With Freemind, organize your business and your life…

I’m organizationally challenged. It doesn’t appear that way to friends and colleagues until people get to know me when I reveal “my process” – or lack thereof. Then, they are totally shocked. The problem is that I don’t think like most people. My mind jumps from thing to thing. I think if they’d known what Attention Deficit Disorder was when I was growing up, I would have been diagnosed. Years ago, I realized that if I didn’t have some method for collecting my thoughts in a non-linear way, I’d lose the ideas. It’s all about the good and bad ideas, right? As a freelance writer and photographer years ago, I captured ideas on 3×5 cards and kept them in a drawer until I had time to work on them. Often, I couldn’t find the cards, so the ideas were lost.

Freemind software tutorial from Bob The Teacher Jenkins — Traffic Mindmap top level hierarchy

Then someone told me about mindmapping software. “Mindmapping! What a ridiculous concept,” I thought. “How can someone map their mind – and in my case, who would want to.” Little did I know that mindmapping software would become one of my prime success secrets. But choosing the right mindmapping software can be very tricky and expensive if you’re not careful. With many mindpmapping software tools available, you can spend anywhere from $47 to $497 on tools such as:

iMindMap
Creately
Inspiration
MAPMYself
MindGenius
MindJet
MindManager
XMind Pro

The key is to get the tool that you need. And if you don’t need something fancy, Freemind – an open source, free mindmapping tool may be exactly what you need. Mindmapping is not the best descriptor of this tool. Capturing brainstorm is more accurate. Without a tool to structure and focus my tasks, I’m flailing at different things all day because I’m constantly brainstorming. The central benefit of a mindmap is speed and spontaneity. A mindmap reflects what you think about a single topic, which can focus brainstorming into actionable ideas. With Freemind, I jot down thoughts, projects, ideas, tasks and rearrange them into coherent step-by-step processes as they gel. Now, I use it for all kinds of activities like:

Personal coaching with my clients: I use it real time to work with clients via a webinar so that we organize and build out the goals and actions live so the client understands exactly what needs to happen before the next session.
Product creation: I outline features of a software or information product before I create it in a Freemind mindmap. Then I have a basic prototype that I can share with my own coach to get additional input.
Process improvement: Everything is a process. Going to the grocery is a process. Some processes need diagrammed and immproved. For example, creating a workshop like the Niche Affiliate Marketing System consists of multiple processes. I mapped each of those in Freemind.

Since I began using Freemind, I have made thousands of dollars both in the corporate world and in my internet business because mindmapping has become my first step. For example, every product I’ve created starts as a mindmap diagram. Each NAMS workshop is a mindmap first. Every corporate project can exist first as a mindmap. And every person on my corporate team now uses Freemind to “think” outloud. So, why haven’t I created a product to teach you how to use Freemind (a free mindmapping tool, remember) effectively. The answer is simple: Bob The Teacher Jenkins has already done that. If you don’t know Bob, he’s a great teacher. In fact, he was a classroom teacher for years until he realized he could teach more people using the Internet to deliver his lesson plans. Lucky for you and me, he’s teaching more than junior high history now. That’s why I invited him to be an instructor at the Niche Affiliate Marketing Workshop in Atlanta. I went through his training even though I’d been using Freemind for years (and thought I was pretty good at it). Man! I’m glad I did! He showed me tips and tricks that really extended my use of Freemind. Now, I’m even faster and more efficient in capturing my ideas, but more importantly, I can find those ideas and work on them at will. So, discover how to use Freemind mindmapping software to make sense of what goes on in your head and improve your productivity at the same time. You’ll be glad you did.

Outsourcing can make you drunk with power!

By David Perdew 1 Comment

Are you thinking about outsourcing your stuff?

You should be. I outsource everything…almost. Really! I’ve got a new twitter membership site that I’ve been working on since May. I outsourced it twice. The first time goes into my horror story file. And the second time goes into the “if-you-need-it-done-right-it’s-going-to-cost-you” file. But it was worth it too…

You get what you pay for is a pretty good maxim to live by. I love a bargain, but sometimes you just gotta suck it up and pay the professional.

But that’s not the point of this post. This is the point.

The number one question I get from people about outsourcing is this: What kind of things do you outsource? Well, I don’t outsource anything that has to do with my wife. Nobody else buys the presents or takes her to dinner for me. I don’t outsource anything with my kids, unless sending birthday gifts via Visa gift cards counts as outsourced gifting. If so, guilty as charged.

A coaching student of mine sent this link to a Moth storyteller who may have taken outsourcing a bit too far. I loved it and thought you might too… Warning – he says the “F” word twice. But it’s funny…

What does Memorial Day mean to you?

By David Perdew Leave a Comment

I hope you’re doing well and looking forward to a beautiful weekend. It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S. – usually recognized as the first true hint of summer. When I was a kid growing up in Indiana, it meant fun times ahead. School was out or soon to be – always worth celebrating. The public swimming pool in my hometown would open on this weekend and I’d beg my parents to drive me into town so I could meet my friends there – and please, don’t make me take my little brothers, I’d beg. Boy Scout camp would be in just a few weeks – the two weeks in the woods with my troop seemed like an eternity away from home, but I had so much fun…even with the poison ivy and the chiggers. And summer baseball – my first love – was in full swing until August when it got so hot, that my wool blend uniform hung on me like a wet blanket. The ball got heavier and heavier as the innings wore on until it felt like throwing a 10-pound weight to the catcher. The Memorial Day weekend was topped off with a ceremony at the public cemetery where veterans, bent and graying, stood at attention, saluting as a bugler played played taps in honor of those soldiers and sailors who’d fallen in battle years before just as it has been celebrated since the first Memorial Day after the Civil War in 1868. That part of the weekend took a back seat to the fun I was anticipating as a skinny 12-year old. But my dad – a veteran – dragged the family to the cemetery regularly. I stood quietly and patiently. And after the ringing of the bugle wafted through the trees bringing tears and memories to all, we all walked away solemnly. Today, Memorial Day means much more to me than just having a good long weekend sharing barbecue with family and friends. I’m a veteran too – 3 years, 8 months and 13 days in the Air Force during the Vietnam war, although I never traveled beyond Germany in my tour of duty. When I fly from my home in Alabama to Seattle regularly for business, soldiers returning home for good or for two weeks relief from a tour in Iraq surround me. Often the flight attendants ask that we let them off first when we arrive. Always…always, they are escorted off with gratitude and applause. While driving into town this morning, I was listening to our new President Barack Obama giving a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. As he spoke of the new crop of ensigns and lieutenants who had committed their lives to our defense and national service to ensure peace first and national security, he said that they had chosen a life of sacrifice that most Americans can’t imagine. I got tears in my eyes. I wasn’t overcome with emotion by the speech nor the man although I admire him greatly, but the sacrifice…and my two boys.

Ryan and Matt in uniform

Matt, 31, is serving his 11th year of service, now stationed in Alaska as a full-time member of the Alaska Air National Guard where he transferred to pursue a commission after 10 years in the U.S. Air Force. Ryan, 29, is in his third year as a Naval petty officer on a submarine at sea hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean most of the time. These are my boys – the same boys who celebrated past Memorial Days long ago with soccer tournaments, baseball games and outings to the movie theater for the first of many summer blockbusters with their dad. These are the same boys who, at times, made me wonder if they’d ever grow up to become responsible contributing citizens; the same boys that brought pride and joy with their sensitivity and devotion to friends, family and each other. And now they serve selflessly to protect us in any troubling situation – domestic or foreign. Am I proud? You bet. Never more proud, never more devoted. So, if you need to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day in this country, think of my boys – Matt and Ryan. If you served, thank you. If your father or mother served, hug them. If you are in another country and you serve the cause of peace worldwide, thank you. And if you want to share that gratitude with your friends and family, feel free to forward link to them. Peace & Prosperity! David Perdew

I took the flight from hell to get to Willie's Birthday Bash…

By David Perdew 17 Comments

As you may know, I’ve been traveling a lot lately. I spend a lot of time in Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle. Tomorrow at 6 a.m., I head to the airport to go to Willie Crawford’s Birthday Bash in Orlando. (I hope to see you there 🙂 And if you’ve heard me talk, or read enough of my writings, you know that I’ll pretty quickly get around to the spiritual side of things. I truly believe that we attract what we get and create much of our lives by the way we live, what we believe and the actions we take. So…I need your help. In my travels this week, something happened that I just can’t figure out. I told this story to my friend Martin Sabel (Mr. Eldercare) today and he said, “Okay, Dave – what’s the positive thing that comes from this?” I don’t know. I’m not sure I have to know. But it sure is puzzling. There’s nothing for sell here. This is just an experience that I can’t figure out. This week, I flew to Seattle on Monday. When I booked the ticket, the flight was nearly full and only middle seats in the back of the plane were open. I couldn’t do it. So, for the second time in life, I took the plunge and upgraded to First Class. It cost me 30,000 points and $150, but I was sure it was worth it. The flight out was great. I got a lot of work done in my spacious seat and really enjoyed the warm nuts and the grilled chicken salad I had for lunch. (And I tried not to think about the $150 meal…) On the return, it was the worst flight experience I’ve ever had. Still in First Class, I checked in at the airport about 5 p.m. PT to sit in a WI-FI area and work until 11:30 p.m. when my flight was scheduled to leave. At 1:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m. where I was headed), the flight took off – packed to the gills as predicted. In my aisle seat (5b, this is important), I found myself sitting next to an older woman (probably my age) and she wanted to talk. I did not. I wanted to sleep. The guy across the aisle from me was already at it…eyes closed, mask on, blanket up…sleeping like a baby. But I also noticed something was weird with my seat. It was like the cushion had been worn through and shorten. My butt seemed to sit on metal while the cushion was rolled up under my thighs cutting off the blood circulation actually causing my legs to go to sleep. Whatever, I thought. I’ll be asleep soon. So when the attendant, Scott, came over to ask if we wanted anything to drink, I said no, “I’ll be asleep before we leave the runway or I’ll be really disappointed.” I made sure the woman heard me. With my eyes closed, I was asleep in no time. But I heard something and felt someone slapping my leg. It was the woman bent over coughing, red in the face, and looking a little panicked. “Do you need water,” I asked. She shook her head yes. I motioned for Scott. Then the woman passed out. Went completely limp. She looked completely dead. I shook her…nothing. No response. Scott arrived and said, “Oh, my God.” He reached across her, shook her and yelled, “Lady, stay awake…lady…wake up.” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back (I’m still sitting in my seat, she’s against the window, Scott’s reaching across me…) and he flips her back. She’s limp, dead weight slumped in the corner of the seat against the window. He asked me to step out. I did. Scott shakes her, telling her to wake up and she does…just a bit…like she’s drunk. But I know that wasn’t the case – it had only been about 20 minutes since we took off. Slowly, she begins to come back and Scott says, “Uh-Oh.” She’s vomited all over the floor in front of her and next to me. He looks at me and says, “Is that your bag?” “Uh-huh,” I nod. “You’d better get it out of there before it’s too late,” he said. Scott runs off to get stuff to clean up everything and a couple of plastic bags for her. I stood in the aisle for about 20 minutes while he and another flight attendant cleaned up the scene and worked on her to keep her lucid. Scott then offered me the jump seat – that’s the little fold down seat in the front galley by the door. The first thing I do is sit down and rest my arm on something on the wall. It’s dark. I’m tired. The woman sitting next to me looked dead…wierd night, right? Scott comes in and says you don’t want to put your arm on that. I look and it’s the latch to the door I’m resting my arm on. After about 45 minutes, he says, it’s safe to go back if you want. It’s up to you. I think about it for another 10 minutes and realize there’s no way I can sit in the jump seat for another 3 hours with my knees pressed against the opposing wall and my back straight as a ramrod. So, I return to 5b and take my place. The woman looks up a bit…just enough to confirm that she looks like death warmed over…and says, “I’m sorry, sir.” “Don’t worry about it,” I said. And I wanted to say “It happens” but I didn’t because I’d never heard of this happening before. I close my eyes, my legs aching and squirming from the uncomfortable seat…and the woman starts coughing and retching again into the bag Scott has given her. If I could have moved any further into the aisle and still remained in my seat, I’m not sure how. That went on for the next three hours. I was the second one off the plane as it dumped us into Dallas. I’ve had a 90 minute layover, no sleep and it’s now 8:10 a.m. central time. I’m still in First Class and my ticket says 4b. Good. I’m closer to the door…in and out. That’s what I want. Because when I get to Birmingham, I still have a 2 hour drive to Atlanta. This is the exact same type of plane that we flew from Seattle. As I walk into the plane bound for Birmingham, I look for 4b. It’s on the right side of the plane. Something’s wrong because I sat on the left side of the plane on the flight from hell. You guessed it. I had been sitting in the wrong seat on the flight from Seattle. I wasn’t even supposed to be there. I was supposed to be where the guy who slept the entire night was – across the aisle. He had my seat. So I took his not even thinking that it might have been the wrong one. So, just before I closed my eyes to get a 90-minute sleep while I sat in 4b, I asked myself “Why?” Martin – I can’t think of a thing positive about that experience. But I don’t have to have the answers, I know. The positive thing may have been something I’m not privy too, but in any case… I’m one tired cookie writing this note. Signing off now. If you have any ideas about “Why?”, I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment below.