We are a society of overcommitted and far too busy people. Sometimes it can feel like our day is gone before we even get started. With so many responsibilities and projects moving at once it’s critical to manage and control the flow of your information, your time for each project and even the desirability of the projects themselves.

Last month we did a Webinar called “First Things First” that explored how PersonalBrain can be used for prioritization and focus of projects. Here are a few key principles that we discussed.

(more…)

Topic focused Brains are ideal for sharing and publishing. They are a great way to enter into the publishing arena on WebBrain.com and are a ton of fun to create.  Here’s how to create a compelling Brain in 6 simple steps.

1. Select the Right Topic: Breadth or Depth?
If you want to attract attention on your blog or webbrain.com choosing a topic that’s engaging is a must. If you are pressed for time and want to publish, keep your topic focused. For instance, instead of mind mapping out the entire history of the United States you could choose a more specific topic  like “the Effect of the Industrial Revolution” or American Entrepreneurs.  Narrowing down your topic will help you avoid any gaping holes in your content and ensure that your Brain covers all key ideas on your subject.

(more…)

TheBrain development team has been hard at work developing key user requests and designing new features for expansive knowledgebase creation and easy idea capture.

This new release is all about tailoring your PersonalBrain to your unique work patterns. From floating your Brain transparently on your desktop to synchronizing it to the WebBrain cloud, your PersonalBrain becomes an extension of your own mind for faster thinking and intelligent access to your information.

(more…)

There is no limit to the number of Thoughts and connections you can make in a single Brain.

This unique ability of PersonalBrain makes it ideal for visualizing and organizing large information networks as well as moving beyond standard mind mapping applications

Many users take advantage of PersonalBrain’s scalability and create an all compassing Brain for everything. While others opt for smaller, separate Brains. In this article I will explore each approach to creating a Brain and provide some guidelines for what might be best for you. 

(more…)

How to Ensure your Best Thinking is Leading the Way.

Today we are all under pressure to do more with less, and to do it quickly. This is why getting the big picture on projects and not losing sight of new ideas is challenging. Visualizing key decision points, company objectives and business processes can ensure that higher level goals are reached and that you are taking the best approaches now and for the future.

(more…)

PersonalBrain 5.0 was unveiled today at Macworld 2009 to hundreds of very excited Mac users who dropped by TheBrain booth #3419, North Hall.

PersonalBrain gives you a conceptual space that puts your ideas and thinking at the forefront, creating a dynamic network of visually connected Thoughts that represent your mind.

New PersonalBrain 5.0 Feature Highlights Include

• Powerful “outline” view enables a broader view while retaining the flexibility of a networked structure
• Visual tagging gives another way to find information and enhances the ability to use PersonalBrain for Getting Things Done.
• Presentation mode enables full screen visualization
• Save customized layouts created in the “expanded” view
• Import of outlines and mind maps created in many other programs lets users upgrade their existing data into a scalable associative network

Augmented Mac OS X Functionality

• Spotlight integration enables searching of information in the context of how it’s all connected
• Address Book, iCal, and Apple Mail integration enables users to tie all the information on their Mac together seamlessly
• QuickLook integration enables users to instantly preview attachments
• Specially created Mac OS X look and feel fits in seamlessly
• Enhancements throughout PersonalBrain make everything from scrolling through information with the mouse wheel to creating reports faster and easier.

If you need to analyze, brainstorm and synthesize a wide variety of information, PersonalBrain will be an invaluable tool. It lets you express key relationships across all information sources, so underlying thinking and key ideas are instantly visible. PersonalBrain 5.0’s new importing features make it even easier to get started. Powerful new visualization and tagging features provide an increased level of semantic meaning to Thoughts.

PersonalBrain 4 users can upgrade to 5.0 for $74.95. The upgrade is free for users who purchased PersonalBrain 4 after June 1, 2008

Download PersonalBrain 5 at http://www.thebrain.com/download

From Descartes to James Burke: Breaking Things Down and Building Connections in your Brain.

In last month’s big thinker Web event, we were all blown away by the depth and vastness of James Burke’s Brain. But beyond connecting generations of Western innovation and history, his view of knowledge and philosophy for learning represents a move from Cartesian reductionism predominant in Western developed nations to what James Burke calls a “Connections” approach. This approach is also key to TheBrain’s philosophy of knowledge management and mind mapping.

(more…)