An important element of personal productivity is a proper mindset (others being physical activity, good health and enough sleep). Mind is a powerful thing, and it controls actions you take or whether you take any actions at all.
In fact, productivity is a state of mind; an attitude that you form in your mind to take action to improve.
Where does visualization fit into all this? Into preparing you (or your mind) to become more productive?
Visuals Help You Focus Better
Human beings are wired to respond to and process (60,000 times faster than text) visual data better than any other type of data.
Say, before you are a photo and a detailed description of what’s on it; in trying to read them, wouldn’t you find it easier to concentrate on the image than the description? This is because 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and naturally it helps you maintain better focus.
Comprehend Concepts Better
Take the example of the image and its description again. Which one would you understand better? At a quick glance, you’d be able to identify what the image represents, but it might take you a while to read and understand the description.
Memorize Information Better
Colors, shapes, lines etc. not only help you notice and comprehend something instantly, but they have a significant impact on your long term memory. Using methods of visualization has been proven to boost memory performance.
Better focus, comprehension and memory are key to being more productive. Take these out of the equation, you’ll find yourself distracted, fiddling with organizing your thoughts, stuck with figuring out how to perform your tasks and wasting a lot of precious time.
The following tools of visualization can help you break this spell. Use them prior to or during planning and performing your tasks, and you’ll experience how effective they are in helping you streamline your daily efforts.
Mind Maps
Mind maps are a visualization tool that helps you organize, develop and analyze ideas and concepts. These are typically used during brainstorming sessions to record and structure ideas discussed.
It has a radiant structure; a central idea in the middle and associated details laid out on branches stemming from the center. It in fact is known to mimic the way the brain thinks and it’s been deemed the ideal way to capture thoughts.
A mind map give you a quick overview of complex subject. And here are a quick few tips you can use when drawing mind maps to improve your memory, comprehension and focus.
Use keywords – you can use a memorable word to describe significant facts related to the subject you are brainstorming or analyzing.
Use color coding – color is the most powerful stimulus for the brain. Using colors in your mind map – to highlight branches – can help you remember distinct details more effectively.
Use visuals – using an image, icon or a symbol instead of a phrase or a word could help you stimulate your imagination and memorize and recall information quickly. In fact it is 6 times more effective in remembering information than using plain text.
Different types of connectors – a key element of a mind map is the connectors; they help you build links between your information, analyze details in depth and find out what you are missing. Playing around with their style – such as length, color, thickness, arrow head etc. – will help you highlight connections among your detail in a more memorable way.
Add links and attach files – with a mind map software you can add links to more useful resources or attach files consisting further valuable information. This will help you convert your one dimensional mind map to a knowledge bank that you can refer to whenever needed.
Flowcharts
A flowchart visualizes the flow of a process. A flowchart clearly explains steps of any complex process using a few words and simple symbols.
Developing a process? Trying to understand how it would affect other decisions and actions? Don’t know where to start? This is where you can use a simple flowchart to get things in order.
Following are a few tips you can incorporate when using Creately Flowchart Software to draw a flowchart, one that can help you boost your memory performance, help you focus better and understand things more clearly.
Use swimlanes – If there are several actors, departments, locations, machines etc. involved in a process, a swimlane helps you clarify who is responsible for each step better.
Use colors – By color coding your flowchart, you can further specify who is responsible, what risks are involved, state of the process, basically anything you want. And colors can be used as an alternative to swimlanes.
Use Images instead of symbols – flowcharts do have a standard set of symbols, but this doesn’t mean you cannot spice things up by representing one step of the process with an image that can better illustrate what it is. This will further simplify things.
The daily use of these simple visualization tools can help you improve the way you work. Using a mind map or flowchart to plan your task prior to doing it or during the attempt can help you better execute your efforts and navigate towards your goal more efficiently.
Torsi Utley is the communication specialist/content writer at Cinergix, the team behind the development of the Creately Flowchart Software. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.