Saturday link: Try mind mapping
I don’t brainstorm nearly often enough. It can be so helpful for generating ideas. And it has a wide variety of applications.
You can brainstorm the beginnings of a project, to help you figure out what resources you’ll need or what general steps to take. It gives you a solid starting point, something to help you flesh out a larger plan.
Try planning your day this way. Think about everything you need – or think you need – to accomplish that day. And then you can choose the most important items and go from there.
Sometimes, mind mapping is a great way to throw out ideas. Don’t think too long and hard about it – the point is just to get ideas on paper. And don’t judge. You can qualify the pieces later.
Lifehacker’s recent featured download is called PersonalBrain. And there’s a free version! It works on Mac, Windows, or Linux, so there’s a version for almost everyone. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll be checking it out. I could use a little inspiration. How about you?
Do you use mind mapping? Does it work for you? What other idea-generating exercises do you engage in?