Mind Mapping Software

I have found something that may interest you. If you ever try to organize your thoughts--whether from a simple grocery-shopping trip to writing the Great American Novel--then you might want to try this absolutely FREE product. It is called FreeMind and is designed for mind mapping. If you are not familiar with the term "mind mapping," it is basically a way to gather all those random thoughts that flit through your mind when you are thinking about something. Or, like me, if you are trying to put together some organized theme, it helps to organize the various threads of thought. For a more complete explanation of the concept click here. The software is a free download--you don't even have to register. It is available for Windows and Mac, and at different levels of usability. I've only been using it a few days now, and have found it to be beneficial. Although not necessarily intuitive, the learning curve is not steep, which for me is important. I've not explored all its capabilities, but what I have seen is powerful.

When I've tried mind-mapping with paper and pencil, I always end up with a mess; or I run out of space on the paper.

When I am working on putting my thoughts together, they are coming at me from many different places. Then, as I try to add the sub-sub-thoughts to the sub-thoughts of the main thought, I have no space left. Or, I must draw long lines to another section of the page in order to continue.

Not so with this tool.

You begin with the main thought and add thoughts to it. The software keeps your page balanced by starting a new sub-thought opposite the last one--across from the main thought box. If it begins to get too crowded, a simple click and drag is all that is necessary to move an entire group to a different area. The lines stretch and stay connected during this process. So far, I have not found a limit to the depth of sub-thoughts one can go. The sidebar has a long selection of various icons that can be embedded next to a thought, including numbers, flags, emoticons, arrows, etc. This tool can also be used for planning your day, scheduling aspects of a project you are working on, thinking through the essay or book you want to write, planning a sermon or Sunday-School lesson, or whatever. The possibilities are probably endless. Saving whatever you are working on is easy--almost mindless. This eliminates having a legal pad nearby that I have to thumb through to get to my last mind-mapping; or having papers scattered around with my thoughts randomly scratched in different places. Having this tool with its icon on my desktop for ready use may just solve some of my scattered thinking that sometimes goes nowhere. Grab your own copy of FreeMind here.

Thanks to Glenn Brooke of Teach The Bible To Change Lives for turning me on to this new software.