More information on Mindmaps for GTD

jamesl

Registered
Hi all.

It's been a while since I posted but I wondered if somebody could point me in the right direction for a good book, or other support material, on Mindmapping? I know there is a section on it in David's book but I feel I need a bit more information to make it work well.

Specifically I need help with:

- Mindmapping JUST for projects. There is a lot of book stuff on how it helps memory and recall, but I need some advice on how I flush out all the stuff I need to think about when planning and doing projects.

- I'm not sure if I'm getting the 'branches'' categories right, whether their naming is right (do you just use one word?) and whether I'm actually getting enough branches. Mindmaps are supposed to help with creativity, but you have to be creative and brainstorm to get ALL the right categories for the branches, even when you've thought deeply about the purpose of the project.

So thanks in advance for any help!

James
 

RS356

Registered
I have used mindmapping to detail many of my complex projects and no two are alike. Most are just rough sketches made in the moment. Here are a few thoughts:
  • I wouldn't get hung up on the nomenclature or number of branches. The idea is to get your ideas down in a non-linear format so that you can see the relationships between them. Because each project is different, each mindmap will be unique.
  • Don't worry about capturing everything about the project. Just get everything that's on your mind. You'll start to see new connections, which will prompt more creative thoughts. And you'll have new ideas as the project moves forward.
  • If a more guided approach is needed, I'd highly recommend using a checklist or trigger list specific to project planning (I believe one is available in the GTD Connect library).
I can't necessary recommend it because I've not yet read it, but Tony Buzan's "The Mind Map Book" is widely considered to be the gold standard on the topic.

I too would like to know how others have used mindmapping in their projects.

Good luck and let us know how we can help!
 

AnneMKE

Registered
You may want to check out "The Personal Brain" software. I use it for mind-mapping my Areas of Focus and it is excellent! Here is a link:

http://www.thebrain.com/
I didn't know this still existed! I used to have it on an old computer. My only concern in using it was that it was so fascinating. I felt like I might wander into mapping things and not come out for days -- or maybe ever!
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
I didn't know this still existed! I used to have it on an old computer. My only concern in using it was that it was so fascinating. I felt like I might wander into mapping things and not come out for days -- or maybe ever!
Yeah, the very recent version 9 is pretty outstanding! And they have a whole series of training videos. Dive in! :D
 

mcogilvie

Registered
I use mindmapping pretty routinely, and it's a useful tool, but still a tool. It doesn’t make you smarter or more creative by itself. My most recent use was to mindmap a manuscript, which I then exported as a Markdown outline, which became the skeleton of the manuscript. At this point, the original mindmap had lived a short but happy life, and went to mindmap heaven. One problem I find with mindmaps is that they are good for short descriptive entries, but not so good for detailed or technical information, so It’s good to have other tools.
 

TesTeq

Registered
I use mindmapping pretty routinely, and it's a useful tool, but still a tool. It doesn’t make you smarter or more creative by itself. My most recent use was to mindmap a manuscript, which I then exported as a Markdown outline, which became the skeleton of the manuscript. At this point, the original mindmap had lived a short but happy life, and went to mindmap heaven. One problem I find with mindmaps is that they are good for short descriptive entries, but not so good for detailed or technical information, so It’s good to have other tools.
I love mindmaps. They are beautiful but... OUTLINES rule my world.

I tried to create a mindmap for my book. It was growing beautifully... and I began to have problems with navigation between branches. I was nearly lost!

So I converted it to an outline and I felt at home again. These neatly ordered points and bullets made my heart sing!

When I have an outline I know what to fill with contents. When I have a mindmap I just have a nice picture. That's the difference between outlines and mindmaps.
 

mcogilvie

Registered
I love mindmaps. They are beautiful but... OUTLINES rule my world.

I tried to create a mindmap for my book. It was growing beautifully... and I began to have problems with navigation between branches. I was nearly lost!

So I converted it to an outline and I felt at home again. These neatly ordered points and bullets made my heart sing!

When I have an outline I know what to fill with contents. When I have a mindmap I just have a nice picture. That's the difference between outlines and mindmaps.

Tes, I don't think I've ever read such eloquent prose from you!

I used to use outliner apps a lot, but a couple of things happened. First, GTD got me out of the habit of storing actions and projects together with reference material. Second, it's pretty easy to do casual outlines in most word processors today, or in Markdown. I still have OmniOutliner, the older sibling of OmniFocus, sitting on the shelf but it rarely gets called upon. Too much of a heavyweight these days.
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
I love mindmaps. They are beautiful but... OUTLINES rule my world.

I tried to create a mindmap for my book. It was growing beautifully... and I began to have problems with navigation between branches. I was nearly lost!

So I converted it to an outline and I felt at home again. These neatly ordered points and bullets made my heart sing!

When I have an outline I know what to fill with contents. When I have a mindmap I just have a nice picture. That's the difference between outlines and mindmaps.
According to Carson Tate, you most likely are a prioritizer-type person. Visual-oriented people love mind maps; prioritzers like ordered lists and outlines. :D
 

mcogilvie

Registered
According to Carson Tate, you most likely are a prioritizer-type person. Visual-oriented people love mind maps; prioritzers like ordered lists and outlines. :D

Funny you should mention Carson Tate. I took her "Productivity Style Assessment" and came out exactly balance between her categories of
prioritizer, planner, arranger and visualizer. Of course, I am an old hand at this game, and at tests, but I promise I used my usual mind and didn't skew the results.
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
I had a good balance too, but every time I have taken it...my dominant area is that of a planner. :D
 

jamesl

Registered
Thank you for all your wonderful tips and advice. I have been doing GTD for a year or so, but often, when approaching projects, I have a back of the mind felling of 'have I thought of EVERYTHING NEEDED needed about this project?'

But I am moving towards feeling more secure about this and Mindmaps has helped. I just wondered if there is a way of doing a mindmap, then trying to consider ways in which I might brainstorm MORE areas/ideas to include. The 'triggers list' mentioned sounds like a good idea, and I will check out DA's seminar as suggested.

One thing that has helped is to capture anything and everything related to a project, then use the Weekly Review just to put the captured info under the right project heading. This may seem weird, but I then give it a bit of time so that I have no recollection of what info is in there. Then I do the Mindmap, then revisit the info page to see if there's anything I've missed or could add.

I looked at one Tony Buzan books - The ultimate book of mindmaps. It covered everything mindmaps can be used for and wasn't as practical, or as detailed as I hoped on the theme of projects.

Thanks
 

Oogiem

Registered
According to Carson Tate, you most likely are a prioritizer-type person.
I'm a sucker for testing stuff like this. I'd never heard of Carson Tate so had no preconceptions on what the test would show. Was not surprised at the end to see me equal parts prioritizer/planner once I read the descriptions of her 4 types.
 

severance1970

Registered
I think of mindmaps as worksheets rather than reference documents, so there's no compulsion to "do it right". I generally use mindmapping for capturing thoughts and ideas, and outlines for organizing them. Sometimes, if a topic or project has obvious pillars or milestones, I'll start outlining immediately. For more inchoate thoughts around a topic, I'll drop them onto a mindmap to see if there's an underlying structure to them. Often, the hierarchy that emerges in a mindmap can viewed as an outline without modification, since many mindmapping apps have an Outline View.

The newly released MindNode 5 has a fantastic Quick Entry tool that lets you start by capturing your thoughts in a list or outline, then use this to start a mindmap—or just leave it as an outline (a dedicated outliner like OmniOutliner has too much overhead for my taste). It's especially useful for capturing ideas on the iPhone without being compelled to shoehorn a sprawling web into a small screen.
 

mcogilvie

Registered
I think of mindmaps as worksheets rather than reference documents, so there's no compulsion to "do it right".

I treat mindmaps in the same way. That's a great way to express it. I also have been using Mindnode for some time, but just upgraded to Mindnode 5.
 
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