilize the power of images to add emphasis and association to your notes. Using visuals in this way enhances the memory’s storing and recalling capabilities as well as increasing aesthetic pleasure!

Rob Reduced his Notes by 95% using the Mind Mapping
In looking for a way to improve his note making abilities, Rob Williams used Buzan’s iMindMap to help him study for his book-keeping exams: “I think I must have tried every piece of Mind Mapping software available on the market. I purchased a couple which have not really done what I want… it can take ages to build a map. In contrast, I have found iMindMap to be quick and easy to use. I am terrible note maker, I tend to read a text and end up copying the whole text into my notes which is why Mind Mapping is ideal for me…you can only have keywords on the branches and not reams of text. I am studying bookkeeping and have an exam coming up shortly and was daunted by the thought of having to read through all my notes again. Using iMindMap, I have reduced the notes of the first three units by about 95% quickly and with visually pleasing results.”

Here are some tips to help you make notes using Mind Maps:

Tips for making notes from a textbook or course material

1. Textbooks are usually neatly structured into chapters, topic headings and sub headings which can provide an easy framework for creating your Mind Map branches.
2. Build your Mind Map as you progress through the study text. Every time you read an idea that strikes you as important or interesting, just add it to your Mind Map in the appropriate place. You can also add your own thoughts and ideas as they arise while you are reading.
3. Add detail such as images, shapes, highlights and colors to help you organize the material better and commit it to memory.
4. When you have finished reading, you will have generated a single Mind Map which summarizes everything of interest from the text. The act of creating the Mind Map will have greatly increased the volume of information that you absorbed from the text.
5. If you created your Map with Mind Mapping software you can review the topic at any time by referring back to your Mind Map. It is easy to make any changes or restructure your map without the hassle of recreating all of your work.
6. You don’t need pages and pages of notes for effective study!

Tips for summarizing a lesson or lecture

1. Start by entering the subject matter of the lesson in the middle of the map with a central idea.
2. Create the main branches from this subject, each labeled with a key topic or theme that was covered in the lesson. Remember to use single keywords in keeping with Mind Mapping principles.
3. Next draw connecting branches to the main branches and label these with sub-topics. If you have any of your own ideas during this exercise, add them to your Mind Map.
4. Add images to help make the Mind Map more visually memorable for revision.
5. While it is necessary to be brief in order to create an effective Mind Map, you may wish to include more comprehensive notes at this early stage of study. Some Mind Mapping software i.e. iMindMap allows you to add notes to your branches or link them to external files such as Word documents or spreadsheets which you can open up when needed. After you have studied this information, you will only need the keywords of your Mind Map to bring it back to memory.

Note making is just one of the activities that you can use Mind Mapping to assist you in your studies. Mind Mapping is also an effective way to help you plan essays and project work, prepare for exams, brainstorm, create and make a presentation, for supporting group study, for revision and much more….

2 your learning success,

Dirk

Related posts:

1. Improve Your Memory with Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping
2. In and Out Writing – Mind Mapping at its best
3. Why Mind Mapping Works – The Proof Is Here!

Memory can lead to the accomplishments of many astonishing feats. Take for example the story of Mozart visiting Rome in 1770, when he was 14, and listened to Allegri’s Miserere in the Sistine Chapel. The half-hour long piece of music was considered so special that the Vatican forbade its publication, but after the concert Mozart wrote down the entire piece of music from memory. Or more recently, memory champions have been setting world records which seem nothing short of miraculous to ordinary people. It is often assumed that such people must have extraordinary brains or are amazingly clever.

In 2002 scientists put this assumption to the test and performed a range of tests on highly ranked memorizers at the World Memory Championships held annually. The tests revealed that the memory champions’ brains showed no differences to that of ordinary people. However, it was discovered that nine out of the ten memory champions were simply using a technique called ‘the method of Loci’, which dated back to ancient Greece. This method is based on location and imagination. It was therefore concluded that a good memory is simply a skill, and a skill that can be learned – at any age.

The main principle of memory technique is linking the thing to be remembered to some other idea – this is known as association. When your memory has meaning, your brain gives it a tag that makes it much easier to retrieve. A similar process is achieved when you see something in context or linked to some other idea which provides a tag for the idea. If you imagine your memory as a library, it is clearly much easier to find a particular memory if it has a tag attached to it. You will be amazed how dramatically you can improve your ability to remember things if you use combinations of association, vibrancy and imagination.

The best technique that encourages you to use association and imagination is Mind Mapping. Mind Mapping was invented by Tony Buzan in the 1960s, although the learning principles of Mind Mapping have been around for hundreds of years and have been used by some of the world’s greatest thinkers. Tony Buzan states that it is the ultimate thinking tool – a creative and effective means of thinking that literally ‘maps out’ your brain. Mind Maps are an ideal tool to use as a memory improvement tool, not only is it extremely simple but it can have an immediate impact on memory, creativity and your ability to concentrate. Mind Maps have a natural structure that radiates from the centre and uses lines, symbols, words, and images according to a set of natural and brain-friendly rules. A long list of boring information can be turned into colorful, memorable, highly organized diagrams that reflect the brains natural way of thinking and encourages synergetic thinking.

Imagination and association are the two main principles that make Mind Mapping so effective. By developing creative skills you are not only improving your ability to come up with innovative ideas you are also, by default, enhancing your ability to remember things. This is because creativity and memory are vertically identical mental processes – they both work best when you are using imagination and association.

A

quick guide – how to make a Mind Map:

1. Gather all the information you need – your research, an array of colored pens and a large blank piece of paper.
2. Draw a simple image or symbol to represent your central idea in the centre of the page.
3. Think of the main points or topics of your Mind Map, radiate your key topics of the central image as branches adding a key word that represents that topic.
4. Now explore your main branches with sub-branches / thoughts. Add single words to each sub-branch. Let your ideas flow freely, adding a new branch for each thought.
5. Use your colored pens and add images to make your map vibrant and exciting.
6. Alternatively, you could produce your Mind Map using the new and exciting Mind Mapping software that has recently become available, for example, Tony Buzan’s iMindMap. By using software to facilitate Mind Mapping it enables users to create truly personal, organic Mind Maps without restricting the thinking process in any way, while incorporating all the principles of Mind Mapping technique.

Once you have created your Mind Map you will notice that instead of having pages and pages of boring linear notes you have a single page that contains all the key points that you need to remember. You will instantly see the connections and links between different ideas and thoughts and can help you quickly gain insight into the big picture as it represented on the piece of paper in front of you.

Secondly, by creating your Mind Map you have used both sides of your brain. People have an extensive range of intellectual and creative skills that they only partly use. However, Mind Mapping takes advantage of the potential of both the right (creative) and left (analytical) sides of the brain. What is more, if both the right and left brain are used, both sides become stronger, engaging with each other to reinforce their creative output, and association. Consequently resulting in a noticeably improved memory.

Related posts:

1. They laughed when Rob started using Mind Maps…But when the exam was on!
2. In and Out Writing – Mind Mapping at its best
3. Why Mind Mapping Works – The Proof Is Here!