Brainstorming and mind mapping are effective techniques for organizing ideas into a clear picture of what is important versus unimportant. These tools are useful when working on projects to visualize tasks, timelines, and responsibilities. When feeling overwhelmed, it is important to get started and prioritize by using techniques like creating "mental white space" to strip away unnecessary things and focus only on what is within one's control.

1. Organizing Your Ideas 1
http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2012/10/21/business-english-skills-360-organizing-your-ideas-1/

2. • Is brainstorming a practice adopted by many people now-a-
days?
• How well do you think it works?
• Do you utilize brainstorming at work?
• Do you have any special ways of brainstorming ideas?
• Think of someone who you think speaks well. How does he/she
organize ideas?
• Do you ever write out lists of advantages and disadvantages
(pros and cons)?

3. To deep-six To illustrate To crank out
Mind mapping Clearly articulated
Branching Handy
Easier said than done
To run on at length Framework Chaotically
Vague
Radial
Fair game To come to mind
To get the ideas flowing To tune out
Say
To put together
To jot down
To tame
(To) Lay it all on the table

4. Now read and listen to the podcast
on organazing your ideas
http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2012/10/21/business-english-skills-360-organizing-your-ideas-1/

11. Brain storming and mind mapping are great ways to organize ideas and have a
more clear picture of what is important and what is not. These tools are also
great when you are working on a project and want to visualize what needs to be
done, when and how it needs to be done and by whom?
And what about when we are feeling overwhelmed, and our head is about to
explode, because we have too much in our plate? The first feeling that we have
might be: ¨I don´t even know from where to start!¨
But what do you do when you feel this way? How to you get started and
prioritize things? After all, we need to get things done, and more often than not
we need to get things moving fast.
And what do you do when you face situations in which things are not within your
control or, how do you strip away things that are not important? Are you the
type of person that keeps dragging things on or you have some tools that you
use to handle this type of situation?

12. Creating mental white space
?

13. Now watch Marie Forleo´s video and answer these
questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYjO10vnC0c&list=PL4FE61E9B84760E4A&index=3
• Is her idea of creating mental white space the same as
yours?
• Are her tips on how to deal with overwhelm useful?