Anyone use Mindmaps?

[Henry]

Anyone have any luck using mindmaps? I find that it's hard for me to predict where my thoughts are going so I don't leave enough room on the paper to go off on tangents.

If you don't know what a mindmap is...here's a link that brushes on it:

Creating Passionate Users: Why I want a Tablet PC

[Waffle]

Perhaps inputting more keywords will help guide you on your thoughts...
Sometimes you might need to personalise your mindmaps so you know what you are writing about...
Mindmaps has been quite helpful to me for the past 2 years in my studies.
Hope it will for you too...

[tgl]

Why not use software instead of paper?

And if you're going to use paper, may I suggest getting yourself one of those easel pads? Paper measured by the foot and not inches?

I love mindmaps by the way. The non-linear structure really helps me organize structure non-linear thinking.

[AndyMartin]

I just started, though I don't know why I waited so long. It's so much better for me than a notepad or document where I end up revising over and over just to get the ideas down and structured. I'm finding I can get the same thing done with a map in a quarter of the time.

I'm using Freemind, which avoids the running off the edge of the paper problem. The ability to move entire sections from one node to another are a must for me. I don't think I could do it on paper. I'd need a wall and a bunch of stickies or something.

[Dwane J.]

I have been using Mind Maps for almost two years now. They are great for starting projects where you don't know where to begin.

I go back and forth on using software and paper to create mind maps. Check out the site in my signature. I created it a year ago and has articles, links and resources on how to use Mind Maps.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I'm a stand-up comedian and I use mind maps all the time to come up with a concept for a joke, and I list everything I can about the topic, and I just keep flowing from there. It's a very powerful tool to have in your arsenal.

[JKuehl]

i use freemind for this - it´s available on sourceforge. Great mindmap software!

[Henry]

I just installed FreeMind. WOW. This is going to be SWEET.

[Dating Specialist]

I used mind map when I'm having mental blocks. It just seems to clear the stuff inside and gives you a much bigger picture to look at and expand from there.

It helps in remembering things much better, easier and faster too. And oh, I'm mindmapping on paper, using a pen that is.

[RT Wolf]

Mindmapping is a powerful step in brainstorming under the Getting Things Done philosophy and that's where I learned about it. During the Photoreading dealio, I learned to use mindmaps to organize knowledge and concepts, and I seem to be learning something new to do with mindmaps every day. I love them now.

I second the easel idea, I'm still looking for one.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by Dating Specialist

I used mind map when I'm having mental blocks. It just seems to clear the stuff inside and gives you a much bigger picture to look at and expand from there.

It helps in remembering things much better, easier and faster too. And oh, I'm mindmapping on paper, using a pen that is.

What do you do when you miscalculate how much space you need?

[Alex w/Learning Strategie]

Tape another sheet of paper to the back about an inch in expand the page.

If you don't happen to have glue or tape use paper clips or even a pin. Failing that tear and fold an edge over. You just need it to stay in place so you can draw the extra information. Now you can keep working and redraw the mind map later when you've ready to cut out the extras that you don't need.

Alex

[ignat]

I use mindmaps every day for project planning, brainstorming, creating outlines, and implementing GTD. I find it to be significantly more effective than linear outlining and notetaking. To me, part of the appeal of mindmapping is being able to quickly and easily get everything out of your head, then organize it (Collect, then Process in GTD-speak), so software is the best way to go. Otherwise, I'd burn a lot of erasers...

I tried using Freemind for a while, but the interface turned me off - it's pretty ugly and inflexible. I use MindManager by MindJet, a very well designed commercial mindmapping app, on my Mac. All the bells and whistles, with a beautiful interface and attractive output.

MindManager is a bit pricey vs. Freemind (it's hard to beat free), but IMO it's worth every penny. I use this app every single day, for pretty much everything. It's very helpful to use the software to facilitate the process, then be able to print out the map on a single page for reference when I'm away from the computer.

You can download a free 30 day trial via the Mindjet website, which I found really helpful. If you decide to purchase a copy, make sure you buy from Amazon - you'll have to wait for a boxed version, but you can save $60 or so vs. buying direct from Mindjet. MindManager is available for both Windows and Mac.

Hope this helps! :-)

[RT Wolf]

I like Freemind but I wish there was more flexibility in terms of moving the nodes around. Sometimes I want to change the format to look more top-down or more spirally. I'll check out MindManager.

[smashingred]

I have been using FreeMind for a while now and thought there may be better packages and products out there, I like it. It is very fast to use which helps when you are thinking about something. It has a very intuitive shortcut key system that allows you to be building complex mind maps in little time an doesn't stand in the way of free thinking.

Rajesh Setty has a book suggestion on Mind Mapping on his Squidoo lens on Insipiration called, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential. He also has books on other subjects including Business and Attitude. I haven't read this book but I trust Raj as he is an inspiration of mine.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
Jay

[Phil Newton]

I use FreeMind too, but I often prefer to start on paper. Then I'll either jump into a text editor or FreeMind to make it all a bit neater. As much as I enjoy technology, I always find paper to be more productive to start with.

[Ellen]

Hi all, I read Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping book years, but I have forgotten most of it now.

[Hilary]

I just recently went looking for mindmapping programs - there are oodles of them, and most are a lot cheaper than Mindmanager. Of course, it might be a lot better - I don't know. Here are some I've shortlisted to try:

inspiration $69
intelimap $39
novamind £55
brainmine £29

Does anyone know any of these?

[smashingred]

If you have the time to test any or all of them and compare them you should choose the one that does what you want it to. Unfortunately you often can't use many different programs enough, especially in a field that you are learning about. I would recommend using FreeMind or any one of the others as a baseline and once you have used it for a short while, test each of the others and see which you like best. If you are new to mind maps it won't matter which one you start with.

All the best,

Jay

[stuart]

I've been mindmapping for the last 19 years of my life, and still, I find that it really depends on what you want to use it for. When structuring thought, such as a presentation, comedy act, etc, it helps a great deal. But, if you want to fully recall everything on the map, you will need to apply some memory strategies to this.

Having taught close to 150,000 students regarding this in Asia, I've found that many people who can't handle mindmaps have beliefs that prevent them from using the tool effectively. Here's what I typically tell them to do, so that whatever notes they use has practical benefit.

#1 - Ensure you have pictures.
This boosts recall, and engages more right-brain activity (all things being constant)

#2 - Use multiple colors.

#3 - Consider natural associations in the subject: linear or radial?
Mindmaps are radial tools. Flowcharts are linear tools. Philosophy is less linear in certain respects relative to mathematics.

#4 - Make the images, pictures and other drawings OUTstanding.
This aids in memory

#5 - Make sure that the notes give an overview - i.e. you can see everything at a glance rather than pockets of words in different slips of paper. You still need all the content on that sheet of paper. And yes, its possible to condense (not summarize) 20 pages of Letter-sized page content into a single sheet.

#6 - Keywords. Key phrases help us to focus and get the result we see in #5.

I use software too for my presentations, but I use Mind Manager from MindJet.com. I think it might be a little more versatile.

[fourthdan]

In my experience - If you are mind-mapping a book, then it makes a lot of sense to go through the table of contents to make the basic skeletal structure for the mind map and then add keywords along the way.

[Hilary]

What I find difficult about mindmapping - at least in a traditional program that binds you to a strictly hierarchical structure - is the things that need to go in two places.

A simple example: mindmapping Christmas preparations. There are branches for food, gifts, accommodation, things for people to do, and decorations. Suppose at the end of the 'to do' menu I have 'TV' and 'buy license' and 'buy TV guide'; at the end of the 'decorations' menu there's 'find things in loft' and 'buy new tinsel'. Or whatever.

So how do I turn this into a shopping list? 'TV guide' belongs at the end of the 'entertainment' branch *and* at the end of the 'buy' branch. As it is, things to buy are scattered all over the map. To put everything on one map, I need to copy a lot of items to a new location. I could spend my time better finding the Christmas cake recipe.

This is a super-simple example of one child item that has two logical parents. Once you get into genuinely complex ideas, there are interconnections all over the place.

And there are many different kinds of connection, too (causes, parallels, metaphors...). And so on. I just can't see how a 2D map can represent the complexity of thought; there's a reason why we don't talk in a string of nouns and arrows, isn't there?

I know this works for a lot of people and I must be missing something. What is it?

[fourthdan]

you can add a specific kind of icon next to specific items - like a dollar sign in front of it. The way i see it, not both parents are part of complex trees. One parent is part of the big picture and one parent is like on supervised visitation
anyways - Colors, icons, drawings, symbols - use these creatively to highlight certain things... keep a legend at the bottom explaining what is what ($ - shop)

[Hilary]

Originally Posted by fourthdan

The way i see it, not both parents are part of complex trees. One parent is part of the big picture and one parent is like on supervised visitation

LOL!

So what you're saying is you can use visual elements to create another 'layer' of connections, without actually drawing lines. I suppose you could do the same with colour - freemind will mark 'to do's in red, I think. OK, I'll give it a go.

Novamind is a really good looking program, but Freemind is actually winning on usability so far. I don't think it's just because it was the first one I tried.

[tgl]

I think MindManager allows multiple links like that. Thing is, MindManager costs a little more.

[FearlessGhost]

I'm pretty novice at using mind maps, but what I life to do is when I am brainstorming, I write down an idea anywhere on a piece of paper, then draw a circle around it. I do this until I have plenty of ideas. Then I use another piece of paper and begin my mind map. As I go along I fill in as much as possible, then research to fill in the blanks. This helps a great deal as then I can create an outline from hear or just begin to write.

[sjpeer]

I also use and love Freemind. I find that the software approach is best for brainstorming and getting things out of my head quickly.

I use a paper based mind map for recording outlines of ideas or books. I usually re-write them a few times until they include all the concepts in the layout I want. I usually put more time into these, using color and pictures. They end up being an incredibly useful tool for remembering sets of information.

[altres]

Read Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping books some years back also.
Start using it on paper and notebook nowadays in talks and seminars, and even on reading materials.
Use Freemind also, but find it difficult to adapt on the laptop or pc.
Still find paper and notesbook handy on occassions, but will transfer when ever I get back on the pc or laptop.

[Hilary]

I think anyone considering buying mindmapping software should have a look at Inspiration 8. I've looked at several (not including MindManager, though, as I don't want to find myself really liking something that pricey!) and it's very versatile and usable.

[beroy]

I have been using mind maps for 25 or so years; sort of comes naturally now. In fact, my journal consists entirely of mind maps -- sort of daily core dumps.

The purists would probably have a fit if they saw my maps -- I do not follow the "rules". It's tool, not a class assignment, so I just draw away.

But there are times when I want the structure that a outline provides or the linearity of a flow chart.

I have used Free Mind for a while and have grown use to its interface. They keep upgrading it and it has gotten a lot more user friendly. Do donate some money if you download it, if only a little.

Now experimenting with CMap, concept mapping freeware. Seems a bit clumsy, but I have been working with it for only a few weeks.