Mind Mapping Software: What's Inside

Mind mapping...it sounds kind of futuristic, and a little bit scary, especially when you add the word software to the end.  Mind mapping software...it hints at the ability to plumb the dark reaches of the mysterious human brain...perhaps for nefarious purposes.  It might even make a good sci-fi movie plot!

Of course, mind mapping isn't that scary at all; in fact, a lot of people find that it's just the technique they need to help them understand whatever topic they're trying to master.  Mind mapping is the technique of plotting out the different pieces of information inside your head in a non-linear way, so that you can see connections between things where connections weren't always clear before.  Mind mapping software helps people take all the thoughts and information inside their heads and enter it into a computer program, where the program will convert it into a diagram that allows you to see it all at once.

So, what exactly is a mind map? 

A mind map is simply a diagram.  It can be used to represent anything, and is often used to diagram

·         words

·         concepts

·         ideas

·         goals

·         tasks

·         memories

·         emotions

·         problems/solutions

·         team building activities

·         personal creative endeavors

The mind map is usually structured around a central word or idea.  A therapist might ask a client to produce a mind map around the word “fear,” for example, or a manager might ask an employee to produce one relating to the phrase “increased profits.”  It's a common brain-storming technique, and it's especially useful for people whose minds don't always work in a linear way. 

Mind mapping software can help immeasurably with the process of mind mapping.  There are several advantages to using a software program instead of simply trying to do it by hand.

·         More choices.  A mind mapping software program can do your diagrams in ways that you couldn't have imagined, but that might be very helpful to you.  Colors, shapes, connecting points, and storage of supplemental materials all contribute to your effective mind map.

·         3-D.  This is the latest development in mind maps.  If thoughts don't have to be linear, why should they have to be two dimensional?

·         Bigger memory.  The computer can remember more than you can, so it can draw more things into your mind map.  This drastically reduces the chance that you will smack yourself on the forehead and say, “I can't believe I forgot that!”

·         Bigger organizational capacity.  Mind mapping software can organize and provide easy access to far more materials than the human mind can wrap itself around.

·         A whole network of information.  Mind mapping can provide you with links, documents, filters, attachments, and graphics that you might never find on your own.

Mind mapping is an old concept, but mind mapping software takes it into the 21^st century.  Using this tool can help you think, plan, organize, explore, research, structure, and imagine more possibilities than you might have been able to do otherwise.  It's an invaluable tool for anyone to have...and of course, having more tools means getting more done, and getting it done better.