April 29th, 2008 by Brian Cors
Several years back (1993 to be specific), Tony and Barry Buzan wrote a landmark book regarding the concept of mind mapping, which is a graphical technique for boosting creativity, decision-making and other “thinking” activities. Although somewhat dated, the book has become relevant again because of several mind mapping software applications that have recently been developed (and reviewed elsewhere on this site).
The Mind Map Book complements these software packages by explaining the scientific basis for mind mapping. It also explains the philosophical approach to mind maps in general, along with specific approaches to different situations where mind mapping could be applied (e.g., note taking, problem solving, memorization).
The book starts out by describing the “amazing brain” and how our normal linear approach to thinking stifles our creative capacity. The book proposes that “randiant thinking” is the natural approach to thinking. After all, the brain’s synaptic connections don’t proceed in a linear fashion, but rather connect in a web-like or randiant fashion whereby a central thought conjures multiple associations and connections, which in turn conjure multiple associations that continue to branch out.
Mind mapping techniques reflect the randiant thinking concept. The mind mapper places the central idea at the center of a map and “radiates” ideas graphically as a series of branches that emanate from the central idea. More detailed thoughts for each of the main branches can then be addressed by adding branches that are attached to the first-level branches. As many levels of detail can be added to the mind map simply by connecting new, lower-level branches to higher-level branches.
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April 16th, 2008 by Brian Cors
At the end of the day or the week, do you often ask yourself “what have I really accomplished?” The reality is that you’ve probably accomplished lots of tasks. But you probably haven’t completed the tasks that help you to achieve your most important personal and professional goals. Why? Most likely, it’s a lack of FOCUS.
As humans, we naturally gravitate toward pursuing activities that fall into one of two categories. We do what’s easy and comfortable, or we pursue the “shiny object” that’s fun and exciting but, truth be told, is truly beyond our reach or doesn’t help us achieve our critical goals.
Companies fall into these same traps. They continue to plod along, doing the things that are easy and comfortable. Companies are also tempted by the “shiny object,” pursuing strategies that other companies have found successful or that are “hot” at the moment. Similar to the “what have I really accomplished” question that individuals ask themselves, companies find themselves asking: “where did the money go?” Often, in the end, it’s the lack of focus that has drained the company’s coffers.
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April 3rd, 2008 by Brian Cors
How many hours per day do you spend at the keyboard? If you’re like me, it’s generally several hours per day. A good keyboard makes a huge difference in my ability to convey thoughts from my head into the written word. A good keyboard can also help prevent repetitive motion injury.
When I was searching for a keyboard, my first priority was to find a keyboard that would maximize my touch-typing productivity and minimize my chances for repetitive strain injury (RSI).
My initial search brought me to the usual suspects: the ergonomic “split” keyboards made by Microsoft and Logitech. These are wonderful for limiting RSI because they do split the keyboard and allow you to properly align your wrists and forearms in a straight line, but they are rather large because of the way that they “bulge” in the middle and – at least for me – would not fit properly in my keyboard tray.
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Several years back (1993 to be specific), Tony and Barry Buzan wrote a landmark book regarding the concept of mind mapping, which is a graphical technique for boosting creativity, decision-making and other “thinking” activities. Although somewhat dated, the book has become relevant again because of several mind mapping software applications that have recently been developed (and reviewed elsewhere on this site).