More on Mindmapping

What I like about mindmapping, in whatever format one uses, is that it helps me see things that I might not see in another format. For instance, journaling can get too thick with text. Mind maps allow one to think a lot more visually.

What follows are two maps I drew around things I’m working on personally. The software I used was MindJet’s MindManager6. You can click on them to see a bigger-sized one at Flickr.

Current Projects

In this map, I’m asking questions around some things I’m working on. Through this depiction, I realized that I seem to have a lot of questions about money lately, and monetization. One is because I’m still trying to correct my personal finances, but another reason is that I listen to podcasts day in and day out with companies who don’t find ways to monetize their business models. If I *could* figure out a way to turn something I’m doing into a well-paying business, I’d consider it.

Another thing I noticed is that an idea I was huge for two weeks ago has cooled down. One reason is that I haven’t done anything on it. Does that influence how I’m thinking about the project overall? If I contribute to that project, will that turn it back into a “good” project in my mind?

Cash Flow from Content

(Obviously, you’ll have to click this one to see it).

The best part of this mind map was realizing that I had four avenues I could pursue if I wanted to look for cash. It’s a comfort to have some talents to try and work with. But again, I’m still not figuring out what to do with them that would generate money. This mind map is intended to think visually about that, and to consider it in other ways.

The Software

MindJet‘s MindManager 6 is a Windows-based program that makes mindmapping easy. Once I learned the keyboard commands, I found that I could work even faster than before. It’s one of those “the more you use it, the more it feels like second nature” types of applications. What’s *really* cool about the application is that you can export your mind map into all kinds of other applications, including even Microsoft Project. You can even link your maps to do things with software, like bring up URLs, or edit your Outlook Contacts, etc. It’s really cool for that.

But, please let me stress, you can mindmap with plain old paper and pen, too. Software is nice and beautiful and all that, but it’s not the end-all. It’s a tool for the process.

How can you see mind maps working for you? Do my maps spark any thoughts of your own? Do you have areas you’re thinking about that could benefit from visual thinking?

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tags: mindmap, mindjet, visualthinking,productivity, gtd