heuristic maps

simplified visuals providing fast, reasonable answers

also, they are specific, purpose-built memory palaces

focused

small

simple

reasonable

memorable

drawable

has a clear content goal

fits on quarter sheet of paper

straight lines and simple shapes

conveys generalized relationships

clearly committed to memory

hand-drawn with pen and paper

for mere mortals

while clearly not perfect; also, absolutely not wrong

built for knowledge retention outside your specialty

focus

scale

sizes

positions

relations

continental africa

each block is 210 miles square

countries scaled to their sq mi

countries in rough relative locations

almost all touch true neighbors

this version takes about 5min to hand-draw from memory

esoteric topics

visuals help drill knowledge deeper than most techniques

helps guide how your brain organizes and relates data

focus

layers

organized

packable

useful

chinese iching in core-of-the-core order

hexagrams and tetragrams

relates tetragrams to hexagram layout

take in wallet and practice whenever

not just knowledge, but meaningful

this version takes about 18min to hand-draw from memory

executive ready

executives ask questions, that’s their job

you must be ready, cogent, and useful

you just don’t ask to come back later

please, don’t ask to go get your computer

lord god, don’t ask for projector and powerpoint

proactively prepare simple visual and messages

draw on paper (alone) or whiteboard (group)

easy to dialog while building layer-by-layer

learned this from a master, it’s really impactful

directional

some topics are evolving or inherently non-linear

heuristic maps need only be directionally correct

focus

broad

caveat

implied

goal

mind and brain layout

only needed “structure” for thinking

not suitable for neurosurgery ;)

some not truly “separate”, but helpful

better understand deeper functions

one of my favorites, very quick and clear