If you’ve ever wanted to understand the basics of mind mapping software, the Mac productivity website The Sweet Setup has your solution: the Mastering Mind Maps e-course.
This course is designed to help you to streamline the creative process and side-step common barriers to developing and bring about the best results from them. Whether it’s something as simple as writing a blog post or as complex as developing a new product, you need some way to flesh out and organize your thinking. Mind mapping can help.
Using a series of personal presentations by executive editor Mike Schmitz and a series of screenshot videos featuring the Mac/iOS mind mapping application MindNode, the author does an excellent job of unpacking the basic capabilities of mind mapping software and how you can use it to perform simple tasks.
Schmitz writes extensively about Mac-based productivity tools for The Sweet Setup, but only recently started using mind mapping software. So his training is focused on what he has learned and how it has benefited him personally. He also has a talent for explaining concepts clearly, concisely and with great sincerity That’s refreshing.
Here’s how Mastering Mind Maps is structured:
Your idea systems
In a series of 10 brief but informative lectures, Schmitz explains how mind maps work as a tool for developing and improving your ideas:
- What a Mind Map Is: Fundamental components of a mind map and how they work.
- Benefits of Mind Mapping: How to make the most of your mind maps.
- Why Mind Mapping Works: A brief look at the science behind mind mapping.
- Creating Your First Mind Map: A quick start guide for those new to mind mapping.
- Developing Your Ideas: A simple system for capturing and developing your ideas.
- Finding the Time to Think: How and why to make consistent time to think creatively.
- How to Create a System for Managing All the Pieces: Tips for making sure that nothing slips through the cracks.
- Turning Ideas Into Action: How to move your ideas from your brain to the real world
- Analog vs. Digital Mind Mapping: Pros and cons of both mind mapping methods.
- Mind Mapping Best Practices.
Mind mapping workflow examples
This section of the course is designed to help students better understand what mind mapping software can do for them.
- Book Notes: How to take notes and create book summaries with mind maps.
- Project Management: Managing project assets and tasks from using a mind map.
- Meeting Notes: Using a mind map to document decisions and assign action items.
- Life Map: How to keep tabs on the different areas of your life.
MindNode screencasts
This is the “how-to” section of this excellent course.
- MindNode on the Mac: Walkthrough of the MindNode interface on the Mac.
- MindNode on iOS: Walkthrough of the MindNode interface on the iPad & iPhone.
- Folding and Focus Mode: Essential focus tools for developing your ideas.
- The Document Manager: How to manage your mind map library on iOS
- Quick Entry: How to turn captured text into a mind map
- Importing & Exporting: How to move things in and out of MindNode
- Themes & Styles: How to customize the look and feel of your mind map
- Outline View: Combining the benefits of outlines and mind maps
- Notes & Links: Adding additional details to the nodes in your mind maps
- Tasks: How to manage action items in your mind maps
- Images & Stickers: How to add visuals to your mind maps.
- Working with Tags: How and why to use tags in your mind maps.
In closing, I found this to be a well-designed and executed course. I highly recommend it!
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