Happy Friday everyone! Looking forward to the weekend? Here are a few links to keep you visually inspired!

• Getting Things Done (GTD) workflows: Mathew Lang has mapped out his GTD productivity process which he sums up as "A simple decision process that lets me quickly analyse and apportion my to do list in a quick and easy way."
   
  
   
• Stop Thinking!: Avid mapper Paul Foreman offers readers of Mind Map Inspiration a free eBook along with several others that cover uses for mind maps and hand drawn templates. Download copies here.
   
  
   
• Visual Collaboration: Steve Rothwell explores the collaborative process of mapping with colleagues in his post, mind maps as forms. 
   
   
   
• The Four Agreements:
  1. Be Impeccable,
  2. Don’t Take Anything Personally,
  3. Don’t Make Assumptions, and
  4. Always Do Your Best!
   
  Jamie Nast’s crew of talented idea mappers are at it again. Check out this beautiful mind map summary of Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, The Four Agreements.
   
   
   
• Map of Maps: The BiggerPlate map sharing community has posted their top ten most popular maps. I’ve posted a few up into the community and was pleased to see that one of them, "SWOT Analysis", has made the top 10. Of course, Luciano Passuello’s great work scored him 3 positions with "Getting to Yes", "The Now Habit" and "One Small Step Can Change Your Life"!  
   
  
   

About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter. 

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Map markers let you focus on topics that matter, separating the signal from the noise.

Over the last week, we’ve reviewed what map markers are, how to add them to topics, and how to select topics using the power select feature.

Today, we’ll explore a method using the power filter to show or hide topics based on their map markers.

Power filtering using map markers is an effective when you:

• Brainstorm: Markers can prioritize and organize ideas from brainstorming sessions. Add all your ideas onto a map, tag them with appropriate map markers (e.g. priorities), and then display the top priorities removing the distracting lower priorities from your view. 
• Manage projects: Use markers to prioritize assignments as well as track status and due dates for projects. Your filters can focus you on top priorities, items at risk, show tasks assigned to you or other team members, show items that have been completed or are still incomplete, etc…
• Deliver presentations: Deliver multiple presentations from the same map to different audiences with different information needs. I’ve used markers on a large master map to control which branches and topics are displayed for a specific audience group. For instance, I can keep an executive summary branch and then choose the content for the audience (e.g. sales, marketing, product, etc…). I keep all the data in one map but quickly customize it to show the ‘right info’ to the ‘right audience’.
• Export data. I’ve also used markers to filter out and hide information that I did not want to export. I applied a filter to display topics that I needed to export and then sent the data into Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.

Show or Hide Topics that Match Specified Markers

1. On a map with map markers applied…
2. On the View Tab, in the Filter group, click on Filter
3. Click Power Filter
4. In the Power Filter options, select the Marker(s) that you want to show or hide
5. Check Expand branches to show all matches if you want branches that contain matches to expand automatically.
6. Click Filter, and then click Hide Matching Topics or Show Matching Topics.

Here’s a time-saving tip: If you use filters frequently on your map, you can save the criteria as a query. This lets you apply a filter without having to open up the Power Filter options and take the time to reset the criteria. Save your queries in advance and then follow steps 1 & 2 above. Next, click Show or Hide to apply the filter query on your map. These queries are saved with your map so the next time you open it up, you can use it to show or hide information with just a couple of clicks.

Remove Filters

1. When a filter is active the Remove Filter command in the View tab, Filter group and on the Status Bar becomes active.
2. To remove the filter, click Remove Filter.

Keep the questions coming! Let me know what’s on your mind or what’s confusing you about markers. I’ll try to address all of them in the upcoming posts for this series. 

Related posts: 

• Map Markers: What are they?
• Map Markers: How to Codify Maps with Icons & Text Markers
• Map Markers: How to Use Markers to Simplify Map Editing

About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter. 

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Map markers let you quickly select related topics across your entire map.

Over the last couple of posts, we explored what markers are and how to apply them to topics. Today, we’ll use markers to select groups of topics based on matching map markers. I’ll explain how I’ve used this to quickly update many topics at once to visually represent status (e.g. highlight items completed or items at risk) and contribute to my team’s status report with content from my personal dashboard map.

There are two ways to select content based on map markers:

1. Power Select Topics that Match Specified Markers
2. Power Select Topics that Do Not Match Specified Markers

Let’s take a look at each method…

1. Power Select Topics that Match Specified Markers

I use this feature in a couple of ways: to perform mass formatting and to cut and paste topics into other branches or maps. Here’s a look at both scenarios.

As you may have seen in previous posts, I use dashboard maps to manage my GTD process, projects, and my life. Throughout my day, I will quickly update maps with notes and map markers but not mess around with other formatting.

Before I take a holistic review of my dashboard or share it with others, I’ll make sure that it is visually consistent by formatting topics & fonts to represent status (e.g. completed projects have topics that are green, projects at risks are red, etc…). This makes is much easier to scan a map and know where to focus. I update the map by ‘selecting’ topics that contain specific markers (e.g. ‘at risk’) and then apply edits to all of the selected topics at once. I change topic shapes, colors, font colors, font sizes, and more….

This process lets me keep massive amounts of data formatted the way I want without breaking my flow or taking lots of time to find and edit specific topics. I apply a marker and move on to my next task knowing that I can come back and update the map without exerting much effort.

Another way that I use this is to keep my team status report up-to-date. On a weekly basis, the product leadership team will meet and we all update a master team status map with our current projects, status, and any ‘red flag’ items that need to be raised and resolved as a team. I’ve simplified my process by using the Power Select feature to grab items out of my dashboard map and then paste a copy of them directly into the team status report. It takes just a couple of minutes to keep the team informed with the latest status for all my projects.  

Steps to Select Topics that Match Specified Markers

1. On the Home Tab, in the Editing group, click on Select
2. Click on the option Power Select
3. In the Power Select options, click on the box next to the Marker that you want selected
4. On the bottom of the Power Select options, click on Select and choose Select Matching Topics
5. If the option “Expand branches to show all matches” is selected, the map will expand to display the selected results

Once your criterion has been selected, apply updates as needed or cut / copy and paste them into other branches or maps.

Before Snapshot: No topics are selected

After Snapshot: Topics with my selected criterion (e.g. yellow flag map markers) are selected 

2. Power Select Topics that Do Not Match Specified Markers

You could also select topics that do not match one or more markers making it the inverse of the results mentioned in the section above.

You may want to apply the same type of reasoning to when or why you would use this Power Select option. For instance, if you want to copy all of your ‘incomplete’ projects, you can select topics that do not match topics with the ‘complete’ map marker. Or, you may want to cut and paste everything except for your ‘priority 1′ items into a secondary map. This is easily achieved by selecting topics that do not match priority 1.

Steps to Select Topics that Do Not Match Specified Markers

1. On the Home Tab, in the Editing group, click on Select
2. Click on the option Power Select
3. In the Power Select options, click on the box next to the Marker that you want to avoid selecting
4. On the bottom of the Power Select options, click on Select and choose Select Non-Matching Topics

Still have questions about Map Markers? Leave them in the comments and I’ll try to address them in the upcoming posts for this series. 

Related posts: 

• Map Markers: What are they?
• Map Markers: How to Codify Maps with Icons & Text Markers

About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter. 

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Using map markers puts you in control of your map!

Map markers let you codify topics in your map with visual icons or text tags. Specify priorities, % complete, categories, status, or whatever you fancy. Applying markers lets you add layers of context to each and every topic in your map.

An immediate advantage is that you can quickly glance at your map and take in a lot of data. That’s just the start. After you apply markers, it becomes easier to select, display, or hide topics that match criteria that you set. I’ll cover these capabilities in tomorrow’s post. For now, I’ll show you several ways to quickly add markers to topics in your map. Review these methods and pick one that works best for you!

Add Markers Using the Ribbon Toolbar:

1. Select one or more topics where you would like to place the Marker.
2. On the Home tab, in the Map Markers group, click Icon or Text Markers.
3. Select the marker you want to assign to the topic(s). Once a marker has been added, you can hover over it with your mouse pointer to see its meaning.

Add Markers Using the Quick Access Toolbar 

Quick Access Toolbar Setup: Right click on the Icon or Text Marker on the Home tab, you will see an option to “Add to Quick Access Toolbar”.

1. Select one or more topics where you would like to place the Marker.
2. On the Quick Access Toolbar, left-click either the Icon or Text Markers icon.
3. Scroll to and select the marker you want to assign to the topic(s).

Add Markers Using the Map Marker Pane

1. Select one or more topics where you would like to place the Marker.
2. Open the Map Marker Pane in the task pane
3. Scroll to and left click on the marker you want to assign to the topic(s).

Add Markers Using the Topic’s Context Menu

1. Select one or more topics where you would like to place the Marker.
2. Right click on one of the selected topics to display the context menu. 
3. Select either the Text or Icon Markers option and select a marker to assign it to the selected topic(s).

Now you saw four ways to apply markers into your maps: the menu, quick access tool bar, map marker pane, and the right context menu. What are you waiting for? Start marking up those maps!

In upcoming posts, we’ll explore tips on how to use, modify, and customize your map markers. 

Still have questions about Map Markers? Leave them in the comments and I’ll try to address them in the upcoming posts for this series. 

Related posts: 

• Map Markers: What are they?

About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter. 

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On Tuesday, I met with tech enthusiast and video / blogger / podcaster Robert Scoble to discuss how Mindjet MindManager can make you more effective in your work and life.

In what seemed like a heartbeat, we had wrapped up 45 minutes of video where we discussed a variety of topics exploring the power of visualizing your thoughts, when and where to use Mindjet’s software, some basic illustrations of mapping along with some highlights of some key MindManager 8 features.

Robert writes the column Scoble on Tech for Fast Company, works for Rackspace’s web technology news site, Building 43, and posts in his own blog, Scobleizer.

Last night, Robert posted our conversation and commented, "I’ve been getting more interested in mind mapping lately (the act of getting ideas into the computer). I’ve found MindManager from Mindjet to be the best software out there and I sat down with their evangelist to learn all about how to use MindManager and why it’s important."

Check out the video here and join the conversation on Robert’s Friendfeed.

Last week, I shared how to build maps faster by leveraging map parts. Henry Patterson commented:

• "I’ve been using MindManager for many years but only recently begun to use the Map Parts to create meeting and seminar notes quickly.  Is there also a means to use/reuse or save Map Markers, ie. Text Markers? I’ve found after using Text Markers like email:, phone:, or for an Alumni Map I created class year, to be really useful and tedious to recreate when I create a related Mind Map."

The answer, yes! And, it’s very easy to repurpose and reuse. Over the next few days, I’ll review everything I know about map markers. We will explore how to set them up, apply them, and how to effectively utilize them across your maps.

What is a map marker? Map markers let you codify your topics with visual icons or textual tags. They’re basically icons or keywords that add additional contextual information to your topics.  

Why use map markers? Markers transform ordinary information maps into powerful maps that empower processes and enable greater focus and clarity. You can use markers with your power filters to show and hide topics. This lets you filter out the noise and focus your attention on areas that need to be addressed or reviewed.  

When could you use map markers? There are infinite ways to apply markers! Here are a few:

• Projects: Track task status, priority, % complete, resources, etc… Flag issues, action items, milestones, and more.
• Brainstorms: Prioritize and categorize results. Apply filters to help you decide which ideas are the best.
• Meetings: Tag action items, priorities, decisions, and parking lot items that need to be revisited at a later point in time.
• Requirements: Mark priorities and track who submitted each requirements along with other key attributes.
• Dashboards: Add markers to prioritize, track status, and flag items that need attention.
• Presentations: Hide sections of a master map to create multiple variations that can be presented to different audiences eliminating the need to create different presentations for each group.

Stay tuned. Over the next few days, I’ll share how to customize map markers, quickly apply them to maps, share your marker lists across multiple maps, and finally, ways to use them to improve your processes and mapping techniques. 

Reader Feedback:

How are you using Map Markers? What interesting ways have you applied them?

About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter. 

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