Romantic Weekend Mind Map you will radiate, from a suitably romantic central image, the main branches of the things you need to consider.
These will include location, travel, activities, food, drinks, equipment (including clothes, toiletries, books, and games), and special surprises, etc.
Perhaps the main advantage of the Mind Map for planning the romantic weekend is that it gives a much greater probability that the weekend will be a success, and simultaneously gives you more confidence and less stress.
The confident and relaxed individual is a much more attractive romantic partner!
For an example of a completed Mind Map on this subject, turn to Plate 5.
Telephone Calls Mind Map
Many people make notes during important telephone calls. Business calls, for example, can be extremely complicated and it is easy to miss information if you are not adequately prepared. Similarly, if you are planning a vacation, you may need to jot down details of your itinerary. A Mind Map is ideal for this purpose.
Begin with the central image that summarizes either the topic of the conversation or the essence of the person with whom you are talking. Your first main branch will include the person’s name and the date. You print each main subject on a branch radiating from the centre, adding details using single key words, codes, and images printed on the smaller branches.
As the conversation progresses, the information goes on the page in a way that helps your brain ORGANIZE, REMEMBER, COMPARE, and CONNECT very quickly. When the subject changes, add another branch using key images, codes, and words on the line as before. When the conversation goes back to an early subject, simply go back to the appropriate branch and add the new information.
The telephone conversation can regularly dance from topic to topic, often returning to particular points again and again. With the Mind Map, this is easy to handle because the information always ends up where it belongs. Normal notes simply record, chronologically (not truly logically) the flow of data. This means that the key information gets scattered and lost. You will often find that the information coming out of your telephone call Mind Map is a lot more organized than the information that originally came in on the telephone!
In telephone call Mind Maps, colour adds another useful dimension. You might use red for what you have to act on right away and blue for things you can deal with later.
Pre-drawing the branches for calls you initiate is a good way to keep things on track. This will allow the branches and key words and images to remind you of both what the conversation is about and your goals. People who use Mind Maps get more information across in less time. They are also much more organized and focused because they have a picture of what they want to talk about in front of them.
When you do pre-draw your Mind Maps in this way, it will avoid the incredibly frustrating experience of having to telephone people back because you have ‘just remembered’ (after you have hung up!) a vitally important topic that you forgot to mention. Telephone call Mind Maps save you time, save you embarrassment and save you money!
Starting a New Venture
As you have seen so far, Mind Maps are a fantastic planning tool. They enable you to see the ‘whole picture’ and ensure that nothing is left to chance. What better way, then, to plan a new venture?
Perhaps you are thinking of starting up your own business, like a store or a company. Or perhaps you want to do something on a smaller scale, like starting up a babysitting service or a social club. Whatever your idea, Mind Maps can help you plan smarter and be more successful.
There are so many things to consider when you are starting up a new venture. It can be a really daunting task. However, if you use a Mind Map you can make sure you have thought everything through carefully first. For example, where will you locate your business? Do you need your own premises or can you work from home? And what about staff? Do you need to employ other people or can you manage alone? How will you finance your venture? Will it take a lot of start-up capital? Do you need to borrow money? All of these issues can be plotted out on your Mind Map, using the key words for each of the main things you have to consider. This will allow you to see problems before they arise, and take the necessary steps to avoid them.
As your venture develops, you can use your Mind Map as a constant point of reference to check that things stay on track. For example, very often your finances and cash flow take up so much time and importance that it is easy to forget all the brilliant marketing ideas you had for making money in the first place (ironically, it is these very marketing initiatives that could increase your revenue). But if you refer to your Mind Map on a regular basis, you will not forget any of your initial ideas, and you will be able to implement them when the time is right.
With a Mind Map at your side, you are giving your new venture a head start to success.
For an example of a completed Mind Map on this topic, turn to Plate 6.
Shopping Mind Map
Mind Maps are a wonderful shopping aid. They guarantee that you remember everything you wish to buy, and streamline the entire process. They also feed your brain with a constant diet of whole-brain stimulation as you use the Mind Map to remind you while you shop.
No more the infuriating confetti of random scraps of paper, which fracture your thinking, stress your mind with uncertainty, and as often as not get lost! You could even use a Mind Map to plan out all your shopping when faced with buying gifts for Christmas or other special occasions.
First, draw a central image to remind you of your shopping. Then use each of the main branches to think about each person for whom you are buying. Write their names as key words and draw in some sub-branches on which to put their details. For instance, what are their hobbies, their likes and their dislikes? This will help you decide what gifts would be most suitable.
You can even use the Mind Map to work out the most efficient route for your shopping trip and the best stores for each present. Then, when you actually go out, you can take your Mind Map with you for reference to make sure you remember everything.
Use a Mind Map to shop, and your shopping planning will be faster and more efficient, you will buy everything you wished to buy, you will rid yourself of the nagging doubt that you have forgotten something, and you will never have to make those unnecessary return trips to pick up those things you forgot! (See Plate 7 for a Mind Map on this topic.)
How to Reduce a Book to a Single Page Mind Map
Mind Mapping a book is easy. In fact books are made to be Mind Mapped! This can be invaluable for study. Mind Maps enable you to get to grips with the subject before you start, as well as providing a fantastic study aid to which you can refer.
To reduce a book to a single page, first scan through the book, checking for the main divisions and chapter headings. These will give you the main branches of your Mind Map, which can radiate from your central image. The central image will either be one that summarizes the topic of the book or an illustration of the book itself.
With this master structure in place, you can fill in the details as you go, even though you are not always reading ‘in the right order’.
The Mind Map,
