SmallBizResource Blog -- Productivity

Mind Mapping: A New Way To Problem-Solve

Posted by Gayle Kesten Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 02:51 PM ET

I first read about "mind mapping" a few weeks ago. It's used as a means of visually breaking through creative blocks, where you write down your main concept in the center of a page and then surround it with all of your associated ideas. Freewheeling, indeed, and the diagram that accompanied the article was frighteningly intense.

But, yes, I have broken through the fear -- and maybe I could have done so sooner had I mapped it out. According to Freelance Switch, mind mapping "arguably triggers a much more natural way of thinking and problem solving," "often helps you to produce solutions you might not otherwise have thought of, " and is far more effective than lineal-list-making.

In his interview with bMighty.com, productivity guru David Allen also mentions mind mapping's effectiveness. He recommends a $350 piece of software called MindManager (also available for a 30-day free trial) that includes collaboration features for multilocation brainstorming sessions.

MindManager isn't the only game in town. For less than $5 per month, MindMeister offers a Web-based mind-mapping tool for those who have mastered dragging and dropping. There are also open-source options, such as FreeMind, that will cost you zip. And as Assist-IT points out, you can even mind-map in Microsoft Word.

But before you go spending any money or using up space on your computer, my suggestion is to go the ol' pencil and paper route on your own first. Write down your challenge/problem in the middle of the page, then think about these 5 W's to help break down the task:

• Who is affected by the problem?
• What do you know about the problem? What is the principle underlying the problem? What problem elements are related to one another?
• When does the problem occur?
• Where else does the problem exist? Where is the best place to begin looking for solutions? Where does the problem fit into the larger scheme of things? Where can you find the best people to solve the problem?
• Why do you want to solve this problem? Why is the problem hard to solve?

Does mind mapping work for you? Let me know.

Productivity