Mindmapping is a wonderful brainstorming technique that can yield great results, and show you ideas that you hadn’t previously imagined. Most people are familiar with mindmapping and its problem-solving potential, but many people do it inefficiently. If you follow these 10 simple tips, you should find your mindmapping sessions to me radically improved.
1. Eliminate Environmental Distractions. Start your session in a quiet, light environment where you will not be disturbed until you are finished.
2. Eliminate all paper / digital distractions. If you are doing your mindmap on your computer, turn off MSN, email, Kazaa, and everything else that you have running except the mindmapping software. It is too easy to “take a small break” that turns out to waste 30 minutes. If you are using paper, make sure your desk is clear, except for the paper and your writing materials.
3. Start with a good question or idea. Think about what you want to accomplish during your session, and start with an idea that is precisely defined, so it will help you work towards your goal.
4. Start with that goal, but feel free to deviate from it. As your brainstorm grows, follow your creativity and expand it however you like. Don’t feel constrained by that bubble in the middle, because it is only there as a starting point.