Why Should Freelancers Use Mind Mapping?
Einstein once said something to the effect of, “you cannot solve problems by thinking within the same framework or mindset that discovered the problems.” The implication is that you need to step into another mindset, another level of thinking.
So how do we step into another mindset, as Einstein implies we should? One possible method is mind-mapping, which arguably triggers a much more natural way of thinking and problem solving.
Overview
Mind mapping was a very hot topic a few years ago, and has continued to prove effective, with an increasing number of converts to this method of thinking, brainstorming and problem solving. It’s likely that many–if not most–of you already know what mind mapping is, in general. Do you know how powerful it can be for an endless number of creative, entrepreneurial, freelance and management uses?
Because mind maps offer a hybrid textual / visual method of brainstorming or simply recording thoughts, mind mapping used properly is usually far more effective for breaking through a creative block than, say, making a linear list.
Using mind maps stimulates something called radiant thinking, which is a more natural way to think than linearly. No thought that comes to mind is ever “out of place,” and can be placed somewhere in a mind map. I find that mind mapping is one of the most stimulating ways to solve problems. It often helps you to produce solutions you might not otherwise have thought of.
While pen and paper-based mindmaps are helpful, there are many benefits to using mind mapping software. For example, the ability to expand and collapse map nodes in a digital mind map means that you can rapidly switch between a detailed view (above) or a high-level view (below).
In most mind mapping software, you can link nodes to sub-maps. This is especially important to know because the larger your map gets, the less effective it becomes unless you organize it. Linking some of a master map’s nodes to other mind maps reduces the clutter. When you want to view details of a map node, clicking on it automatically launches the sub-map. This is in line with the hyper-thought and radiant thinking that we do daily without realizing it.
Integrating the use of images, icons, relationship lines (between nodes) also offers you a new viewpoint, literally, that simply cannot be achieved by using linear lists to solve problems.
Why Freelancers?
OK, so the title is intentionally misleading. I’m such a strong proponent of mind mapping that I believe everyone should mindmap. However, we freelancers rely on ourselves, and as such, if we run into problems that are difficult to solve, then our revenue grinds to a halt.
Mind maps can help to rapidly solve problems because the process of mind mapping more closely resembles the way we really think. As a freelancer, I’m sure you’ll agree that if your thought process is clouded, then income is stalled.
Do you use mind mapping? Or have you found a better way that works for you?
Photo by Sanzalone.
Note: A few times a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of FreelanceSwitch. This article was first published September 8th, 2008, yet is just as relevant and full of useful information today.
Leave a Comment
Awesome post – I’ve drifting towards using more and more mind-maps lately in my own freelance projects. At first it started out as a simple way for me to jot out my ideas (and remember them later), but more recently this process has developed into a fully functional client asset that I can hand over… involving full fledged mockups of the mind-map in photoshop (or even powerpoint) that clarify the entire process, whether it be a website, a piece of software, or even to clarify something as cut and dry as brainstorming concepts for an ad campaign. It might sound a bit off the wall, but it turns out they’re awesome tools to share with clients because they love being able to look / point at it when we’re doing reviews. Anyways – great post – I would love to see a list of links to some of the online mindmapping tools out there for folks who don’t want to do it directly on paper.
I’ve been using the excellent cross-platform open source FreeMind (http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) for about 5 years now. I use Mind Maps to produce initial work plans and sketch out all documents before I start writing.
Slowly the people I work with have begun to expect me to refer back to a Mind Map when they ask me something and more and more of them have started using them too.
When using a tool like FreeMind I must recommend learning some of the basic (but natural to use) shortcut keys for adding child or sibling nodes. This way you can produce an entire map quickly without ever having to take your hands away from the keyboard. Almost stream of consciousness, which I find produces the most informative maps.
– Matt
This is an interesting topic. While mind maps are great at organising our thoughts, I believe there are other processes needed to generate them, such as using random words to provoke our brain to find novel solutions. Another method is to use something called a PMI-scan where you non-judgementally list out (can be in mind-map format) the Plus, Minus and Interesting aspects of problem. I find this useful. I love reading about creativity, so this post was great!
This post comes at a perfect time, since I have been researching mind mapping software. I have been hand drawing my mind maps for almost two years now. I use mind maps to summarize books I read, take notes in college classes, and to outline articles/reports/books I write.
I have been thinking about switching to a software mind mapping program, but so far none of the ones I looked at provided the “word count” feature. I like to know how many words I wrote in my mind maps, because I would ideally like to attach the content for each subcategory and then export to a final format for editing.
Has anyone had any luck using mind mapping software for writing like this?
I’ve been using mind mapping for over a year myself and couldn’t work without it now. It’s become an integral part of my Web site design process. I use Mindmanager to create to create a main dashboard map that links to others like the creative brief, the site structure and more. Two areas where it helped me most is first, creating the site structure. I first used it to map the structure of a huge site I re-designed last year then modify it to make it more usable. One of the projects maps I also create is a tasks breakdown map that I like to a Gantt chart plugin. This has helped me define the schedule of my projects with a lot more accuracy.
But of course, the actual brainstorming aspect of mind mapping is the main reason I got drawn to it and why it’s so helpful. Most mind mapping software also make it easy to export maps in formats that make great clients deliverables.
Great and timely post. Thanks!
I love using mindmaps for preparing a paper or brainstorming ideas. Really organizes my thoughts and gives me a place to spit out my ideas for later reference
Great article! I personally use mind maps on a daily basis, and have found that they really do help the thinking process. I’ve hit a couple mental roadblocks on some projects in the past, and the process of mapping brought quite a bit of clarity.
I usually use mind mapping to prepare my power point presentations.
I use XMind, a commercial product, that provides intuitive keyboard shortcuts, and a nice animated browsing of a mindmap (very useful to check the coherency of transitions between each “idea” that you present). I presume other tools provide a similar feature.
My only hope is that the bridge between mindmapping and presentation “a la powerPoint” will be filled in the future. it would become a very nice framework to present ideas in an attractive manner.
Wow. Thank you so much! I’ve been working on a book idea for about a week now and have been having hell with figuring out how to wrap my had around it. Within seconds of reading this post I was downloading the FreeMind software and I’ve now gotten my entire outline done!
I will use mindmaps.
Mind maps are simply the best way for brainstorming, creativity, and planning. I have some articles on mind mapping if anyone is interested.
http://matthewlang.co.uk/category/mind-mapping/
Great article. I love mindmapping. I find it a great way to get the junk out of my head into some sort of order either on a page or onto the computer screen.
I have been using this method on paper for years but I didn’t have a name for it. Now I know what to call it. I wasn’t aware that there was actual software for this process. One of my clients is a success strategist and I’m sure she is not aware of the software either. Now I can research the subject and offer her the information to help enhance her business toolkit.
Thanks for the great article:-)
I’ve used a great flash based online tool called http://bubbl.us for years. It’s a great way to organize my thoughts at the beginning of a project. I find that artist’s thoughts are random, but often sequential. We make connections from one thing to another quickly. With bubbl.us I can quickly create mindmaps with just the keyboard and store them. A lot of times I’ll use the mindmaps as a site map when I’m building websites.
I’ve just recently began using a mindmapping tool, and it is definitely great. From now on, i am sure that i will not be able to work without it…
You can’t really be a project manager or product creator without having and using a mind map software
Mindmaps are great for tracking everything.. from advertising to planning trips.
Really interesting, would like some examples of good mind mapping software.
You have definitely peaked my interest in Mindmaps…I’d love a Mindmaps for dummies to try out. I think there is some clear application for our team. A process for organizing the scattered thoughts would be great!
Mindomo. Free, online and works really well.
http://mindomo.com/
Great article, it reminded me how much I need to go back to mind mapping for problem solving. I used to do it more often. I find it is especially helpful in company branding exercises, and can provide great inspiration for logo imagery, taglines, and establishing voice.
A site that a friend turned me onto last week is http://www.mindmeister.com. The site makes it easy to share maps with others and collaborate on them. It does have a yearly membership fee that starts after the first 30 days of the trial service, but my colleague and I are finding it incredibly useful for quick mock-ups of site maps that clients can easily interact with and give input on more directly. It’s also very easy to use.
You’ve inspired me to use my membership for more than just site map generation, as I had been originally intending. Thanks!
I started using mindmaps when I was a Catholic Seminarian. It worked great both to take notes in conferences and, specially at Philosophy study and Bible. Since then I have used it for almost anything…
It does work for everything, but it is one of my most succesful and great organizing tool. Sometimes, I even include mindmaps in my blog.
On a few other blogs I’ve come across mindmap haters. Has anyone has experience where clients haven’t able to understand the mindmap ?
I think some people get caught up in how the mind map (or concept map) ‘must’ be structured. Personally, I think that if you are linking and clustering ideas in a semi-clear manner, you will probably get lots out of the process. And expect to revise messy first drafts of mind maps. I’d be interested in trying some of the software listed here, but I think there is something to be said for the messy first attempt!
Another thing, mind maps are great for facilitating discussion.
Can I mindmap my way into the whitehouse or will I hit a flowchart block at around the “unconditional media support despite my warmongering record” point?
Thanks for this post, I’ve been trying to find something to organize/map my thoughts and ideas for ages now and I had not really thought about doing mind maps before. Free mind is pretty cool, I’ve already been using it in the last few days.
I’ve been using MindNode – http://www.mindnode.com/ (osx only)
Great free tool
I’m a Freemind person myself too. I love this way of thinking about problems. I find it helps me better organize my thoughts. The beauty of it is, that flow of free thought still makes sense when you go back to again later (as I often do). My old way of just noting things down or outlining seems to always lose something in translation on subsequent reads…
I posted an article about my use of it while back too. so if you don’t mind the blog spam: http://www.sudovi.com/blog/show/mind_mapping
Great article- I have been a long time user if visual mapping tools and write about them extensively on my blog- http://assistivetek.blogspot.com I know that I using visual mapping tools makes me more productive and allows my creative juices to flow.
Regards
Brian S Friedlander
Great article. I’ve found mind maps to be very helpful for planning written content, presentations, and for general brainstorming. Sometimes they aren’t necessary, but they’re great for daunting tasks like articulating a strategic marketing proposal.
I use a variety of techniques to stimulate the creative side including mind mapping. I use mind mapping to organize the material as well. When I’m stuck and no longer have ideas flowing I’ll “diddle” with the map layout, the color, icons and clipart inserted into the map. This usually helps the creative energy flow again. I’ve been observing this lately in myself and believe that this helps me switch into right brain thinking (R-Mode) which then helps with the ideas. Mind Mapping, if used properly, allows us to move from L-Mode to R-Mode and back. this is the biggest value in creating ideas and capturing them using mind mapping.
BTW – I’ve been mind mapping for 7+ years.
> so far none of the ones I looked at provided the “word count” feature.
MindManager for Windows has a word count feature. Right click the document’s tab at the bottom of the screen and choose Properties, then click Statistics.
(I work on this product.)
I find a hand drawn mind map invaluable for getting all the stuff in my head into some sort of order. Interestingly the real value of the exercise is the “something else” that occurs during this process – when the real inspiration happens. It’s great for getting a grip on my day or putting myself into a frame of mind best suited to cracking a big problem.
I use mind mapping software (MindManager) all the time – to organise meeting notes or to create a document or presentation. It seems at the start I don’t quite know what I’m going to write (or even whether I feel motivated to even do it) but I just start typing ideas as they come. Within 5 or 10 minutes I am totally absorbed in the task and the ideas (and my enthusiasm) just seem to snowball. Finally I have a great first draft of the document or report that I then export to Word to format and refine further. I can’t imagine any other way of doing this now.
I’ve discovered mind mapping two years ago, and now almost all my projects begin there in a Mind Map. It’s really useful to bring all the parts together and create more ideas in the process.
If you have time please visit http://pkab.wordpress.com it has 860+ articles about mind mapping. you can read all articles in English by clicking this link
http://translate.google.com/translate?client=tmpg&hl=en&u=http://pkab.wordpress.com/&langpair=id|en
Thank you very much
I love mind maps.
I learned to mindmap from a Tony Buzan book at least thirty years ago and have never quit. It’s a fantastic way to organize thoughts and ideas, and to see it all on one page.
Great article!
I’ve been starting to look into mapping software.
Thanks!
@designerstweet
Great Post, Im a huge fan of mind Mapping! thanks!
just perfect timing for the post. I just downloaded freemind software a week ago and started using it. I am exploring about this process but this gives really boost to your thinking process and when ever i go through this , I feel really confident about my project which was not before i started using mind mapping .
thank you so much !
I second Theresa P, MindMeister is great. There is a free edition which I find adequate for my needs.
http://www.mindmeister.com
Perfect. I’ll start using this in my design process.
Great post. I’ve been using mind maps for a while now. Hand written in meetings they really focus the mind on capturing the key points and you start to see the linkages in discussion threads that little bit quicker. I’ve used Mindjet (http://www.mindjet.com) for a while, transferring meeting notes, project plans, report structures etc and using them to organise any related files, contacts and related info. For something a little more “spatial”, Personal Brain (http://www.thebrain.com/) does a similar job and can be a great way of capturing …. well…. your brain.
Have a look at http://www.mindmaple.com, it’s new mind mapping software with features to help your mind mapping better for project management and solving problems !!
i didn’t know much about mind maps.. thanks to this article i’ll have convenience in recording my thoughts. this would be a great activity when i’m idle and have my scrapbook at hand!
So, I am a very sceptical person. I never believe in such stuff. After reading the GTD book I felt like throwing it in the trash. Bunch of nonsense.
That said, I tried mind mapping a couple of years ago, planning to just toy around with them and then give them up. But it didn’t happen!
I still don’t believe in GTD and have serious doubts about the whole ‘brainstorming’ thing, but organizing my thoughts and making notes by mind maps simply works wonders. I don’t think I could work without them any more.
I like the idea of using a mind-mapping for project development and blogging. I just started mind mapping to help with my (currently lack of) marketing strategy and it’s really helpful to see all my ideas & goals together and to visualise how they relate to one another.
I’m using xmind (free version) and it’s pretty intuitive, I just right click and use the context menu to create topics, sub topics and changing the structure, looks like there’s a lot more I could do with, but thats all I need for now.
I use iThoughts on the iPad and iPad mini. I combine that with Dropbox and use it to map customer networks and services. When I get a call, I look up the mind map of the network and I know what I am working with. It also works on my phone. So in a pinch, I always have access to the “Map”. As for mapping out websites and such, it’s a no brainer. Keeps me sane.
Great article! I personally use mind maps on a daily basis, and have found that they really do help the thinking process. I’ve hit a couple mental roadblocks on some projects in the past, and the process of mapping brought quite a bit of clarity.
Although mind maps don’t help me, I understand many people love them and that’s great for them. The problem arises when the advocates of the device think everyone else is going to love and understand their mind map as much as they do. I wish they wouldn’t. They generally suck as communication tools.
This is what I’ve noticed about most mind maps-
1. Visually unappealing
2. Incoherent jumbles. Although you may think it makes perfect sense, your connections and structure are not evident to anyone else
3. Could be vastly improved logically and aesthetically by putting it in the form of an outline or a well-written note.
Bottom line, if you think mind maps are great you probably feel very creative because you are testing the inferior side of your brain. However, just because you draw circles around some words doesn’t mean you’re making a map of any objective significance and just because you’re drawing lines between the word bubbles doesn’t mean you’re making it logical.
And I say this as someone who is a huge advocate of ACTUAL maps, because they precisely and usefully represent reality. Mind maps only represent your reality.
I just tried a mind mapping tool. This is exactly what I needed. I had many ideas in my head and on random notes, it was becoming overwhelming.
Now I can get my mind organized.
I couldn’t agree with this article more, Mindmapping is a must! I’ve been doing it on paper forever, and use a few programs to do it on my desktop or in the cloud.
Visually being able to see projects and tasks allows my brain to sort and prioritize, and is a great way to brain dump ideas.
Next time you are trying to plan out a new website or redesign, try using a mindmap and it make the task much easier.
I use Freemind (Open Source) desktop program a lot, and many others have already mentioned.