|
1. Get your things done in NodeMind
NodeMind can be used in personal and business management, thus helping to get all things done using GTD method.
Peculiarities of NodeMind:
- creation of schematic processes and plans;
- manipulation with map similar to one with written notes;
- collection of work done statistics;
- storage of high-volumed information in the different map objects;
- attachment of files and hyperlinks to each object;
- making screenshots of map parts as .jpg files;
- printing of map parts on printing device;
- comfortable export/import of data to be interchanged among people;
- easy-to-use events-reminding system for each object (i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually);
- creation of huge but comfortable maps;
- safety of all data with respect to possibility of creating as many map copies as possible.
Why NodeMind maps are better than paper notes?
- amending of paper schemes is rather complicated process and sometimes even impossible;
- copying of paper data carriers requires a lot of resources;
- searching process in paper schemes is uncomfortable for a user.
However, it is possible to use both paper and NodeMind notes provided that the major planning and statistics work is carried out in the later one.
Let us examine the sample of GTD (Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen) work in NodeMind.
The GTD method rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of the mind by recording them externally. Thus the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate on actual performing of those tasks.
The Internet is full of different mind maps showing the work based on the GTD method. The usage of NodeMind 2.0 in this respect is more practicable, as it represents actual organization of all tasks. Therefore you are able to bring your stuff to the rights with the help of all program functions.
The following scheme is made on the basis of the GTD method. It describes procedure of stuff processing.
(Pic.1)
David Allen himself considers that this scheme represents just a general outline.
When you start implementing the GTD method, you have to solve a lot of organizational problems.
Let us look upon the following scheme part:
(Pic.2)
What is it?
'What is it?' means answering on the following question: 'What do you have in your stuff assigned for systemizing?' If it is a task then there is no problem, but if not? Systemizing of different stuff often concerns not tasks only. Your inboxes may contain completely different stuff like resources, skills, beliefs etc. What is the best way of systemizing different stuff? Of course, you may place all non-tasks into the 'Reference' section. However, if you plan to work with them, it is better to systemize them in detail by making a kind of scheme. If you do not have such a scheme, you can create it and start separating. The scheme will help you to intensify the whole process. Moreover, you are able to create new categories in the course of separating the stuff.
Trash
If stuff contains worthless material object then it's okay. But what is the best way of throwing out 'a thought'? To 'find out a disturbing thought, then analyze and systemize it in order to decide whether it is worthless or not and throw it out!' sounds great. But reality is that the process of getting rid of worthless thoughts is very complicated and requires specific personal skills, and sometimes additional consultancy. Let us suppose that when you work on very important project, some stray thoughts occurred in your mind. Are you sure that you are able to classify them as 'trash' so that to get rid of them once for all? Furthermore, to get rid of them in the way that they won't disturb your mind any more. You see that it is really difficult.
Let us follow the scheme.
The next part shows what to do with the systemized materials.
(Pic.3)
In real time there could be a real problem faced upon while separating the stuff. How this stage can be realized?
The process of planning includes the following stages:
- setting of a goal;
- visualization of an outcome;
- brainstorming;
- organizing; and
- defining the next particular action.
When separating the stuff, you may face upon vast tasks that do require the detailed planning. Do you have to make the detailed plan for each project one by one? The very brainstorming for each 'stuff' item can take a whole day. Thus you may process all your 'stuff' for months while other 'stuff' items may be just thrown out in the trash because of non-actuality as soon as you start examine them.
I do not criticize this scheme, but do confirm the author's words that this scheme represents a general outline only. To implement GTD method in practical, one should make a scheme on the basis of real working processes.
NodeMind 2.0 provides possibility to use this method in your real life.
I have developed the following scheme for organizing the whole stuff.
(Pic.4)
You start with processing of all your inboxes: tray, pocket PC, communicator, written notes and papers etc. Thereafter you are separating all the stuff for 'tasks' and 'non-tasks'. In general, the system means working with tasks. But what do you have to do if your inboxes contain 'a thought' impossible to be a task (it can be an informational resource, or just a reminder about material resource)? Let us separate all of them at this stage. And if it is a 'non-task', we follow the left arrow and make a note for this 'item' in the required section.
This scheme is actually a kind of information that helps to decide 'what to do'. However, you are able to change or amend such elements as lists, resources, projects that can be referenced to another map or use reminders about periodical events.
At picture 4 you can sea the 'Resources' section. I believe that all you have in your life can be referenced to this 'Resources' section. 'Material Resources' are notes made in the program; a kind of informational references on material resources.
Material Resources (in addition to the well-known material resources) can be the following:
references on documents available;
CDs and other media.
Informational Resources can be the following:
websites;
passwords;
e-mails;
tree of people in your life (contacts etc).
You have to allocate time for separating all your resources available. Why do you have to do that?
There are two major reasons:
1) for easy access to lists of resources available in the course of planning brainstorming process;
2) for permanent periodical review.
There are three major tasks for permanent periodical review of resources:
1) check for availability,
2) technical support;
3) maintenance.
(Pic.5)
Informational Resources can be the following: websites; passwords; e-mails; tree of people in your life (contacts etc).
It is recommended to amend each resource with information about its properties. Thus, when a specific life situation requiring some resource occurred, you may need additional knowledge in order to make a right decision. You may not have such knowledge or it can be fallen out of your attention. But you have the base of resources reviewed by you from time to time therefore you are aware about all resources’ properties.
Thus, I personally do recommend you to name all your personal material resources as 'Material Resources'. While the outworld objects that you do not possess, name as 'Informational Resources'. That does not mean the exact possessing of these resources but possessing of information about resources, their properties, contacts etc.
'Informational Resource' represents information about your colleagues, clients, shops etc.
For instance, you decide to go and buy a teapot. This idea can strike you either in calm atmosphere or in the bustle of working day. Information about a shop is your 'Informational Resource'. In case if you have not spent time for collecting in your data base information about the shop, you are currently not able to take into account some specific resource properties. So you go to the shop in order to buy a teapot and waste a lot of time because you find out that the store is closed at that particular hour or day. It is a simple example. However, you could spend much less time if considered all shop properties and taken a right decision. Is this the only occurrence of everyday life? How much time is being wasted not even on everyday routine, but on worthless tasks? …
Refer the outworld objects out of your possession to the 'Informational Resources' section. Analyze them and add information to their properties. It will help you both in periodical review of your resources and in making decisions in your business and personal life.
Now we go ahead along the scheme. If you decide that the stuff item is 'a task', act in the same way as described in the book: allocate the task in the 'Trash' or in the 'Someday Maybe List'. Please note that the 'Reference' section is not available here any more as it is considered to be a resource used in the working process.
If it is actionable, we go to the next scheme part.:
(Pic.6)
As we see at the scheme, we have to determine the project now. If it is a multi-step one, it requires planning. So we go to the right and determine if it takes less than two minutes. Please note that this realization is rather different from one specified in the book by David Allen. However, it is just a practicable base.
If planning requires less than 2 minutes, we do it now (in mind, if necessary) and go to the 'What is the next action' section. If planning requires more than two minutes, we defer it and the 'Next action is to draft a plan' (with the help of pen and paper). We add action 'To draft a plan' either in the 'Delegate it' (for someone else to do) or 'Defer it' section (for choice: 'Next Actions' or 'Calendar'). The list can be stored either in the program, particularly in the object with the monitor image:
or in the paper media. The only condition is to have this list in your review system sight.
As soon as you add a task 'To draft a plan' in the list, you may forget about it for a while and proceed with separating other 'stuff' items.
If task requires less than two minutes, we consider the next action 'Less than two minutes?' (see pic.6). If yes, we do it now. What if failed to do this task within two minutes? What if an action 'call to the shop and get information about the lamp' was failed as the shop telephone line was continually busy? In that case we check condition 'failed' and if confirmed, we go to the next stage with our two-minute task, and decide whether to 'Delegate it' or 'Defer it'.
Planning stages are shown on the left of the picture 6. The planning scheme is presented here for information only. It won’t be change within the working process.
To draft a plan for each project please use the ‘Projects’ map part or create additional maps.
It was noted that it is better to insert data only in the properties of such objects as 'Resources', 'Projects', 'Skills', 'Beliefs', 'Rules' and 'Tools'.
To store your lists please use object with the following image:
Nodes with image 'Organizer':
are essential and presented here just to remind you that the list is not contained in the NodeMind 2.0 base, but somewhere in the paper media.
For your convenience please separate all lists into special sections such as Home, Business, Shop, Pharmacy etc so that it won’t be a trouble for you to think of every task. Remember that these lists shall be presented in your review system sight.
You may store your lists in the program, particularly in object properties as follows:
(Pic.7)
Project notes can be added to this part of the scheme:
(Pic.8)
It is better to keep the project notes in this very map; however the detailed plans and schemes for huge projects keep in another map.
Informational schemes for such processes as review, decision making and fundamental ideas are presented in the bottom part of the scheme (see pic.4).
(Pic.9)
Informational schemes mean schemes that assist you with gearing up for work; therefore it is impossible to store information in them.
As you see at the picture 4, all schemes both working and informational can be kept at one field that is very convenient for the working process.
Informational schemes are relatively informational. You are able to amend them if necessary. Informational schemes represent a kind of algorithm to be used in the working process.
Please remember that the scheme presented at the picture 4 is not just a reference map. It represents actual implementation of GTD method for organizing your stuff. In other words, you work with this map in real time by adding your information and using in real working process.
It shall be the main map of your work in NodeMind 2.0, a kind of 'glue' between other maps (i.e. maps of projects, maps of skill development processes, maps of gaining new knowledge processes, biographic maps etc).
Maps of projects
Each project may have its own map where you set a goal, generate ideas, create circuits of possible ways to reach the goal, collect statistics, add data regarding this project and images for better visualization, attach audio and video files.
Maps of resources
For convenient work with all resources, you may create a special detailed map for any resource. Of course, you may store all information in the main map. However, if resource contains a lot of objects, it is better to create additional map for this particular resource and create a link to the resource map from the main map. For instance, you may need this additional resource map when drafting the 'Informational Resources' section called 'client contacts' provided that you have about thousands of them. These data can be divided into sections and sub-sections that can be presented as a tree.
Map of skill development and knowledge gaining processes
The list of projects in the main map may contain project called 'learn how to aviate' or any other project relating learning new skill, gaining new knowledge etc.
When learning something new you may:
- do not store the obtained information on the media (and lose more than 80% of information);
- store information on the media in the form of a text (but it will be difficult to reconsider data after a while. Besides, memorizing of any big text requires a lot of time and attention); or
- store it as a scheme. Visualization allows you to memorize all obtained information easily. Moreover, it clears your mind thus providing with thinking space for gaining new knowledge and processing existing one. This way of presenting information is called 'semantic networks'. Semantic network is a structure of presenting knowledge as nodes linked with edges.
Map of personal biography
Many people used to keep personal diaries and blogs during their lives. Many of psychological schools advise to make notes of everyday-life events. Map of personal biography will help you to memorize past events in the course of time and possess more detailed information about them. Besides, periodical review of biography helps to have a fresh look upon past events and reconsider some of them. It is also very useful tool for adjusting personal beliefs.
|
