A Great Way To Plan A Task!
45859
Business > Management
Oct 5, 2007
snickers05aussie
A Great Way To Plan A Task!
I am not sure that many sales people, managers, and small business owners that I know really have a systematic way of planning their tasks and programs. I must be far behind but I discovered for myself recently a very good way of doing that. I have known about story boarding for a long time, however, I was not aware of the business technique of mind mapping. Recently I have discovered this remarkable way of putting on paper or on your computer screen the ability to list all the ideas one might have on a particular task or program and then to plan out all the steps in a logical way. And to do so in a visual manner. Mind mapping does that for me. Some people like task lists that can be date and time stamped or just making a list of tasks and dates to be completed. Some like project management capabilities, but the mind map is the ability to brainstorm all the ideas and tasks that are needed for a project and then to visually show them through boxes or clouds or pictures or whatever you choose. It is also a great way to have your team have all their brainstorming placed coherently on a screen or computer program. It is a powerful way to move from A all the way to Z on a project or on an idea. And to do so for those of us who are "visual" people. I used mind mapping when I worked on the production and marketing of my new book project. I placed a picture of the book in the mind mapping program and then from that picture I was able to list over a period of time all the tasks and their deadline dates, including the person responsible, to get the book to production as an eBook, print book and audio book. It was awesome to see the project and to have a ready handle on the whole project at hand. Recently we decided to produce an upcoming series of podcasts on business and I began the same process with the podcast, going as far as listing desired themes and guests, and what all was needed to begin producing the podcasts in the first place. Mind mapping has really been a God send for me. What about all those mind mapping programs? As is always the case, there is a great deal of selection when it comes to mind mapping software. You can get commercial mind mapping programs that cost hundreds of dollars. I downloaded one of their trial versions for my book project and to see if I really liked and would use the concept. I then turned to open source mind mapping software as an alternative. For my purposes as a business person and for the multiplicity of needs I have for it from internet marketing to corporate ideas and tasks to book and blog projects, I decided at least for the time being to forgo the expense of software and use an open source mind mapping program. It was a free download. You may decide a different route but whatever direction you decide to go from purchasing commercial mind mapping programs to open source software, I suggest that you get serious about mind mapping your ideas and projects for your business. It will be a great way to make sure that you are on top of things in your planning and execution. And it will help those who are with you on the project to see the end result, including the process on how you arrived there. I do not know where i have been, however i wish now that i had discovered mind mapping years ago. Do not find yourself wishing the same thing. Try mind mapping! See if it organizes your ideas, plans and projects better for you. It may be an essential item in growing your business
Paul Donihue is CEO of a business financial solutions company. Look for his new book, "11 Ways to KILL Your Business...And Avoid Success!" to be released soon as an eBook, print book and in audio book form. Visit his blog at http://www.dontkillyourbusiness.typepad.com / or http://www.blowthedoorsoffbusiness.com/ /
send email to snickers05aussie
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
One of the frustrations that every representative of merchant services has is when they spend a great deal of time and effort into providing the best solution and best competitive prices for a merchant, especially when it relates to their credit card proc
Category:
You and I have heard it said, almost ad nauseum, that to fail to plan, is planning to fail. But what happens when you have goals, write them down, develop plans to carry out the goals, and yet something comes up or rears its ugly head and threatens to des
Category:
We all know people just like this. They have an idea. They mull over it and think about it. They talk about it and even dream about it and what could happen to them if they made it happen. But they never do it. They never jump in and even attempt to make
Category:
I am not sure that many sales people, managers, and small business owners that I know really have a systematic way of planning their tasks and programs. I must be far behind but I discovered for myself recently a very good way of doing that.
Category:
You may have found yourself in this position. You had hoped for it, planned for it, envisioned it and in some weird way feared it. It is called expanding your business. It is called growing your business and seeing it do things that you were not really su
Category:
Meet Snickers. She's my one year old Puggles. And I am convinced that if she were human she could really own her own company! Snickers has some wonderful business characteristics. Let me share a couple.
Category:
I have heard it more and more lately. The person on the other end of the phone line, says Thanks for keeping up with me. ... Or, Thanks for bugging me, in a good way....You see, to be successful in sales, in business, in building relationships, it takes d
Category:
What does it take for your dreams to come true? It takes holding on to the vision, and believing in the dream, and a lot of hard work. It takes others, like our family members to see what we see, and if they don't, believe in us anyway. Your dreams of a d
Category:
The Check 21 Law that went into affect in 2004 can make life so much easier for your company. If you receive consumer checks, vendor checks, business checks, government checks, virtually any kind of check drawn on a US bank, you can now do from the conven
Category:
There are many ways to show your customers that you care about them. Let me share one that tells your customers that YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEM. Remember, my friend, that in business it is sometimes the little things that begin to tear down the company th
Category:
The greatest cry and need of sales people and sales organizations that I know of is leads and prospects. Let me tell you right off the bat, there is hope for more prospects, & more clients.
Category:
Whether you are a manager, upper level management, CEO, or owner, how you treat people, and in this discussion, employees is whether your business will run well and have healthy interpersonal relationships and a cohesive team, or whether you will experien
Category:
Other links at Business > Management
In business coaching there is a lot of focus on the needs of the business for its growth and expansion. First the vision needs to be built upon, and then the objectives, strategies and plans.
Category:
While many people define success as making money or accomplishing fame, success can be measured for even the small things in life. Having a process to follow in order to achieve success will help you achieve your greatest potential.
Category:
Lean Six Sigma certainly holds great potential, but businesses should never forget that there are barriers to "Lean" that if not accounted for, can prevent the organization from realizing its full potential.
Category:
The vast majority of our economy is transported through mail. Take a look at the possibilities of online postage.
Category:
One of the most significant things the Internet has given people is the occasion to make money, not just small money that a desk clerk gets for a terrible slogging job, but tons of funds! It is true that when the Internet made its first initial into the w
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68285
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
