How to Use Mind Map to Stay Organized

Q: I think I’m pretty well organized and I usually create lists – to-do lists, shopping lists, etc. But when it comes to brainstorming, lists are not convenient at all. I’ve heard of mind maps, but am not sure how using them can help.

A: You’re right – lists are useful for some stuff. But in some cases they don’t get you the best results or require too much time to get the ideas organized. In some cases, particularly when it comes to brainstorming and organizing notes and pieces of information, mind maps can provide a better solution.

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

While scholars debate whether using mind maps really engages the otherwise-unused 99% of your mental potential and balances the left and right sides of your brain, I can attest that it helps me stay more organized, more focused, and brainstorm more effectively.

For building my mind maps, I use FreeMind – a FREE download. It’s very easy to install – just click .exe file – and is even easier to use. This is what a mind map with ideas for this blog looks like:

Some of the great features of this software include

• A built-in word processor that allows you to add extensive comments, attaches images and files to any of the map entries
• Ability to export your map to a variety of formats – PDF, JPEG, HTML, XHTML, Java applet, Flash, etc
• Ability to integrate your map into a MS Word or Outlook document
• A way to insert images, icons and hyperlinks, including hyperlinks within the mind map itself

Turns out, FreeMind is not just very simple to use, but very versatile as well. You can use it to

• For internet research;
• Keep a collection of small or mid-size notes with links. Such a collection of notes is sometimes called knowledge base;
• Blog and article writing and brainstorming. You can put all your writing projects on one map and move items from one project to another as necessary.

Mind mapping can be a great tool for organizing your thoughts and keeping track of information. It helps to organize information that cannot be arranged into a list form. It also gives you a different look at your notes and can help generate new ideas.

Technorati Tags: knowledge base, mind map, organizing, FreeMind

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