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| Information Overload 2008 is to be the year of information overload, according to Canadian research giants Basex. Each day we are exposed to 300 emails on our Blackberry; spam on our computer; instant messaging conversations; and heaps of tasks coming from phone calls, text messages and face-to-face meetings, often resulting in four or five page to-do lists. In fact, according to Nucleus Research, 2 out of 3 employees suffer from information overload and the average working person has 37 hours of unfinished work going on at any one time. But how do you keep on top of it without going crazy? Award-winning entrepreneur Caroline Wagstaff believes mind maps are the answer. She advises, if you want to cut down on stress, you need to say goodbye to traditional 'to do' lists, which are often dull, ineffective and depressing and say hello to the growing trend of people using visually-based mind maps. Mind maps are simple visual 'spider diagrams' used to represent words, ideas or tasks using bubble, pictures and colour. The result is an effective, fun, and versatile way to document, remember and prioritise your hectic life. They also stimulate your motivation and creativity making them an all-round life-changing tool. Caroline, who uses Mindjet's MindManager software to create maps on her computer is convinced they have changed her life; becoming a vital piece or armour in her business success. She explains: "Mind maps are heaps better than tradition 'to do' lists as they help you prioritise your goals and tasks into manageable chunks. "The visual aspect makes your top tasks memorise so you can recall info quickly in meeting. I discovered mind maps just before I embarked on my own business whilst still hold down a full time job. They transformed how I think and manage my schedule. I only wish I had known about them in school. Passing exams would've been so much easier because they are colourful and pictorial they are also less daunting to look at than pages of scary looking numbered tasks". Caroline is not alone; many famous successful business people and thinkers have used the concept or mind maps to generate hundreds of ideas and help keep track of goals and actions. Richard Branson who heads up the 250 Virgin companies uses mind maps to help him focus and remember ideas; whilst Einstein wrote hundreds of groundbreaking scientific papers using mind maps to organise his thoughts. Benefits of Mind Maps at a Glance Creating Mindjet Maps can help, and here's why: • Cuts down stress: as all information can be visualised on one page. • Improves memory: the visual aspect can improve your memory and thus you'll be able to recall tasks quicker, which is useful for meetings. Being able to recall what you need to do can cut stress significantly. • Helps focus: the visual impact also helps you focus on what you really need to do and saving you time and .energy. • Creativity: the organic nature of mind maps aids creativity and thought which linear to do lists block. For a free trial of mind mapping software visit this page. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Computing News :: home page |