Over the past few months, our team members have been describing how they use MindManager in their daily work, and which features make biggest difference in how they complete their tasks.
Today, we’re continuing that series with Sheila Lothian, the Product Marketing Manager for MindManager. Sheila is in charge of creating and managing the product marketing direction for every new edition of MindManager we release. It’s a big job! And MindManager helps her do it.
Here’s what Sheila had to say about her favorite MindManager feature and how she uses it!
What is your favorite MindManager feature
Sheila: Since joining the MindManager team nearly two years ago and discovering our amazing product, I’ve burned through a few “favorite feature” relationships. Progress Markers were an instant charmer. Publish was a thrill. And Power Filter definitely got me through some rough times.
I still adore them all; we’ll always be friends. But earlier this year, I found my true love.
It’s Tag View. And this time, I think it’s forever.
Why is it your favorite feature?
Sheila: I often say that my brain breathed a sigh of relief when I started using Tag View.
The Product Marketing Manager role is really many roles wrapped up into one: you’re part project manager, part product strategist, part creative director, and a dozen other things besides. The result is a lot of very different activities, taking place on many different fronts.
Managing all of my tasks in a map, I was confident that everything was accounted for… somewhere on there. But with so many things to do, simply adding action items to the list wasn’t enough. I was never 100% certain that I was on top of where each task was on the path to completion.
Tag View gave me the perspective I was missing. It has helped me to not just capture and manage, but most importantly, track the progress of my myriad tasks, in the easiest, most intuitive and most effective way I have ever experienced.
What is an example of how you use this feature?
Sheila: One of the best features of Tag View is that you can name and organize your columns to precisely match the way you think about and approach your work.
This is what mine currently looks like:
Now I can see my tasks categorized by the exact words and order I use in my mind — and take them all in at a glance. This has made it infinitely easier for me to conceptualize my workload, and plan out my day and week.
I can add or rename columns to accommodate changes in my routine. I can order my tasks within columns, or move them from one to another, via simple drag and drop. I can also add things like icons, notes, etc. right within the view. And when I switch back to the full map view, any updates I’ve made are there:
I have also built a SmartRule™ into my map that automatically adds a green “completed” progress marker to a task when I drag it into the Done column — which not only saves me precious time, but is extremely satisfying!
If I had to summarize in a single word what Tag View has given me, it would be “control”. I still have a lot to do. But I no longer have a gnawing sense of anxiety that I’ve forgotten or lost track of something critical. I know that I’m working on the right thing at the right moment, and that nothing has fallen through the cracks. Bonus: I’m working through tasks faster and with more focus than ever before.
Is it any wonder why Tag View has captured my heart?
How do you think other people in your role would benefit from this feature?
Sheila: I dipped my toe into Tag View to more effectively track and manage my own personal tasks. My next adventure with it will definitely be applying it to full projects.
A PMM needs to have a very clear understanding of every project action item’s status, and where things are getting hung up in the process. Tag View provides that specifically process-oriented picture. And the flexibility allows you to conform that picture to the unique way you and your team work.
I strongly recommend that any Product Marketing Manager – or for that matter, anyone at all! – give this fantastic view a try.
Want to try the new Tag View?
Interesting in trying Tag View, and all of the other great new features in MindManager 2019? You may be interested in our free, 30-day trial!