The first time this nerd encountered Mind Maps was in Stand-Up Comedy training. (Hey, give a nerd a break, here. I wanted people to laugh with me, rather than just at me.)  Jeff Justice taught me so much about communicating and coming up with material.  But he also taught me a lot about processes and shared some great tools that have helped me in business.  Mind maps were one of my favorite.  When you are writing material, they really help you build associations between concepts without worrying about the order of your thoughts.  You can identify all of the words that come to mind and then choose those that sound the funniest.  Gerbil and hamster are similar animals, but "gerbil" is funnier.

But being a nerd with geek tendancies, I am even more excited by automated Mind Maps and one of my favorites is the Visual Thesaurus.  Although I am a tad offended by their definition of Nerd, when you type in the word "nerd" on their free trial you get some interesting synonyms.  Each time you click on one of the designated synonyms, you get it's definition and then links to more synonyms.  You can keep going for hours.

Don't worry if you start to feel like a recluse as a result of getting addicted to the Visual Thesaurus. Calling yourself a "solitudinarian" has a much nicer ring to it.

 
 

I am addicted to self help books. I have a book on getting organized but I can't find it.  I have a book on how to stop procrastinating that I plan on reading tomorrow. I have had my cheese moved so many times it won't stay on my cracker.  I have decided that if it takes seven steps, I will never be highly effective.  And some day I will find the time to take a time management class.

But my search is now officially over.  I have found a book that even I, with my ADD, non-linear, idea-filled, nerdy accountant's brain can actually apply.  Successfully! Over and over again.  

It's called "The Corporate Rebel's Productivity Guide" and as far as I'm concerned, its eight simple strategies are the secrets of the universe.  Betsy Burroughs, the author, has given us the literary equivalent of the eight wonders of the world. 

The book is a quick read, in large print, with plenty of room for note taking in the margins (another nerdy habit and the reason I don't like library books). 

I have never been able to actually apply any of the learnings of any of those other books but this one hit me right between the eyes.  It defines easy to follow processes, which is the key to succeeding at just about anything.  Plus I think it's cool that I am a "corporate rebel"!

The book is not officially in print yet, but when this baby hits the streets, the world is not gonna know what hit it.  Millions of us corporate rebels are going to finally start producing stuff.  Lookout world, here we come.  

 
Is it wrong...? 08/03/2007
 

... To use Microsoft Excel for everything from planning your menu, to designing your dream home, to tracking your files?  If so, I really don't care.  I am going to keep using it.

Ever since I saw VisiCalc as a young accounting major at UNC (class of '81) I have been hooked.  The wonder of having data stored in rows and columns with information that is connected but moveable in parts.  The joys of Autofilter!  This one feature has virtually eliminated the need to ever search for data or build queries or do programming.  (Although those Lotus 123 Macros I created to do LIFO inventory calculations a long time ago were pretty awesome.)  And don’t get me started on Pivot Tables. That is the closest I will ever come to performing gymnastics.  I can flip those babies in so many directions that the insights come pouring out.  You can take even the most overwhelming list of random information and quickly spot the patterns in a good pivot table.

This much fun just has to be illegal.  It probably is in Georgia.

 
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