The New Way Of Thinking Using Mind Mapping Software

What is Mind Mapping ?

Mind mapping software is used to create diagrams of relationships between ideas or other pieces of information. It has been suggested that the mind mapping technique can improve learning/study efficiency up to 15% over conventional note taking.

Some mind mapping software is 3D, though full 3D functionality is difficult to achieve with the forms of interface devices readily available to users. Some mapping programs incorporate other learning optimization techniques including electronic flashcard style testing.

How to Mind Maps ?

• Use just key words, or wherever possible images.

• Start from the center of the page and work out.

• Make the center a clear and strong visual image that depicts the general theme of the map.

• Create sub-centers for sub-themes.

• Put key words on lines. This reinforces structure of notes.

• Print rather than write in script. It makes them more readable and memorable. Lower case is more visually distinctive (and better remembered) than upper case.

• Use color to depict themes, associations and to make things stand out.

• Anything that stands out on the page will stand out in your mind.

• Think three-dimensionally.

• Use arrows, icons or other visual aids to show links between different elements.

• Don't get stuck in one area. If you dry up in one area go to another branch.

• Put ideas down as they occur, wherever they fit. Don't judge or hold back.

• Break boundaries. If you run out of space, don't start a new sheet; paste more paper onto the map. (Break the 8x11 mentality.)

• Be creative. Creativity aids memory.

• Get involved. Have fun.

Uses of Mind Maps

Whenever information is being taken in, mind maps help organize it into a form that is easily assimilated by the brain and easily remembered. They can be used for noting anything -- books, lectures, meetings, interviews, phone conversations.

Recall: Whenever information is being retrieved from memory, mind maps allow ideas to be quickly noted as they occur, in an organized manner. There's no need to form sentences and write them out in full. They serve as quick and efficient means of review and so keep recall at a high level.

Creativity: Whenever you want to encourage creativity, mind maps liberate the mind from linear thinking, allowing new ideas to flow more rapidly. Think of every item in a mind map as the center of another mind map.

Problem solving: Whenever you are confronted by a problem -- professional or personal -- mind maps help you see all the issues and how they relate to each other. They also help others quickly get an overview of how you see different aspects of the situation, and their relative importance.

Planning: Whenever you are planning something, mind maps help you get all the relevant information down in one place and organize it easily. They can be used for planning any piece of writing from a letter to a screenplay to a book (I use a master map for the whole book, and a detailed sub-map for each chapter), or for planning a meeting, a day or a vacation.

Presentations: Whenever I speak I prepare a mind map for myself of the topic and its flow. This not only helps me organize the ideas coherently; the visual nature of the map means that I can read the whole thing in my head as I talk, without ever having to look at a sheet of paper.

Top Mind Map Software’s.

No. 1 is iMindmap: Excellent software from Tony Buzan, the originator of mind maps..

MindManager: Professional software. Site has some good examples.

MindManuals: Supplier of mind mapping software for MindManager.

MindPlugs: Plug-in for Mind Manager that allows live calculating of mathematical formulas.

MindMapper: Mindmapping software for Windows, and Palm
SmartDraw: Business graphics software that includes mindmapping and other functions.

MindGenius: Integrated with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Project Outlook.
ConceptDraw: Mac Classic and OS X versions also available.

FreeMind: Free software. Java based, so platform independent.

NovaMind: Excellent mindmapping software for Mac and Windows XP and Vista.

BrainMine: Mindmapping software for Windows.

MyMind: Simple but versatile free software for Mac OS X.

Mind-Pad: Object-orientated mindmapping software for Windows.

DeepaMehta: Networked semantic desktop

i2Brain: Java, versatile mindmapping software

Inspiration: Mac and WIndows. Educational packages for kids and students.

MindVisualizer: New, straightforward Windows software, with many good features.

Mind42: Free collaborative online mindmapping software.

Mindomo: Web-based mind mapping tool. Create and edit mind maps in your web browser.

WiseMapping: A neat Web 2.0 mind map tool for creating mind maps on line.

SmartDraw: Graphic software with mind mapping capabilities.

OpenMiind: Matchware mindmap software for Windows with Microsoft Office integration.

Personal Memory Manager: Allows use of different "sheets" as way of organizing notes.

Cayra: PC software that combines mindmaps, concept and topic maps.
MindMeister: An online mind mapping tool, with as many simultaneous users as you like.

Wisdomap: Online mind mapping that includes multi-media and text attachments.

Meadmap: Online hierarchical note-taking system

Advantages Using of Mind Maps:

• Energy and time wasted writing down superfluous words.

• Other information may be missed while noting down one idea.

• Take longer to read and review.

• Associations and connections between key words and ideas not readily apparent.

• Attention wanders easily.

• Lack of color and other visual qualities handicap memory.

• Traditional notes aid forgetting not memory.

In conclusion, using Mindmap software is a great and inexpensive way to enhance the scope and reach of your personal and business, cutting down expenses and increasing revenue.