Mind Mapping is an organizational (and inspirational!) technique for capturing and documenting ideas (or anything). Mind Maps are tree-like diagrams that start with a central idea at its core, and related ideas branch from it. I discovered that I naturally took notes and brainstormed in a “mind map” sort of way, so some of this technique came very naturally to me, but I was not keen on the colors, pictures, and line thicknesses so many Mind Maps contain. I guess the colors and pictures are OK if the Mind Map itself is your goal, but my uses have always been a means to an end — that end being a better understanding of a problem.
I recently ran across the idea of using a Mind Map to create a SWOT Analysis. A SWOT analysis examines strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to an opportunity, idea, or decision. It is a common business tool and is usually depicted as a quad-chart. But doesn’t a Mind Map present this information in a better way? Consider this example from the LivePlan blog:
I like and appreciate how the information flows in the Mind Map version of the SWOT chart: it isn’t nearly so dry as just bullets, it focuses on the topic, and can show relationships (via connecting arrows) in ways the quad-chart can’t. I’m finding a new appreciation for Mind Maps and trying to apply their simple concept to other activities in my life. For example, here is the Mind Map for writing this blog (created with FreeMind software).
There are scores of Mind Mapping resources on the Internet, including software to generate maps if you prefer not to hand draw them. Here is a good place to start: https://www.mind-mapping.org .
There’s also a Mind Map about Mind Mapping, based upon Tony Buzan’s (the Mind Map inventor) Mind Mapping Laws.
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