One more tool

I was in a hurry last night and left one off the list.  If you are not familiar with mind mapping, I would strongly recommend Tony Buzan’s Using Both Sides of Your Brain.  If you can’t find the book, there is also a good description here.

Basically it is a technique of planning or notetaking that forces you to put the entire note/plan on one sheet of paper and allows you to more easily see logical connections.  The core idea is in the center and new ideas branch out from the core — with the goal to fill each branch with an idea “hook” that will help trigger your memory later when you review it.  Also, the map format allows you to draw connections between separate ideas and I have used it on a number of occasions to “connect the dots” on complicated ideas.

There are several sophisticated mind-mapping applications on the market, ranging from $100 – $350 at the moment.  These programs have a lot of features and can integrate with Outlook and Project, etc.  I have used the demo versions of a couple of them and frankly the one like the best in terms of (1) ease of use and (2) speed is Freemind.  And, it’s free.  Freemind does not have the integration of more sophisticated packages, but it is really easy — you can pick it up in about 5 minutes.  You can also insert images and tables and identify ideas with simple icons.

Here are a couple of sample maps I have used.

Mind Map of Framework Plan for University of Houston

A map of my notes of Art of the Long View.