"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory."- F. Engels

Yesterday I spent the day with our management team at the studio on what I like to call a list-making, mind mapping session.

Even though we are six days away from our recital weekend, which consists of eight performances, it felt like there was never going to be a good time to meet. But we carved out three hours to brainstorm and take notes on all the areas of our studio that we need to take action on in the next month, three months, and the upcoming year.

There is a lot to do! Can you relate? Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with the 'lists' of things to do?

When I'm in the place between feeling stuck and not knowing where to even begin-- there is one very powerful thing I do to take action.

I stop making to-do lists and start making mind maps.

I love mind maps. Perhaps it's because I'm a 'doodler' at heart. But I'm also a visual learner. And there are certain projects that we work on that aren't linear and have aspects that a list just can't fully address.

Wikipedia's definition says, "a mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing."

This week's tip: Break the pattern of to-do lists with mind maps. You may just find that this is the exact source of inspiration and clarity that you need to take action on the multitude of tasks and projects you manage.

My two favorite, and completely free tools to create mind maps:

1. FreeMind from SourceForge, SourceForge is the world's largest open source development web site. You can read more about FreeMind Here.

If you'd like to see a picture of a quick mind map I made with FreeMind regarding email that comes into our main office it's here: http://www.dancestudioowner.com/public/Mind_Map_Picture.cfm

Note: Once you have the mind map as a visual - the to-do lists become much more organized and easy to see where the action needs to be taken. AND some mind maps become much more complex. The idea is to get the information out of your head and onto paper or into a visual aid.

2. Pen and Paper. Although very low tech, the key is to hold the paper horizontally, NOT vertically. This little tweak in the way you hold a standard sized piece of paper can truly break you out of being stuck and into action. I create mind maps this way and then often transfer them over to the computer.

We mind mapped everything from how we're currently managing email, to enrollment & registration processes to our planning calendar and to our teacher training program.

What project or process could you try taking action on with a mind map? You just might be surprised at the results and new inspiration to move forward.

Leveraging Your Dance Studio's Identity To Grow Your Business

What are some ways that you can grow your business that aligns with your unique vision and studio mission?

Leverage what you already do well and combine that with some effective low-cost marketing strategies...

Read Suzanne Blake Gerety's Guest Post on Dance Advantage's Studio Bizwax Column:

http://danceadvantage.net/2010/06/08/leveraging-your-identity/

How to Dramatically Improve Your Dance Studio Website by Answering Six Simple Questions

Your website is your billboard to the world. Anyone can visit your site at any hour of the day or night. So how can you ensure that this important part of your business is helping you and not causing you to lose visitors based on the information you have posted or what you've omitted?

http://www.dancestudioowner.com/members/570.cfm