About that outline...

I am a CPA. We're supposed to be linear, rational thinkers. According to the rules of CPAdom, that means information should always flow from top to bottom. Our thoughts should occur in an organized fashion, suitable for outlining, easily fitting in consecutive rows and columns of a spreadsheet. Extra points if said thoughts also come with a checklist. 

But my mind doesn't work that way. My mind works more like the trail of that child in those Family Circus cartoons - there are footprints all over the room until eventually he reaches his destination. I move from chair to door to window getting inspired (some might say distracted) by one thing or another until I eventually get to the other side of the room. Most days, I have more in common with that dog from Up than I do with my fellow CPAs. 

When it comes to writing and presentations, I always start in the middle. I dig through the information that supports my topic until I find an angle. All it takes is the chance discovery of an unusual association, a quirky acronym, or a bloated sales term and I'm off to the races. Humor is usually the key to getting my creative juices flowing. 

Once those juices are flowing, you might think it would be time to create that outline.  

Nope. Now it's time to open my creative tool of choice, Microsoft PowerPoint, and start working with images. And fonts. I can sure burn through some major time messin' around with fonts. But here's the thing. PowerPoint works because I can rearrange the order of my thoughts (while adding or subtracting  serifs). Each slide represents a group of thoughts that appear in random order. With a click of the mouse I can group and rearrange those puppies until they are in logical, rational order. 

If I must provide you with an outline, I can create it using the Microsoft PowerPoint outlining tool. No one has to know that I did it after, not before, I created the presentation. (It will be our little secret.) 

You gotta go with whatever works for you. How ever your ideas flow is the right way. Find your tool of choice, figure out what it takes to stay engaged long enough to finish whatever you're working on and use it. There is no right or wrong way to think. 

Or in outline form : 

1.     Most CPAs are linear
  1.1    They like outlines
  1.2    They like checklists

2.     I'm a weirdo 
  2.1    I don't like outlines
  2.2    I like pictures and cool fonts

3.     I create from the middle
  3.1    Humor inspires me
  3.2    PowerPoint lets me organize my thoughts

4.     What inspires you? 
  4.1    Do that

Photo: Ron Bieber, Flickr