Have you been kind this year?

In everyday life, you will encounter several occasions that require the creation of a wish list, with gifts for you or another beneficiary. December is a great month to talk about presents and a good opportunity for me to explain how mind mapping can really help you to manage such an activity.It’s December, the month of gifts. In Belgium, Saint-Nicolas is bringing toys to kids who have been kind during the year. It’s also Baptiste (my son) birthday. In other countries, Santa Claus will visit the children later in the month for Christmas. But adults also love Christmas presents, this evening during which we can exchange small and original presents to each other in front of the illuminated tree.

I don’t know how you proceed on your side but, on our side, kids traditionally prepare themselves a wish list of gifts (toys, books, clothes …) which they send to the old man. They usually use various paper catalogues we have received from different shops. They cut images and then they glue on a panel. It’s of course a very pleasant activity for them but for us, the parents, it’s not obvious to manage it further. Indeed, how do we track who will offer what? Or, how do we make it available for the gift makers? How do we communicate where to buy the toys?

I had an idea how mind mapping could help us to better manage the whole stuff, keeping the pleasure at the centre of our considerations. But I had to make it practical in order to verify my thoughts. Therefore, I proposed to my sons to move away from the traditional panel and create a mind map instead.

A very efficient structure

At the centre of the map, the idea was quite obvious: something like "What do I want to receive from Saint-Nicolas". Then, in order to identify the main branches, we made an interesting exercise. I asked the kids to look at the different tickets they had cut and to group them in clusters that made sense for them. At first sight, they found it a bit useless because they thought everything was just a gift or toy. But with a deeper analysis, they finally identified main types such as board game, books or clothes and main domains such has sport, WII or electronics.

Future main branches of the mind map

Once the main branches were created, it became easy to place the items on the map and also quite natural to create sub-branches when appropriate. Indeed, during this generative thinking activity, the brain is stimulated to produce more thoughts. When looking at the structure and the items already in place, new ideas came to their mind; new wishes, very interesting and valuable ones were added, giving more choices and flexibility to the gift maker. The end result is a very well presented list, easy to understand and memorise. The kids appreciated the initiative.

A mind map replacing a traditional wish list

A fantastic communication tool

Beyond considerations of the children, there is additional information to collect and communicate to the different persons who will make a gift. Indeed, although children think you will send the letter to the North Pole, we all know that you will have to distribute it to the different members of the family (grand-parents, godmother, uncle …). Those people will be happy to know where they can buy easily the item, what it looks like and how much it costs approximately.

The mind map is absolutely perfect for adding and maintaining this kind information. When you use a computer application such as iMindMap, it becomes even easier. For the place to buy, you can either mention a physical shop (the brand is usually enough) or even a web shop, with a direct link to the product on the internet. You can also find on the web a nice picture as well as other details that might be interesting to add on your map. For those who are interested, the resource file is available for download on Biggerplate, the mind map library.

Using a digital support, you will benefit from features that are not possible with the traditional approach. You will be able to export it as an image that you can send via e-mail. You will be able to print and distribute on paper if necessary. New technologies allow you now to upload it in the cloud and just send a link to latest version. People are sometimes embarrassed in the shop with the choice. Using smart devices, they will be able to access the wish list on-line, check out the picture in order to make the right choice or decide to take another present if they cannot find what they were looking for.

Management made easy

Once the mind map is created and distributed, there is still a problem to consider: “who is going to offer what?” It’s not easy to keep in mind all the feedback you received. Exchange efficiently the information between those who have already made their choice with those who still have to decide is not an easy task. Again, the mind map will help you a lot to manage all of that. All you have to do is to mark each gift with the name of the person who will offer it, using an additional sub-branch. Looking at the big picture, you can easily monitor what is already booked and what is still available.

Another interesting task is to define preferences, especially when the amount of gifts is important. Using a typical rating with stars, you can ask the children to define what they want to receive first. You can also communicate what are you own preferences as parents, knowing the educational or practical value of the gift (single versus multi-players, creative, powered by battery …) or maybe its redundancy with existing ones.

Other types of wish lists

The case I detailed here above is quite representative of the effectiveness of mind mapping for managing a wish list. Here are a couple of additional examples where you can use a mind map for organising a list of gifts:

Promotion or retirement at work: It’s not always obvious to define what you should offer to a colleague, especially when you are several to decide. Why not create a mind map with all the ideas and discuss about the alternatives according to the personality of the beneficiary. The mind map will be a nice support for collaborating and finally selecting a couple of options according to the budget you collected. The person will more than happy to receive a great gift instead of cash.

Wedding, birth or baptism: Shops usually offer services to manage wish lists, from the creation to the consultation, including money collection and frequent updates. If you want to think about what you need or would like to receive, you can create a mind map before going to the shop. You will certainly save some time. If you start early enough, the support will be ideal to generate ideas and make a selection. If you want to present your wishes in a creative way, you can also publish your mind map (on a website dedicated to the event for example). It will be an original manner for your family and friends to discover your desires and a different way to invite them to make gifts.

Birthday: Very similarly to the Saint-Nicolas or Santa Claus case, the beneficiary can organize the wish list with a mind map. If necessary, parents or friends can contribute and influence the content in order to match some of their expectations. All the benefits explained earlier remain applicable.

Saint-Valentine: Do you want to make a gift to your partner that will surprise him/her and will really make the difference? A bit earlier in the year, start your mind map. Listen to your partner and capture both ideas and domains of interest. Try to read between the lines and add everything you thing is interesting to consider. When the time has come to decide, review your notes and imagine the gift that match the most. 

Christmas party: Imagine that you want to offer several small and creative gifts to different persons (family, friends …). Start your mind map with a main branch for each person to satisfy. If you already have concrete ideas about what to offer to them, add it on sub-branches. If you know what characterize them or what domains they appreciate, add it as well. Along your visits in shops or on Christmas markets, collect ideas or buy some presents. Assign them to the persons on your map. Looking at the big picture, you will easily see what you still have to find or buy. You will also see who will be happy and who won’t.

I want my article to be as much practical as possible because I truly believe it's the best way to invite you to test the mind mapping technique and discover by yourself the benefits. This is my gift to you. I wish you a great December month, with plenty of other warm gifts. Not big ones, not expensive ones but presents that will mean something for you or will make you laugh; the kind of presents that will make you happy.

Be open-minded.

Be creative.

Have fun.