free mind map software
September 19, 2007 by Cash
Greg was the first person to turn me onto the concept of ‘mind maps’ for organizing information. In my opinion, it’s one of the most efficent ways of presenting (and easing the understanding of) concepts to an audience, or even yourself.
From wikipedia:
A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. It is used to generate, visualize, structure and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.
It is an image-centered diagram that represents semantic or other connections between portions of information. By presenting these connections in a radial, non-linear graphical manner, it encourages a brainstorming approach to any given organizational task, eliminating the hurdle of initially establishing an intrinsically appropriate or relevant conceptual framework to work within.
If you’ve never used one, the easiest way may be to try a free software tool dedicated to the task.
Free Mind is a java program that should help you get started.
I know someone with a Kitchen Aide Mixer… It’s real nice.
I have been using Freemind for quite some time and I find it a very efficient tool for getting ideas out of my head. Also, I tend to use it to produce very small maps which I find is pretty much in line with the short to-do lists that 4HWW is advocating. Then, when I get to the task at hand, I develop this part of the map and discard it once it’s done… brilliant!
I often use my mind map as a temporary writing pad. After I flesh out an idea, I format the information into a more easily read outline or task list. It matters more that I have the information organized (list) than how I came up with the information (mind map)