Here goes Patrick on his Vertical Mapping soapbox again :-)

I have discussed not only in my Whitepaper but also on this forum about my belief in Vertical Mapping as a crucial and often overlooked aspect of GTD. For those unfamiliar, Vertical Mapping is the process of connecting all of those N/A's (Runway) and Projects (10,000 ft.) to your responsibilities (20,000 ft), goals (30,000 ft.), Vision (40,000 ft.) and Principals (50,000 ft.). The vertical map is all about "the why" of getting things done on a very deep personal level. I regularly review my Vertical Maps while reviewing my projects and next actions and if there is an action or project that does not fit in vertically then I really have to force the question why that action/project is really on my list. If it is not directly related to the 50,000 ft. of who I wish to be, then I can tell you it's likelihood of getting done (zero).

I have been asked several times, especially since the resurge in popularity of my Whitepaper (Thanks to Merlin) how I use OmniOutliner for doing vertical maps and/or further examples or templates. I have been wrestling with a way to explain this without actually sharing my personal Vertical Map. I have yet to find a way that conveys this process without doing up a "dummy" map involving the life goals of some guy named Lorem Ipsum which would take just as much work as the one I have already built for myself. Therefore...

I am going to do something bold. Something that involves trust in the goodness of my brothers and sisters of human kind and here on this forum. I am going to post my actual (though still an unfinished work in process) Vertical Map. Because this is the real deal, it contains some personal but not secret information about my life (My sons names, my wifes name, where I work, etc.).

Also, this is a slightly outdated version and some items have changed (for instance, I am now married so the wedding planning stuff is over - thank god) . That is part of the point though, Vertical Maps are living documents and should be part of a regular review where they are scrutinized, re-evaluated and tweaked.

Download Here: Patrick's Master Vertical Map

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.