Hi All ... been super busy, but have found a new way to create what I have been doing much more efficiently ... so I thought I'd share with all out there ...
Let me start with what I am doing ... I needed to create a multifaceted proposal that spans close to 100 pages of finished work along with integrating all sorts of informational pieces. This daunting task is usually a cut and paste routine with the layout either on a master sheet or in my head. Well, it started that way until I figured a MUCH better way to do this was to utilize MindManager to keep me going.
I started with a map similar to what I would do with an organizational outline on paper, define the sections, then flesh the content, then work on the pieces ... well, using a map, I was able to first do the overall layout (I easily manipulated the order of things, etc). Then taking the next level down I created branches for the content and did the same thing, rearranging the information into a good form with always an eye to the flow of the narrative and presentation. Finally, I went to the granular level and created hyperlinks to all the pdf's, spreadsheets, and docs that I was going to include ... then a final revision of the orders.
You can imagine that the screen got filled up rather rapidly (I even went out to get a larger monitor to accomplish this ... still too full) ... that is when I got the last inspiration. Take large production branches or sections and copy to another map ... then create hyperlink to original using the same title ... your big map contains the flow and the linked map contains the detail. I would then perform my work on the linked map. I usually produce pdf files of finished material, so I uses the export to word of the map, used word then to print to pdf once I like the look. Then I would remove the hyperlink to the finished branch and link then to the pdf.
Once I am all finished, my main map gives me all the pdf's that comprise the document of which I then combine for the finished proposal. Using this methodolgy I always have any part of the whole that I can concentrate and work on, always having active links to all things needed. This has made things so much easier to manage and the biggest bonus is not having to occupy the mind with mechanics of form, rather freeing it to do the synthesis of the ideas ......
