Now it’s time to ANALYZE.

The notion of ‘analysis’ sometimes sets off alarm bells in the creative person.  Analysis doesn’t sound creative!  Ah, but it is My Friend.  Evaluating and Choosing are central to the creative process.

Here’s one method to create some focus:

1. Look at everything you’ve written on your Past Year map.  Circle 5 that bring you the most satisfaction.  You can use any criteria you like…the most difficult/breakthrough. the most fun, the ones that connect to your deepest values.  Anything.  Just choose FIVE.
2. Then look at these five.  What do you notice?  How might these top five inform your choices for the coming year?
3. Now look at everything on your New Year map.  Choose TEN.  Again, apply any criteria you like to choose your ten.
4. Write each of these aspirations on a notecard or a slip of paper.  Ten pieces of paper.
5. Array them and take a deep breath.  This is a good time to tap your intuition and follow those ideas that have the most juice for you.  As you read each one, what raises  your energy a little more?
6. Next you’re going to pile them up.  Of these ten, which is at the bottom of the list?  Which is at the top?  Which is second from the bottom?  Second from the top? And so on.

You now have a prioritized list of your top goals for the coming year.

What Next?

Incubate on this list for a couple of nights.  Reread your notecards before you go to sleep tonight and let your unconscious play with the ideas.  In my next post I’ll discuss how to support the process of actually DOING something with your dreams.

Mindmapping is a tool to get your ideas out, organize your thinking and get visual with your thoughts.  Wikipedia has an excellent page about this technique so I encourage you to enjoy a much broader explanation here.

Why Map?

Maps help me to capture a lot of ideas quickly.  When I am designing a workshop or client engagement I always begin with a mindmap.  The process tends to expand my thinking in a way that simple listing does not.

MindMap Formats

I tend not to get fancy on my own maps.  I keep them in my journal and add to them as thoughts occur.   However, I do occasionally use mindmapping software.  There are two I like:

Inspiration. This company has been around for years and they keep improving the software.  They are based in Oregon so I can support the local economy.  My favorite feature is the toggle between the mindmap graphic format to the Outline format.  Very efficient.

FreeMind.  The best thing about FreeMind is that is actually is free.  Yup.  Open source and free.  I have less experience with it but I am playing with it now because it has some sophisticated features such as ‘folding’ and easy linking.  I’m planning on running a FreeMind Map for my 2010 Business Plan.

If mindmapping intrigues you I encourage you to explore the tool.  There are MANY resources online.  The learning curve on new software is probably worth it for more complex tracking.  And good old-fashioned paper is instant and satisfying–especially if you use colored markers!