Mindmap - Tools to Organize Your Thoughts - Powerful How-To Tool

"~This List~
found at
freemind.
sourceforge.
net

Current users of FreeMind use it for the following purposes:

Keeping track of projects, including subtasks, state of subtasks and time recording,

Project workplace, including links to necessary files, executables, source of information and of course information,

Workplace for internet research using Google and other sources,

Keeping a collection of small or middle sized notes with links on some area which expands as needed. Such a collection of notes is sometimes called knowledge base.

Essay writing and brainstorming, using colors to show which essays are open, completed, not yet started etc, using size of nodes to indicate size of essays.

I don't have one map for one essay, I have one map for all essays. I move parts of some essays to other when it seems appropriate.

Keeping a small database of something with structure that is either very dynamic or not known in advance.

The main disadvantage of such approach when compared to traditional database applications are poor query possibilities, but I use it that way anyway - contacts, recipes, medical records etc. You learn about the structure from the additional data items you enter. For example, different medical records use different structure and you do not have to analyze all the possible structures before you enter the first medical record.
Commented internet favorites or bookmarks, with colors and fonts having the meaning you want."

You begin with the center of the map. The example above is my 'essay' map. The second set of 'child nodes' describes where the essays will be posted. For example, my second set of 'child nodes' include:
School, Workshop Day of Grace, Giant Squid Journal, Be In Your Flow Notebook, and Workshop Healing Hearts.

The third set of 'child nodes', are topic areas for each of the second set nodes. For example: Shopping Lens, Spiritual Journey Lens, Arts Lens, and Groups are each placed as child nodes to my 'Squidoo' set. In my school set I have child nodes that represent the course I am taking. In the example you will see "Global Communications" and "Business Ethics" as these were the most recent courses that I have included in this mind map.

As you can see, it may start to look like a jumbled up mess. But, the best part about keeping everything on one map is, as I mentioned before, I can organize my topics and prevent duplication of my efforts, by adding similar topics to themes that have already been created which will give me a lot of material to use for updates over time.

New thoughts are used to create new themes or to expand on themes that are already written. There is no limit to the number of child nodes that can be added to any section of the map. So, perhaps under 'shopping' I can expand to include numerous types of shopping topics, then add thoughts and strategies to write about them.

The great part is, after the session of filling up the map in various areas. I can collapse all but the one set I am working on. So what now looks like a confusing jumble of ideas becomes a focused topic with pertinent information. Yet, they are handy to pop open if my mind wanders and I have an idea that would fit better in another section.

This software allows me to work in a more productive way.

As I mentioned in the introduction, I also use this software to catalog my belongings. I use the center of the map by entering "Where Is It", and then I add child nodes for categories such as 'things I need to take to work'. I am the kind of person that likes to free my mind from every detail as often as possible. So this helps me to find a place for things, put it there, and then map out where it is once and for all.

If you never lose your keys, or forget to take your sweater with you when you go to your favorite restaurant that is always too cold, or you always remember where you're important papers are, then you may not benefit from this kind of cataloging.