Visual Productivity

When you look at it, it just makes sense!

Productivity

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

My DIY Standing Desk

standing-deskI've been toying around with the idea of transitioning to a standing desk (AKA stand-up desk / stand up desk) for over a year. After making a few mock-ups to help me decide whether I wanted to go ahead, I finally decided to pick something up.

Why a standing desk?

I've owned a counter height table in the past, and really enjoyed using it to work on and practice speeches. I loved it, but it wasn't really meant to be a desk. We sold it, and I've been “reminiscing” about it for the past year.

There are plenty of people out there who would like to sell you a standing desk, but they usually start in the $300 range and quickly go up to $1000 and over. The obvious benefit of buying a “real” standing desk is that they're usually easy to adjust to suit people of different heights, and some can quickly convert from sitting to standing.

My Standing Desk specifications:

  1. Small Desk size (Enough room to hold my laptop, mouse, phone)
  2. Not “Completely Ugly”
  3. Portability would be an asset, but not absolutely necessary
  4. Reasonably priced (I probably need more than one)

[Read more…] about My DIY Standing Desk

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

The 3-Day Book Challenge – YMM #29

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3-day book challenge complete

I recently did a 3-day book challenge and I wanted to share the results with you.

I dedicated myself to doing virtually nothing else except working on my book for three days, and I'm happy to report that I made some huge progress.

In this episode we'll go over what I was trying to accomplish on each of the three days, and what actually happened.

Hopefully this will help as you prepare your own 3-day book challenge, or focus on new material for work, or whatever else you have in life that you want to see measurable improvement on in a reasonably short period of time.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • The iPhone app that I thought was silly, but actually helped a lot
  • My experience with transcription software
  • What I blamed for a dip in productivity… and no it wasn't the rain (but I “gotta blame it on something” Smile )
  • How many words I was able to dictate in 3 days
  • Some advice so you don't torpedo your throat as you're creating content
  • I'll map out the topic of my new book

What's in this episode:

2:09 – The Big One – The app that surprised me

4:28 – Setting up my 3-day book challenge

5:10 – Day 1 (Why I didn't use Google Docs)

8:27 – Day 2 (Some ways to protect your throat, what I got recorded)

10:38 – Day 3 (What worked, what got done, what's left)

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

Drafts app for iOS

Evernote

Koemi Machine Transcription – Say the transcriptions are 85%+ for accuracy. My results were around 75%. The pay as you go model is gone and now plans start at $99/month.

yWriter – The book writing software I use for my books (and for archiving)

Capture System Video – The 20 Minute Capture System Video I talked About. Good content. I talk about the 3 types of work, and the importance of a good capture system.

Share you thoughts on my 3-day book challenge

Feel free to leave your comments on my site. You can discuss this episode with the following link: http://YoureMakingMe.com/Episode29  .

I'll respond personally to your comments.

Make sure you're subscribed to You're Making Me:

iTunes

Stitcher Smartphone App (iOS and Android)

YoureMakingMe.com – Just the Friday Podcast

YoureMakingMe.com – Full Feed (1-3 posts/week)

How to Write a Book in 3 Days – YMM #27

Almost everyone would like to write a book some day. Unfortunately, that day never comes for most people.

If you want to write a book in 3 days, or are just wondering how to get your projects done faster, this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast can help.

Can you actually write a book in 3 days?

I go through a simple system (using all free software and tools) that will teach you what it takes to go from a prospective author, to  someone with a book in your hand.

In three focused days, with a little prep work, you can create the first draft of your masterpiece.

The goal is for you to finally complete that book that you've been threatening to write for the past X number of years.

In the Top X of a Topic section, I'll go over 4 things you can do before you start writing, including software, and then the specific 4 part process for getting down and finishing the book.

You can still learn a lot, even if you don't plan on writing a book right away.

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In this episode you'll learn:

  • How to write a book in 3 days (and no, not a junky book)
  • I'll tell you what the novel Frankenstein has to do with writing books fast
  • The little by little approach vs. blitzing
  • What you should be collecting for your book
  • How to find 3 days in your hectic schedule

[Read more…] about How to Write a Book in 3 Days – YMM #27