• Welcome
• Products
• Associate Authors
• Mind Map Tutor Blog
• Facebook Page
• Twitter
• Focus of the Month
• What's Coming
• Communicating with us

1. Welcome

This month focuses on using Mind Maps for a holistic plan. I show you how I use it to manage big projects. The principles apply to planning anything, even your personal life. Planning should be an essential part of your learning process - an you should always be learning!

2. Products

So don't delay. Download Xmind today and start Mind Mapping!

You could also download the basic edition of iMindMap, which is also free. iMindMap is the official Mind Map Software endorsed by Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Mapping, and creates beautiful, organic, colourful Mind Maps.

Learning Management Program

A ten step program divided into Four Sections that gets you learning faster and easier. The program takes you through four important stages:

• Preparation
• The Skills Needed
• Application of the Skills
• Keeping Sharp

English Grammar Mind Map Tutor

Having a good knowledge of English Grammar is essential for all learners, if your learning medium is English. If English is not your mother-tongue, then this is also a great guide for you. The Interactive Mind Maps allow you to add your own examples and thoughts, making you the centre of the learning process, which is the best way to learn.

Othello Mind Map Tutor

The first of our Shakespeare series, which allows you to learn Shakespeare in a unique, holistic and visual way, providing you with everything you need to know about plot, background, characters, themes and more...

3. Associate Authors

By sharing your knowledge, you can grow personally, help others, and even create a permanent passive income stream.

Take advantage of our growth and expertise in the Mind Mapping and Learning marketplace and start your own online business with hardly any capital outlay.

The concept is simple.

• You create the Mind Maps according to our strict criteria.
• We market and sell it.
• You earn immediate passive income.

4. Mind Map Tutor Blog

You can follow our blog by subscribing via RSS Feed, Email, Facebook, or Twitter to get regular updates. Most of the topics are also highlighted on our Facebook Page, where you can comment instantly and get great feedback from us and others.

You can now also comment on our blog using Facebook comments.

Some highlights from our Blog last month:

Using Mind Maps to Offload and Get your Head Straight

Mind Maps are great to simply 'offload', especially if you don't want to share your load with someone else.

Brainstorming vocabulary with Mind Maps

Are you learning a new language?

Using Mind Maps to plan future content

Also read this week's Newsletter Article on planning projects.

Why Education Without Creativity Isn’t Enough

We believe creativity is such an important part of learning and of success.

Mind Mapping your professional development

We should all have a development Mind Map

Make your thoughts visible with Mind Maps

Mind Maps are a good way to express your thoughts

Do you have a default learning style?

Is there such a thing as a default learning style?

Using Mind Maps to move ahead in your career

Some more great tips on using Mind Maps to get ahead.

And lot's more...

www.mindmaptutor.com Visit our Blog now for more inspiring articles on using Mind Maps.

5. Facebook page

Facebook is great for updates, as it is unobtrusive and you can give immediate feedback.

Please promote our Facebook Page to you friends and family.

It is a great way for them to stay updated with the latest information on everything you need to know about creating and using Mind Maps to learn faster and easier.

All updates to our site, as well as our blog, are posted to our Facebook Page, so you will always be informed of what's happening.

Make learning and using Mind Maps a part of your Social Experience. In this way learning and growth becomes a natural part of you life and stops being a laborious effort.

As information on Facebook is fed in bite size chunks and you only read what catches your eye, you are in complete control of the situation.

6. Twitter

I am very active in the online Mind Mapping community, you will get updates and links to important information as I come across it.

Twitter is the fastest way to get information into the market. If you haven't tried Twitter yet, give it a go. The great thing about Twitter is that you only have to read what you want to, as it just gives you the headlines. The information also comes to you, so you are only receiving information that you want to receive.

If you don't like the source - kill it, and it's instantly removed.

Twitter can be a great time saver to give you the information when you want it and how you want it.

We publish all of our Blog feeds to Twitter so that you can simply browse the headlines and only visit the page if you like what you see.

7. Focus of the month - Using Mind Maps for a Holistic Plan

Let’s use the running of a big project as an example. There are tasks to be done, deadlines to be met and a budget to meet. I’ve found that project management tools, while great for managing a project, don’t give a holistic view of everything. They allow you to manage timelines, tasks and resources assigned to tasks, but that’s about it.

When I run a big project, I usually start with a brainstorm Mind Map. I simply get everybody into a room, get a computer and projector and get everybody to start putting the plan together - Not the project plan, but a complete plan of what we are trying to achieve. I will use the same process if I have a smaller project; I just omit the projector and either do it by myself, or collaborate around my computer.

The well-known formula of What, When, Where and How is normally my starting point. To this I add $ (for the money bit).

This framework normally gets people thinking and often a healthy discussion takes place. While this is happening, I capture the decisions made on the Mind Map. It normally takes one session of an hour to get a decent plan together. People are often surprised by the result, as we often end up with a good picture of what we are trying to achieve, who is going to do it, how we are going to go achieve it, when it must be done, and where we are going to use our solution. Even a basic cost will be estimated during this session.

I then let this settle for a while and come back to the plan a few days later if possible. I then reorganise and ‘clean up’ the plan and then set up another session to revise what we had done.

This often leads to another wave of discussions and a more refined plan. The beautiful thing about the Mind Map is that people can immediately see the full picture. Often, we don’t go through the Mind Map in any particular order. This may seem chaotic at first, but it normally works out well, as all of the issues are interrelated and should therefore not be seen in isolation.

All of this is then put into the necessary project documentation, which can be very formal, or informal, depending on the size and cost of the project. Sometimes I run a complete project with Mind Maps as the only documentation and project management tool.

I feel that the main benefits of running a project this way, is the ability to see the whole picture and the collaboration that Mind Maps facilitate. Everyone feels a part of the solution and they start working with each other, instead of against each other.

If you are not using Mind Maps to plan your workload, start doing it now. Let me know your results and tell us your story. We will be only too happy to publish it for you.

8. What's coming...

9. Communicating with us

You can also comment on any of our blog posts using Facebook comments. The choice is yours.

Till next time...Focus on creating holistic plans!

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