Mind Mapping

In my consulting engagements, I always felt the need to use some sort of a tool to collect and categorize the results of the brainstorming sessions more effectively. I am a true supporter of paperless office so I have already eliminated paper from my work habits long time ago thanks to my ultralight and ultrafast IBM ThinkPad X40 which made electronic note taking no more hustle than pulling up a notepad and pen. I used to use Microsoft Word and also occasionally Excel as sometimes it is more convenient just to capture keywords and a spreadsheet provides advantages when it comes to categorizing or sorting. I moved on to Microsoft OneNote when Microsoft released it in 2003. It is a good product that I still use it when I have to capture large textual data. However the real solution to my problem was my discovery of the Mind Mapping technique.

Mind mapping is an analysis, problem solving and decision making technique that enables the organization, visualization and categorization of ideas through diagramming. A mind map starts with a central key word and then radiates to related items. It is a great tool for brainstorming and data collection and has been around since the 3rd century when the tinkers of the period graphically visualized ideas to categorize and relate them.

And of course, there are many software products that allows you to draw mind maps. The one I bought is the MindManager from MindJet. It has rich functionality with a clean and professional looking user interface, and provides perfect integration with Microsoft Office. This is what a Mind Map looks like:

It is easy to get addicted to mind mapping. I started to keep my to-lists, training notes, book summaries, brainstorming sessions, meeting notes, and design discussions in MindManager. This quickly became a tool I use daily.

There are a lot of experts of Mind Mapping technique out there like Chuck Frey who runs he Innovation Tools web site and The Mind Mapping Software Weblog both very rich and valuable resources. Another good site is the Mindtools.