Using MindManager to create a Financial Information Map

The map below is the one I use to get at all the tax and financial information I need to run my business. It contains links to government web sites and documents e.g. HMRC, VAT, PAYE. There are links to my company documents stored on my PC (they all link to a dummy document in this version) templates for dividends & minutes or the actual documents or copies of documents produced by submitting my VAT etc.

There are also topic alerts to remind me complete my next VAT Return or Corporation Tax.

There are links to my on-line banking sites. You will have noticed I blanked out the user names and passwords. The map I use only contains discrete reminders.

There is also a set of topics that maps out how to complete the PAYE processing required once a month. I can never remember where all that stuff is.

What is the benefit of this? One place to go to get at all my financial information and to add knowledge as I find it. If I could discover the way to get direct links in to my accountancy package they would be there to.

Click on the image to see a full size map. All the links to web sites can be clicked. You can download the MindManager map and some of the linked documents as a starter for ten for your financial dashboard.

A map of travel web sites, timetables and maps created with MindManager

This map is one of many maps I use to organise my business and get to information I regularly need quickly. Other maps link to documents and folders on my disk drive as well as web pages. They are all linked off a central map with topics such as Marketing, Sales, Clients, Competitors, Web Site, Promotion, Suppliers etc. I have a number of useful links on the Finance map which I will publish next.

The web export that produces a clickable imagemap (click the picture to get there):

• creates an image file, a clickable web page and a file with just the clickable image code which can be included in other web pages.
  

• creates a sub-folder for the linked documents,

• copies the linked documents to that folder

• and modifies the web page links to point to the document's new (relative) location.
  

This enables me to easily share a map and its linked documents by copying the clickable image, its html and the linked documents folder to a web server.

On the map you will see useful links for general travel in the UK, London and the bit of Hampshire I live in. If you want to use the map make the URL a favourite. MindManager users can download the map, delete the topics that are of no use to them and start adding their own.

The map download does not include the documents but the zip file created by the Pack and Go includes the map and documents. The topic links will work when you unzip the file.

Click this image to open the full screen and clickable map.

Using MindManager's Map Part - File Explorer to find lost folders

I just "lost" some folders when I moved them from one disc to another. In Windows Explorer you cannot see the folder "organigram". You can only see the the contents of one folder at a time. So hunting for the lost folders was getting a bit frustrating.

Then I remembered the MindManager - File Explorer map part. It also maps folders. My process was:

• Open a new map
• Open Map Parts > File Explorer
• Add an All Folders part
• Browse to the parent directory where you think they are "lost"
• The folder structure is added to your map.
• You can spot folders that have folders in them. They have plus signs!

Thanks MindManager now I have found where I "hid" the MindManager 2002 icons! Next time I must take more care dragging and dropping.

Using MindMananger and JCVGantt to create project plans

Last week I ran an afternoon session on using MindManager with JCVGantt to create a project plan. As preparation for that I wrote a 20 page booklet for the attendees but also to make sure I really understood the process. Writing what you think you know, really does reinforce your comprehension.

Creating a project plan that automatically recalculates: the critical path, resources used and cost; requires discipline when setting the model up. The project planning tools have no ability to make assumptions on behalf of the user. 20 years ago I used Pertmaster Advance to estimate project costs and give me a timeline. I remember being asked "Why are you doing this before we have got the job?". The simple answer is "How could I estimate the job without looking at the plan and considering what could be done in parallel, who could do it, when their and the clients holidays were?" The big advantage is when you have built a robust model and someone asked the really awkward question which throws the spanner in the works, you can make a few alterations to dates or people and the impact is immediately visible.



The guide takes you through a process which should create a valid plan. You can see it now as a web site. An Introduction to JCVGantt - Creating a valid project plan in MindManager - Transforming it into a Gantt Chart

Links to sources of information about MindManager

I have recently revised my hyperlinked map to a range of MindManager resources in Blogs, Forums, Add Ins, User Groups and other sites. I hope you find this useful in your applications of MindManager.

Of course if I have missed important links out, please tell me and they will be added.

There is a little bit of colour coding of the fill colour on the topics: Cabre links in green, Mindjet in pink and yellow for everyone else.

Using MindManager to create PowerPoint Slide Shows

MindManager can be used to produce a PowerPoint slide show. You just need to follow some simple rules about the transformation of the Title, Main Topics, Sub Topics and Sub Sub Topics, and the positioning of images. Click the map to see the full screen guide. It's a big one you will have to scroll up and down, and left and right.

Some quick tips:

• The central topic is the title slide
• Main topics are the slide titles
• Images in main topics are slide images
  
• Sub topics are the bullet points

But use MindManager first to think about your presentation. Create these maps:

• What does your audience want to know
• Research their needs
• Map out the presentation. Keep it simple. "Death by PowerPoint" is often stated phrase for a good reason.
• Map your speakers notes. Notes on your topics can be PowerPoint speaker notes but a good keyword map may be much more help.

Then practice it. Run through it in your mind when waiting for the bus or the plane.

If you switch to manual mode, you have complete control over how the map will be converted into slides. You can for instance include map snippets.

Also you can export via a PowerPoint template and get a presentation branded for your organisation or the people you are presenting to.