topic: [[Creating]] created: 2022-2-17 *.* ##### what is it? A map is an abstraction, a simplification, and is the result of the basis of the person who created the map as well as the time that it was created. For example, maps of the Middle East and the countries within them represent the early 1900s French and British view of that area instead of the reality, where do Berbers or Kurds fit into the map? Maps are a stand in for models of the world, there inherently wrong but they are useful and tempting. ##### why does it matter? Maps can be a useful way of thinking in metaphors, of looking at a project, of considering what is known about an area. Mental maps, cognitive maps, story maps, geographic maps, these are all ways of limiting the information to make the issue more clear. ##### This reminds me of [[remove to gain]], and how more information is often more difficult to deal with. Less can be more in so many ways. [[cognitive load]] increases with more information in both helpful and unhelpful ways. By creating a map of a project, you can start to see the overall story, and then it is a matter of filling in the details. [[Make Work Visible]]: create the overall plan! [[Everything should be make as simple as possible, but not simpler]], a map helps simplify. ##### What would the opposite argument be? In many ways a map is a plan, but as Mike Tyson said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." Let the map give you a plan, but be ready to change. tags: #note/statement | #on/abstract | #on/planning | #on/writing/process ##### Sources: Parrish, S., Rimel, M., Mihotich, M., & Farnam Street Media (Eds.). (2019). _[[The Great Mental Models Volume 1]]_. Latticework Publishing.