Pimp Your Work

I love mind maps. They’re straightforward, practical, and easy to understand.  I love mindmapping tools as well, which is why I thought I’d take a look at MindMeister, an online mindmapping service.
With the use of this online mind mapping tool, collaborators need not be on the same room anymore. My favorite feature is that collaborators see each other’s modifications in real time.
Creating a new mind map is a point-and-click affair. The interface is user-friendly and clutter-free.  For collaborative work, each member must have a MindMeister account and must be invited by the one who initiated the mind map. …read more

PimpYourWork.com
I declared my undying love for Mindjet MindManager before, and for those of you who are new to the program or just as in love with it as I am, you might find some pre-made templates useful.
First off, you should check out the offical MindManager template gallery. Here are some of the more notable templates:

Project Management Jetpack Very intense and detailed, ideal for crazy organized project managers
Meeting Management Map For taking meeting minutes via mindmapping
Statement of Work Great for outlining your scope of work when communicating with clients. I think I’ll use this for my freelancing gigs.
Business …read more

Dear Mindjet MindManager 7,
Yes, your name is a bit long, but I take pleasure in typing it, saying it, enjoying the sound of each syllable. The alliterative M’s echo what I say in my mind when I think of you, which is, of course, “mmm!”.
First, I have to be honest with you – you are not the first mind mapping program I tried. I was flirting with all sorts of freeware. After I’ve used most of the free alternatives around, I was frustrated. They were too difficult, took forever to load, or were web based. …read more

In a previous post, we talked about the different ways for you to measure success. Now, we’ll try to measure success as accurately as we can. Here’s how:
1. Grab any writing tool you like, whether it’s pen and paper, Notepad, or a mind mapping tool. For this example, I’m using Mindomo.
2. Write your name in the center of your writing space.
3. Around your name, write down your main ideas of what success is.
They don’t have to be detailed, we can add detail later. It’ll look something like this:

You think that mind mapping is just for brainstorming?  Maybe a little document outlining?  Ah how wrong you are.  I think one of the best uses of mind mapping is taking meeting notes.  Gaelen links to Lifehacker’s post on mind mapping meetings and points us all to the MindManager map gallery:
The Mindjet Map Gallery also offers templates for managing meetings. Check out a sample meeting management map located here now. Source: The Mindjet Blog » Lifehacker’s “Beginner’s Guide to Mind Mapping Meetings”
Lifehacker’s examples are pretty basic, and with the crayon colours, enough to make any business person cringe. So let’s look at …read more

MindManager 7 Pro brought the Office 2007 look and feel to MM users, but the Ribbon Bar might get annoying for some people.  Brain Friedlander has a quick movie on saving space:
Many of us are really enjoying the new Fluid Ribbon Interface in MindManager 7, which has made the program much more accessible. However, there are times when we might want to hide the ribbon once we start working on the mind map. Here is a tip on how to hide the ribbon in MindManager 7. I hope that you enjoy this tip!Hiding the Ribbon in Mindmanager 7Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D Thu, 28 Jun …read more

I think this must be one of the key questions facing workers right now.  Silly you think?  Okay, you go into a meeting, you know that information is going to be shared that you need to remember or you are going to be given a task (or three), so how do you record said information and tasks?  Pen and paper?  OneNote or Evernote?  MindManager? Basic text file?  Not easy is it?  Pen and paper is dead simple and you’ve been doing it since elementary school, but paper is easily lost and can’t be searched quickly.
OneNote and Evernote are cool, I’ve …read more

I got an e-mail from the folks at MindJet today letting me know that MM7 was now available. Disclosure: Because of my participation in the beta and other MM7 events I received a free license to MM7 Pro.
MindManager 7 helps users and workgroups “mind map” — lay out concepts and manage information visually. The technique can be helpful for both individuals and groups of users to brainstorm and collaborate. It can help you create project plans, set up workflows and processes, and manage meetings. Source: PC World – MindManager 7 Visualization Software Ships

There has been some work on MM7 since …read more

Gotta love the folks at MindJet. As the count-down continues (4 more days!) until MM7 is released, here is a great map idea–use a drafting table metaphor.
You can, and I would suggest, taking it to the next level. Dart board? Cork board? I think with the right background image you can make a map not only useful, but fun too.
Why not, it’s only work ;).
 
Tags: free downloads, GTD, software tips, MindJet, MindManager, mind mapping

Man I’ve been dying to blog about this for over a month.  I’ve been in the private beta test of the new MindManager 7 Pro.  If you’re a MM fan, this is a good upgrade.  Must upgrade?  If you use Office 2007, I’d say yeah.
The new MM 7 Pro is officially coming out May 30.  I had the chance to listen to a MindJet overview of the new product yesterday (and for disclosure as an invited guest and attendee I get a free license for the new version).   What impressed me about this new version are the nice UI improvements.  …read more