Stanford professors, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, are teaching a class and have published a book entitled "Designing Your Life," which helps those who are lost in terms of career or college decisions find some clarity by drawing a mind map.
In an article published by Business Insider, details on how the Mind Map works are explained. Not only can it help with coming up with creative ideas, but it also gets your brain working to help you filter out your thoughts and maybe expand them if needed.
Step 1. Start with a topic. What's the main thing you are worried or focusing on? Is it a college major, a new business project, or a new job, an English class?
Step 2. Put down some other ideas related to it, around five or six-word associations. Do not stop until you have at least three rings of words. Your ideas start becoming more specific.
Step 3. Pick out some words that stand out to you in the outer ring and encircle them. String those encircled words together to come up with an idea.
The purpose of the mind map is not only to visualize your thoughts but also to filter them out. There is a lot of noise in the form of thoughts in our mind, which makes for jumbled and even unclear thinking.
Drawing a mind map will not only help us find clarity but can also lead to even bigger and better ideas that we were not thinking about in the first place. If you are thinking of changing jobs, start with a possible job idea and work from there.
The example used by Business Insider is "English Class" and the result was a possible side job as a playwright for tween audiences. To see the complete mind map click here.
This is a writing and thinking exercise that can lead you to become more productive. For more ways on how to design your life, watch the video below and see Dave Evans discuss how to build a happy life.
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