Using Mind Maps at Work...

Using Mind Maps at work will not only transform the way you work, but also introduce a fun element into your daily grind.

Mind Maps naturally combine both the left-brain, structured side, and right-brain, creative side. By combining both these sides at work, you will ensure that you are using your whole brain at work and not just a small fraction of it.

Read further to see some of the ways you can use Mind Maps at work. The list is by no means complete, but it gives you a good indication of how using Mind Maps at work will give you the edge to stand out in the crowd.

Mind Map your skills

By using Mind Maps at work to explore your skills, you ensure that you start with the most important person in your life - YOU! Mind Maps allow you to get a holistic picture of yourself and also allows you to focus on any special skills that you may have. By doing so, you can hone those skills to give you an advantage in your career.

Some of the things that can go on your skills Mind Map are:

• Experience
• Knowledge
• Goals
• Special Skills
• Personality
• Etc...

By using Key Words like these to drive the main branches on your Mind Map, enables you to build a complete picture of yourself on a single page.

This can then be taken further by using it to guide you in building a C.V. (Resume). Not just any resume., but a Mind Map Resume. Don't be afraid to send your Mind Map C.V. with your normal, linear one. These days C.Vs have a similar, structure format, which is supposed to make it easier to read. The result though, is a C.V. that looks boringly similar to every other C.V. Imagine a prospective employer receiving a colourful, organic Mind Map of you as a covering page to your C.V. Do you think you will be noticed?

Some things you can put on a Mind Map C.V.:

• Central Image of yourself
• Education
• Skills
• Experience
• Interests
• What you can do for the company
• What the company can do for you
• Etc...

Mind Map your career plan and invest in yourself

Very few people have a career plan. This is one of the most innovative areas to use Mind Maps at work. If you were asked in an interview where you wanted to be in five years time, what will you answer? This question comes up more often than you may realise.

By having a Mind Map that maps out your future plans, makes answering a question like that a breeze.

Using Mind Maps in your career building process, makes you become creative and focus on what you really want. It allows you to put passion into your plans, allows you to dream and finally land that dream job.

While having an ambitious plan my help you, we suggest that you go back to basics and start investing in your own growth and potential.

You do this by putting together a Lifelong Learning career plan which will ensure that you always have a competitive advantage in the workplace.

Instead of building a complex career plan, simply increase your net worth by investing in yourself.

Mind Mapping for an interview

If you are looking for a job, what better way is there to use a Mind Map to prepare you in not only finding the right job, but landing it?

Using Mind Maps to brainstorm the type of job you would like, will make the job hunting process more focused and, more importantly, more fun.
You could use Mind Maps to decide on what you would like in a job and what you wouldn't like. It can show you what you are willing to compromise on as well.

Imagine coming prepared for an interview with the following Mind Maps:

• A Mind Map of the company
• A Mind Map of the job itself
• A Mind Map of interview questions
• A Mind Map of what you can do for the company
• A Mind Map of what the company can do for you

Researching and preparing for an interview is vital, especially if it is a career that you are after. These days, with the Internet, you could gain lots of insight about the company from their website, blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter and even News items. Simply go to a search engine, type in the company name and start Mind Mapping!

Now that you have landed the perfect job, let's see how you can use Mind Maps at Work.

Mind Map Time Management

Using Mind Maps for Time Management can radically change the way you manage your time. Time management is a much about managing yourself as it is about managing your time.

If you have ever used 'To Do Lists' and been unsatisfied with the result, then you really have to explore Mind Map To Do Lists. 'To Do Lists' are a necessary evil for ensuring that you get done what needs to be done. By using Mind Maps for your To Do Lists, you will have a holistic picture of what needs to be done, why it has to be done and by when it has to be done.

Planning with Mind Maps

Mind Map planning can once again give you a holistic picture of your tasks at hand. You can also easily build a weekly, monthly and even yearly plan with Mind Maps.
Using Mind Maps for planning will make things less tedious and do away with endless notes and documents.
Here are some of things you can plan with Mind Maps:

• Business Plans
• Marketing Plans
• Planning your time
• Planning your progress
• Planning growth
• Setting milestones
• And much more...

Mind Map SMART Goals

Mind Map SMART Goals to create a work-life balance by putting all your high level roles and goals on one page. By having your roles and goals mapped out, you will have a holistic view of not only your work, but your life.

We have a special way of creating goals, called SMART goals. This acronym was first used in the project management discipline, but can be used to plan just about anything.

Combining Mind Maps with SMART Goals, enables you to build a clear vision of your goals. You could also use it to build a vision board, which is a graphical representation of your vision and goals. Looking at this daily will start to program your subconscious mind to put a plan in place for you to achieve those dreams.

Mind Map your presentations

Using Mind Maps for your presentations can be done in two ways. You can use them for the actual presentation or you could simply use them as speaker notes for your presentation. You will find that presentations and speeches are more natural if you speak from a Mind Map. Using Mind Maps in your presentations will prevent you from 'reading' your presentations. It will also prevent the notorious 'death by Powerpoint' presentations.

If you have Mind Map Software, you can export Mind Maps as images and place them into Powerpoint. You could also do your presentation directly from the Mind Map Software.

If you only have flip charts, or a whiteboard, you could build the Mind Map as you go along. This is often very impressive, as you start with a 'blank sheet' and end up with a complete Mind Map. If you use different colour pens in your Mind Map, it will be even more impressive.

Whatever route you choose, using Mind Maps in your presentations is definitely one of the most impressive ways of using Mind Maps at work.

Using Mind Maps to solve problems

A Mind Map is a great problem solving tool. It enables you to look at a problem from all angles. Edward de Bono introduced Lateral Thinking to help with thinking and problem solving. Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Maps, introduced Radiant Thinking. By combining the two, you get an unbelievably powerful thinking and problem solving toolset.

These are just some of the ways of using Mind Maps at work. We are continuously adding different uses and examples of using Mind Maps at work, so go ahead and start using them at work and see the results. We look forward to your comments on how Mind Maps worked for you.

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