The Underlying Blog

The Paradox of Blogging

Someone out there has to have written about the blogging paradox I'm experiencing: When business is booming/busy, I'm a sucky blogger. I mean not just mediocre but terrible. Some of you bloggers out there who work 80 hour weeks and still put up articles on the intellectual motivations of Fred Flintstone and management theories of Barney Fife... my hats off to you, because I seem to be falling short.

Another reason I think I don't blog as much as some of the other mind mapping bloggers is that I tend to think in terms of total systems to the Nth degree. When I start blogging about mind mapping in earnest in the coming months with deep content posts, I'll be coming from a position of having something more comprehensive to say. It's just not my personality to blog this cool mind map or that. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.

In the meantime, I want to refer you to some buddies of mine who are delivering great content to you, NOW. The team at VisualMapper.org, Wallace Tait & Arjen ter Hoeve, are giving away their ebook for free, and I'd recommend taking a look at it. They go DEEP into the subject.

Download the VisualMapper ebook today:

http://ebook.visualmapper.org/

Technorati tags: VisualMapper.org, Blogging Paradox, Barney Fife, Fred Flintstone, Kyle McFarlin, Arjen ter Hoeve, Wallace Tait

Business Case for Mind Mapping Found Before Big Foot!

I'm sick of the lack of awareness of what Mind Mapping can do for businesspeople. Day by day, workers/executives/entrepreneurs drown, and I don't use that word lightly because like shark attacks and bull running it scares me. They drown in a sea of e-mail, crappy bosses, projects, romantic affairs (what the *#$%?), operations, files scattered everywhere, PowerPoint Presentations, Excel spreadsheets, relationships, trips, family, American Idol, fried chicken, etcetera. Meanwhile, they get little in the way of tools that truly help them shovel their way out of hell.

In Chuck Frey's new book, The Mind Mapping Manifesto, he throws a harpoon right at the heart of the business world's ignorance of mind mapping, especially felt here in the US (Seriously Europeans, take a moment and savor how mind map friendly your nations are). And priceless is Chuck's new phrase of mind mapping: 'The Savvy Executive's Secret Weapon.' That's pimp.

According to Chuck,

'Not enough executives and entrepreneurs truly understand what mind mapping software is and what it can do for them. This is the best software you've never heard of!

So I decided to do something about that. I'm Chuck Frey, founder of InnovationTools.com, author of the Mind Mapping Software Weblog and of the popular e-book, Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software.

I've seen the impact that it can make on the work and lives of people just like you. Mind mapping software can help you to:

• Conquer information overload
• Make better decisions
• Reach clarity faster on key issues
• Become a more creative problem solver, and
• Supercharge your effectiveness

That's why I've written The Mind Mapping Manifesto - to spread the word about the productivity benefits this type of software offers, and to help you to make an informed decision about investing in it. In short, I've built the business case for mind mapping software.'

Well you go Chuck, and hopefully the thought virus you've created spreads. Hells bells, Chuck even encourages you to spread the book around to members of your organization, so I have to imagine the Barons of Linear Notetaking may be waking up very soon. And it may even feature some choice bits from everyone's favorite espresso fiend. This year, let's hope I improve at Halo 3 (has anyone written an e-book on how to enjoy getting your ass shot off?) and mind mapping finally starts to get the recognition it deserves as THE tool that will finally reconcile hippies and suits.

Discover more about the Mind Mapping Manifesto now.

Technorati tags: Kyle McFarlin, Chuck Frey, The Mind Mapping Manifesto, Europe, US

Before I get Stoned in Starbucks by Readers for Using a Computer

In my interview on the Personal Productivity Show, I took great pains to say that one day a week, you should get off of your computer and not work for an ENTIRE DAY. Hot damn and oops, I think I may have shot my big mouth off too soon about turning the technology off. Look, if your idea of a great Saturday is making some computer music or playing some computer games, more power to you... that's hobby, not work. The last thing I want to do is destroy your enjoyment of the one day per week you tell your work where it can go, so if I spoke hastily, my apologies.

And in a lot of ways this is a CYA (Cover-Your-Ass) blog post as I was talking about me above when I said computer music and games (Seriously, I do mind mapping for a living: What the hell were you expecting, running with the bulls and shark fishing?). So, before I get booed out of the local Starbucks, I thought I would give you the insight that my original intention in telling you not to work/touch a computer 1 day per week was since most of you are desk jockeys, the easiest way to free you was to remove the enabler, your computer.

Turns out, this angers a lot of us who have hobby-related stuff on our computers. So... If your hobby is on your computer, orders from headquarters are for you to go crazy with it on your next full day off. Just don't give me any BS about your work being your hobby as an excuse to work. Even if originally it was a mere hobby, it's now a full-time gig and you need a different hobby to keep from going crazy (or too crazy if you're already there). Further, if you love your work and do it passionately 60-100 hours per work, one day a week is needed for proper brain elasticity (I'm not a scientist, but the brain does feel stretched at times). Just make sure you don't check e-mail or do any work. Repeat after me, 'E-mail & Work can kiss my ass on (Day you take off) '. There you go.

I know I'll be hobbying it up on my computer this coming weekend, with e-mail and work kissing my rump the entire time.

If you have any feedback, please leave a comment as there's still a part of me that thinks the computer ought to stay off completely one day per week if for no other purpose than change of scenery. What do you think?

Technorati tags: Kyle McFarlin, Saturday, Personal Productivity Show, Email, Work

My Beehive from Hell Hairdo

Yeah, it's great that I came out against hair dressers whose hair looks like crap in a previous post about eating your own dogfood. Poor people, I found out today how easy it is to be negligent in an area of supposed expertise.

See, I went to see my accountant today (Sunday) and have my taxes done (Pipe down with the hypocrisy exclamation mark: Saturday is my Sabbath). And lo and behold, I'd done an A+ sucky job of systematizing my finances over the past year. I had everything we needed with me... it just took eons to find it all. Not that I'm a finance whiz, but I do tell everyone else to create Projects that turn into Operations - Processes... and meanwhile, I've piled crap onto crap in my own situation. The hell with eating my own dogfood, I need water wings as I'm swimming in the by-product. I made the damn VSS template set... I guess I could live by it in EVERY area of my business, not just those I enjoy (hello Marketing, hello R&D, hello Training & Consulting).

And God bless my accountant, who has given me what I feel is a framework to turn 2008 into the year I systematize financial processes like Lil' Wayne makes mix tapes. I'd give her a shoutout by name, but I haven't a clue if she wants to join this online freakfest I've created at the Underlying Blog. I'm a freakfest! Beautiful.

So, where are you falling short in practicing what you preach, and what is the next action you can take to fix it?

Tonight, my own dogfood smells like crap... tomorrow, I have to eat it. Me, I'll be process mapping some financial stuffery.

So the hypocrite rides again. I'm hungry, it's time for lucky charms.

That's life, and that's the way it is, and it's a good problem to have.

My my, I won't shutup. LUCKY CHARMS.

Technorati tags: Kyle McFarlin, Hair Do, Lil' Wayne, VSS Template Set, Mindjet MindManager, Lucky Charms

The Way of Rabbits or Philosopher Kings?

I've had this nagging thought over the last few years. If human progress keeps up its pace, and we don't do anything overly self-destructive as a species, there should be an abundance tipping point before Captain Kirk is born.

At which point, do we go the way of rabbits or philosopher kings?

(My Answer: Who cares, I'm going to Burger King.)

{not paid to say that but should've been}

Ponder that as it will be a couple of weeks before my next post.

Technorati tags: The Tipping Point, Philosophy, Kyle McFarlin, Visual Strategist, Humor, Burger King

YOU KNOW.... (I Don't!)

Recently I took some hard flak from Marc C who left a scathing comment on the interview I did for the Personal Productivity Show. And I'd be content to cry in my beer at the local pub, repeating 'you know' (and not knowing on repeat) until ESPN cuts to infomercials for the night, if it weren't for how right Marc C is.

I said 'You Know' just about every time I spoke in the interview! As I said in my reply comment, counting the times I said 'You know...' was like counting the number of times Tony Montana said the F-word in the inspirational, family-friendly classic Scarface (that was a joke if you're grabbing your keys to run to the video store to get junior something to watch).

I think it speaks to a larger issue however. We instinctively don't like criticism. I certainly felt like the jolly lord of jackass when I read Marc's comment. It's an interview I'm proud of, and here is someone pointing out a tick I trotted out after nearly every question. But damn, the guy is right, and I can either wither away and steam, or I can take his comment and be better for it, kind of the way Christina Aguilera used an ex-boyfriend to inspire 'Stronger' (full disclosure, I don't know if she actually wrote it).

So to Marc C, I thank you for making me better and to everyone else who cares to rip me a new one now and in the coming years. You have my pledge that I'll try to keep the 'You Know's to a reasonable amount the next I complete an interview: I'll be better and you'll be less annoyed. If anyone has the 'You Know' count from my interview, I'd love to hear it.

Go Kyle!

And lastly, how can you benefit from the free advice your critics are giving you? Doesn't matter whether or not you like them: The thing is, do they have a point?.... If they do, you just got better for FREE.

Technorati tags: You Know, Personal Productivity Show, Kyle McFarlin, Gyronix ResultsManager, Mindjet MindManager, Tony Goodson, Scarface

The Stork is Bringing a Visual Strategist Newsletter: Let Me Know What YOU Want to Read/See

Hi Folks,

Slowly and steadily, I'm working on the Visual Strategist Newsletter. Now, I've been accused of putting out the most comprehensive set of MindManager templates EVER, the VSS Template Set, so I'm not going to let my ego reign and just send you a newsletter I think is important (whole damn sentence was an oxymoron). I want it to be what YOU want, so please, leave a comment and let me know.

Sign-up for the Visual Strategist Newsletter now.

You see, the VSS templates are the outgrowth of my decade+ experience in knowledge management and mind mapping. Simultaneously, when I put them out last year as a free download, I had no idea how many of you were going to download them. So, it's a shared experience at this point and I simply cannot in good conscience send out a VSS-based newsletter that is hurled outward via my own tunnel vision cannon. I need YOUR input so I can ensure each time you receive an e-mail from me it's chock full of content that benefits you. Again, please bombard me with comments about what you want to see.

Kyle is a Dancing Bear

Need a Youtube video of me doing inverted cartwheels? Leave a comment. Need to know more about using the VSS Template Set icons to give you database-like functionality in MindManager? Leave a comment. Want video or written text? Leave a comment. Need a recipe for killer cheesy potatoes? Leave a comment and I'll tell someone who knows what they hell they're doing.

Sign-up now and be sure to download the free VSS templates while you're at it. It's all here.

And if you're feeling truly grateful for the hard work I do, you should pickup a t-shirt to support the Free T.I.! campaign, as my creative juices couldn't flow without the hits like 'Top Back' and 'What You Know'.

Sign-up for the Visual Strategist Newsletter now.

Technorati tags: Humor, VSS Template Set, Visual Strategist Newsletter, Mindjet MindManager, T. I., Kyle McFarlin, Cheesy Potatoes

Out of E-mail Hell

My buddy Craig Huggart of Techrest recently did an interview with Lisa Haneberg of Management Craft. For those of you not familiar, Craig is fighting the good fight, trying to get us all some more rest via skillful management of the technology apparatus in our lives.

You know, Craig's wraps his messages in hellaciously entertaining packages, yet I encourage you not to let the entertainment factor get in the way of just how serious Craig's points are. Personally, I've seen 4 to a table at a restaurant, each person on their own device, checking e-mail or texting or some other digital distraction from the flesh-and-blood sitting there in front of them. Scares the hell out of me to this day.

If you're drowning in e-mail and/or obsessed with it, this is 23 minutes well-spent:

Management Craft: Fireside Chat with Craig Huggart

Technorati tags: Craig Huggart, Tech Rest, Escape From E-mail Hell, Kyle McFarlin, Lisa Haneberg, Management Craft

MindManager Users, Live By the Following List

My buddy Chuck Frey just put out a list of massively useful tips on improving your visual maps in MindManager. These tips will change the way you map, even for advanced users.

Especially for any of you who are making a mapping project out of your holiday break:

1. Print the list out
2. Download the free resource at the end
3. Refer back to the list frequently

Here it is:

The Mind Mapping Software Weblog: The 8 best ways to improve your mind maps

Technorati tags: Chuck Frey, Visual Strategist Solution, VSS Template Set, Kyle McFarlin, Mind Mapping Best Practices, Mindjet MindManager

Look Mom, I'm on the Radio (and Now in Hiding for What I Said)...

It had to happen, it really did, didn't it:

I'm a Star! (FOLKS THE EGO HAS TRULY LANDED, PLEASE STAND BACK FROM THE CRASH SITE). Tony Goodson of the Productivity Show interviewed me recently... the same show David Allen, the founder of GTD, was once featured on!

Highlights include:

• Kyle's GTD: He's a heretic yet is mostly keeping his own dogfood down
• Mindjet MindManager: Pimp-out the interface 
• The World's most offensive rap album!
• Second Life: The new warzone
• GyroQ and ResultsManager: Pimp your productivity
• Top Tips for having Meaningful Relationships and Pursuits
• Get a Life

THE REAL QUESTION: How does a mind mapping guru end up talking about 'flying penises' and 'burping'?...

Listen now to the most exceedingly delightful, productivity-tip-laced, controversial Interview the mind mapping world has ever experienced:

TPN :: The Productivity Show » Blog Archive » The Productivity Show #34 - Kyle McFarlin (Visual Strategist)

Technorati tags: The Productivity Show, Kyle McFarlin, Tony Goodson, MindManager, Mindjet, Gyronix Training, Mindjet Training, GyroQ, ResultsManager, mind mapping, The Podcast Network