Mind Maps

Life as an all-in-one developer is tough. Sometimes we have to work on multiple projects at the same time. And most of the time, these project demand crucial details and ideas coming from many people.

And then there's this formula:

[N(N-1)]/2

I know. The formula says it all… or not. It's actually the formula to compute the number of communication channels among team members. Where N is the number of people in the loop.

My point is that when you work on a project, you talk with many people and that keeping track of all their ideas is insanely difficult (even with super-powers). As the formula states, the number of people to talk to would double. That means you have to repeat the Q/A which is time consuming needless to say irritatingly boring given the length of meetings and online conferences.

Fear not my friend. Mind Maps to the rescue!

From Leonardo Da Vinci to Shakespeare addicts and trends enthusiasts mind maps are huge life-saver!

A few references

• What are mind maps?
• List of mind mapping (desktop) software

My mind-map software picks

• MindMeister
  • when MindMeister started out, it was free; then it's not. From candy-licious user interface, mobile mapping to sexy drag-n-droppin' you won't be able to stop mapping everything in your life with it. Create your map online and you're sure to edit it on other computers with internet connection. It was so promising I started to look for something like it.
• FreeMind
  • simple, light, as portable as you can get out of java… FreeMind offers addictive desktop mind-mapping experience. Why do I like it best? It's because of the flexible & super-fast ability to export my map data to whichever format I prefer. Best of all, it's open source.
• Mind42
  • Sorry MindMeister, I've found a better yet free alternative to you. I got so hurt when you limited the number of maps I can create because I refuse to pay $9 US Dollars a month for my mapping addiction. So I found my new happy place (while it's still free).
  • Features of Mind42 that tickles my heart:
    • easy to use, intuitive, no-fuzz mapping
    • ability to add images and links to map nodes
    • auto-saving and collaborate (shared) mapping
    • encourage my clients to create notes & to-do lists without hurting their feelings
    • switch & view map editing revisions
    • tag items with colorful icons!
    • export my map to different formats (esp. to FreeMind)
    • and more upcoming features!

How I use it:

• Step 1: Create a new map
• Step 2: Jot down initial keywords
• Step 3: Arrange keyword organization (parent/child relationships)
• Step 4: Revise and/or expand further
• Step 5: Assign icons, add notes, create links as needed
• Step 6: Share, Export, Print
• Step 7: Tape it on my wall!

With mind maps, my brain is happy.

Truly, pictures speak louder than words. It helps visualize projects we see them grow and expand further into organized branches.

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