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Manage Holiday Tipping Using Mind Mapping Software

Feb 23, 2010
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The holiday season is the time of year when most people begin thinking about giving thanks to those who have helped them throughout the year. Whether it is a favorite deliveryman who always delivers packages early, or a manicurist who helps achieve the perfectly groomed hand, there are those whose services should be appreciated. Yet, the question often arises of how to manage and determine the appropriate monetary gift for each person whose assistance one has benefited from. A Mind Mapping software tool is a simple and effective answer to this question, because it allows users to “map out” a variety of information in an intuitive manner. With Mind Maps, tippers can organize everything from whom to tip, to how much, in one, neat, spatially formatted diagram. The Mind Map’s use of images and colors further allows the user to do so in a highly conceptual way, ensuring that no one is left off the holiday tipping list. Mind Mapping is therefore, an easy and creative solution to managing holiday tips for those to whom one wants to show gratitude.

What is Mind Mapping Software?

Mind Mapping software is any software that is used to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information. With Mind Maps, the key topic or main idea of the information being presented is represented by a central image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main idea are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central image, with subsequent themes of less importance attached by “child branches” or “twigs”. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information shown in a spatial, rather than linear, format. Moreover, along with the ideas shown on the map are images, visual graphics, and colors that the constructor of the “map” associates with each of the themes and ideas. Mapping out information in this manner is widely believed to allow the brain to process the information in way that is much more consistent with its natural functioning.

Organizing Holiday Tips Using a Mind Map

A busy individual, with Christmas rapidly approaching, finds that he still needs to give out holiday tips to those whose service he has benefited from this year. Not sure where to start, he decides to organize himself using a Mind Map. The man begins his Mind Map by, first, placing an image representing his holiday tipping in the map’s center. He now lists the names of all the individuals to whom he wants to give tips on “branches” attached to the central image. Having a set amount of money he wants to give out, he decides to divide the sum according to the amount of service each individual provided. Thus, on “child branches”, the man lists what service each individual provided and how often they provided it. He then approximates the number of hours each person’s service amounted to, and lists the number on “branches”. Lastly, the man determines the percentage of the total hours of service he received from each person, listing this percentage on more “twigs”. When he has finished his tipping diagram, it looks similar to the attached Mind Map.

Determining the Amount to Tip Each Individual

Now that the man has organized the services each individual he will tip has provided, he can easily determine the tip amount for each person. He simply gives each person a percentage of the total amount he intends to tip corresponding to the percentage of total service the individual provided. While the man could have figured out tip amounts using a standard linear list, the Mind Map made the process more conceptual and efficient. It was much easier for the man to follow his thinking regarding each person’s hours of service and tip amount using the colorful and spatial map diagram. In addition, the Mind Map format allowed him to organize the information in one document, rather than on several pages, as a list would have. The man, therefore, finds that he is able to think through and decide, rather effortlessly, the holiday tip amounts for everyone on his list. He can now cross from his task list, monetarily showing appreciation to those whose help he received off his holiday list.

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Plan Sightseeing Expeditions Using Visual Mind Mapping

Feb 19, 2010
Other Family Vacation Options

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When going on vacation, most people find it important to make sure they see all of the sights and attractions famously associated with where they are visiting. Unless one can afford to hire a tour guide, doing so can be a bit overwhelming; how does one manage to organize his or her trip in a way that allows him or her to hit every tourist’s spot, yet still have time to enjoy the vacation? Vacationers faced with this dilemma might consider Visual Mind Mapping to help them organize their vacation plans. With a Visual Mind Map, vacationers can “map out” all the sites and attractions they want to visit in one intuitive and spatially constructed map diagram. In constructing this diagram, vacationers can make use of visual images and colors to help them process and remember everything they want to accomplish while visiting their favorite destination. Visual Mind Maps can, therefore, help vacationers get the most out of their trip and worry less about ensuring they see the important sites they don’t want to miss.

What are Visual Mind Maps and How Are They Created?

A Visual Mind Map is “a means of organizing information that allows individuals to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information”. With a Visual Mind Map, the creator makes use of colors and symbols to construct the map and represent his or her ideas in a non-linear format. When creating a Visual Mind Map, the individual usually begins by showing the key topic or main idea of the information as a central image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main topic are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central image. Subsequent themes of less importance are then attached to these branches using “child branches”, and so on. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information presented that includes the images, visual graphics, and colors the individual associates with each of the themes and ideas.

Using a Visual Mind Map to Organize a Sightseeing Expedition

Consider, as an example, a family visiting Greece for the first time. They want to make sure they see all of the famous Greek ruins, as well as take in the local culture by visiting some famous restaurants. Hoping to pack the most into their 7-day vacation, they decide to organize each day’s activities using a Visual Mind Map. The family begins their construction of the map by placing a graphic representing Greece in the center of the map. Next, they list each of the 7 days of vacation on “branches” they attach to the central topic. Using a guidebook, the family then lists the sites they intend to visit each day on “child branches” that they attach to the “branches”. The family continues by listing the approximate times, as well as any special notes about each site, on “twigs” that they attach to the “child branches”. Throughout the map, the family uses colors and picture associations to make the information in the map more intuitive and easier to remember. When they have finished their Visual Mind Map, it looks similar to the attached Map diagram.

Taking the Visual Mind Map on Vacation

When the family arrives at their destination, they find they have no trouble visiting and enjoying all of the sites and locations they wanted to during their visit. Each day, the family simply consults their Visual Mind Map to see what they are supposed to do that day, and then follows through accordingly. The family could have used a traditional list to keep track of their site visits, however, doing so would have made managing their sightseeing tours more cumbersome. Firstly, the list would have been more tedious and difficult to keep up with. Secondly, the list would not have contained all the visual imagery and quickly recalled associations contained in the Visual Mind Map. Therefore the family would likely have had a more difficult time remembering what they were supposed to do without constantly referring to the pages of the list. The family was, therefore, able to enjoy their trip and make the most out of their destination visit through efficient and creative Visual Mind Map organization.

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