Visual Productivity

When you look at it, it just makes sense!

Podcast

What Happened On The Way To My Flu Sniff – YMM #39

flu-shot-lineupSo, I took my family to get the flu shot a few weeks ago.

You may be wondering what that has to do with you?

Maybe nothing, but if you're interested in learning how to improve your results, why not stay for a while and give the podcast a listen.

In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast, I'll tell you a pretty good story (if I do say so myself), and go over some ways that my less than stellar experience, can help you to avoid the pain of being unprepared for a spike in demand.

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In this episode you'll learn:

What You Can Learn From My Starbucks Schmoozing – YMM #38

coffeeThe other day I went to my local Starbucks and was served by a guy who showed me that the art of customer service is not dead.

I'm also going to show you how my experience connects with a book I just finished reading.

Anyway, the story is pretty neat, so check it out. It's short too (about 9 min) so you can listen to it as you continue browsing.

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In this episode you'll learn:

  • What happened during my 9:08 PM trip to Starbucks
  • Why my car almost had a hot chocolate bath
  • When the videos for the XMind Bonuses will be released
  • Two things this guy applied perfectly from a book I just read
  • What's coming up next episode

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

The Book: Mr. Shmooze: The Art and Science of Selling Through Relationships

XMind Bonuses – If you buy XMind through my link, I'll hook you up with all of the bonuses.

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This article was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

Image Credit: humusak2

Getting Started With Mind Mapping – Part 3 – YMM#37

mind-mapI sit down again with Greg Gazin to put him through the paces with XMind. We'll go over setting up an XMind capture system, and how to translate those ideas into goals you can take action on.

I've also added more content to the FAW (Follow Along Workbook), so that's definitely worth checking out.

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In this episode you'll learn:

  • Why Greg says Visual Thinking is “Unnatural”
  • Why it's important to separate the mind dump from the organization
  • The special sheet I use to maintain focus
  • My top business goals for 2014
  • MEGA Productivity includes the 45 minute goals workshop
  • Which new bonus I'm added to my Visual Productivity eBook

[Read more…] about Getting Started With Mind Mapping – Part 3 – YMM#37

Great Ideas is a Numbers Game – YMM #36

great-ideas

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Coming up with great ideas is a numbers game. In this episode of the You're Making Me podcast I'll explain exactly what I mean and give you a real world example of how this can apply to you.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • One of the big things people challenge me on (Sorry, but I'm right)
  • What's different about the new coffee shop in town
  • How I'm getting a friend to use the “Numbers Game” for his new book
  • An update on Visual Productivity if you're considering buying XMind through me. [Read more…] about Great Ideas is a Numbers Game – YMM #36

XMind Promo Goes Live, and Answering Questions – YMM #35

xmind-promoI'm happy to announce that the XMind Promo, where you can get 3 free bonuses from me, is up and running. When you buy XMind through my link, I'll throw in the bonuses at no extra cost.

I'll also cover some questions from listeners (like how to deal with mind maps when they get too big) and I'll fill you in on the latest XMind Cheat Sheet videos.

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In this episode you'll learn:

  • Which is better: pretty or functional mind maps?
  • 3 ways to deal with really big mind maps
  • What's coming up in 2014
  • How to get your hands on the bonuses from my XMind Promo

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

XMind Promo (With Bonuses) goes live: https://visualproductivity.net/get-xmind/

Latest XMind Cheat Sheet Tutorials: I'm just finishing up the Mind Toolbox tutorials (Relationship, Boundary, Summary, Labels, Markers, Notes, Drill Down). They should be up by the weekend.

yWriter – This is the program I use for writing books and for storing info on my computer. Here's a link to a blog post I did on it including a video tutorial.

Get your copy of the XMind Cheat Sheet (It's free)

If you're interested in productivity, you should definitely check out my XMind Cheat Sheet. It's a mind map (using XMind, which is also free) and it's crammed full of tutorials. Every tutorial has a YouTube video to go along with it, so you can choose the method of instruction.

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Every podcast episode has a link setup to get you there quickly. The link to today's episode is: YoureMakingMe.com/Episode35/

Getting Started With Mind Mapping – Part 2 – YMM #34

getting-started-with-mind-mappingIn this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast, I talk again with Greg Gazin about implementing a Mind Mapping strategy into his workflow.

We go over how to organize your mind map, some of the key features to be productive right out of the gate, and details on the XMind template you can use to follow along with the series.

I'll also talk a little more about the new XMind Cheat Sheet. It's looking great, and it's available for download.

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Other items mentioned in the podcast:

[Read more…] about Getting Started With Mind Mapping – Part 2 – YMM #34

The Book, The Podcast, and The Freebie – YMM #33

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family-vacation
In this podcast episode I want to talk about what I've been up to over the last few months, and why you haven't seen a podcast episode recently.

I'll also let you know about my upcoming book, and the new freebie.

We'll be back to the regular podcast format next time.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • About my new standing desk
  • The title of my new book
  • What to expect during upcoming podcast episodes
  • How to get my new freebie
  • The deal I've made with XMind to get you bonus stuff from me

[Read more…] about The Book, The Podcast, and The Freebie – YMM #33

Getting Started Using Mind Maps – YMM #32

Getting-started-using-mind-mapsIn this episode of the You're Making Me podcast I'm speaking with Greg Gazin about the why's and how's of using mind maps for business and personal productivity.

As you might already know, I recently did a 3-day blitz and completed a book on mind mapping (YMM Podcast #29).

Now, I'd like to expand on that, so I've enlisted Greg as my guinea pig, and I'm going to put him through a series of exercises using mind maps in order to streamline his workflow and make him more efficient doing work he's already good at.

This series will take us from introducing the concept of using mind maps, all the way through to a finished Solution for Greg's business.

I'll make a mind mapping template (on XMind) available for the next episode, and then I'll keep adding to it, so you'll be able to follow along with what we're doing, and so you can start using similar techniques in your own life.

Items mentioned in the podcast

XMind dowload page

Kevin's YouTube video reviews on different mind mapping software

About Greg

Greg Gazin, a technology columnist, speaker, and serial entrepreneur. You can find more information on him at gadgetguy.ca.

It’s Time You Get a Go Bag – YMM Podcast #31

go-bagI live in Alberta Canada, and right now we're having some tremendous flooding. Thinking so much about this emergency situation illuminated some of the ways that disaster preparedness techniques can transfer over to my business and personal life. One of the tools that came to mind was the Go Bag (AKA bug-out bag or 72-hour bag).

Be prepared when opportunity knocks

One of the easiest ways to be more successful is to make sure you're prepared when opportunity knocks.

That's obviously pretty simplistic, but success comes from doing the basic things well, as long as you do them at the right time.

Since part of success is having the ability to jump on opportunities quickly, a Go Bag would be a great tool to keep in your arsenal.

What's even better is the fact that you're probably already using Go Bags, but just haven't used a cool name to describe them. If you ever go camping or have kids, you might be doing it without thinking.

In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast, I'd like to show you some opportunities to take this idea to the next level.

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Items mentioned in the podcast:

[YouTube] Tripod Adapter

[Amazon] i.Trek SUPER MOUNT F, Metal Smartphone Tripod Adapter

[YouTube] Edutidge Video

[Amazon] Edutidge Microphone / 4′ Extension (with lapel clip) / Extra 6′ cable

[YouTube] Square Register

Outlet Adapter

Join the conversation

You can let me know what you think by visiting YoureMakingMe.com/Episode31 .

Make sure you subscribed to You're Making Me, to stay up-to-date with all the latest topics.

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Image Credit: Sarej

Get Organized – YMM #30


get organizedWouldn't it  be nice if you could take all the info you're collecting and finally get organized?

If you're like most people you probably have a ton of information coming in and you've got nowhere to hide.

In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast we'll go over some simple ways to get organized and deal with the information deluge you're experiencing.

The “Shiny App” myth

When I talk to people about productivity and time management, one of the biggest things that comes up is the belief that there's a magic app out there that will instantly solve the problem.

I've been fighting against this for a while, but if you look at most time management blogs, that's all they talk about. They say, “Buy a $3.00 app and solve all your problems for life.”

I completely agree that apps CAN be important to a good system, but they don't make the system.

That's why today, we'll look at how you can get organized… and I'll throw in some app references to whet your appetite Smile.

With a bit of a plan, and a minimal amount of effort on your part, you can you can jump from 0 to light-speed in your quest to get organized.

Listen to the podcast:

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In this episode you'll learn:

  • What potato chips have to do with a powerful system
  • The difference between an app and a system
  • Which new feature I've added to the “Top X of a Topic”
  • Why anyone using email and Word Docs to organize should run for cover
  • Why using IFTTT.com could actually be hurting your productivity

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

yWriter5 download (It's free, but why not donate a few $$$)

Evernote

Mega Productivity

Let me help you get organized

If you've enjoyed this episode, why not head over to YoureMakingMe.com/Episode30 to continue the discussion.

I would also love a positive rating on iTunes. I'll try to read all of my 5 star ratings on the show.

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Image Credit: bizior