Do you ever have a goal or project that feels too big or overwhelming? You just don’t know where to start or how to move forward.
Or maybe you’re just overwhelmed period. You have way too many to-do’s, ideas, too many “anything” and you feel stuck!
Credit: Learning Fundamentals
This is where mind mapping can be your best friend. It’s what I use for all my projects, my clients’ projects, my goals, their goals, and even my shitty overwhelming moments. It’s my way of getting it all out (my ideas, to-do’s, struggles, goals, anything I can think of) and once it’s there I can start processing and mapping things out. It’s literally how I organize my brain!
Of course, there’s the traditional note-taking and list-making, which is what a lot of people do at times like these but for me, that just doesn’t work. My brain is wired differently (and most likely yours is as well). 🤷🏻♀️
So what is mind mapping?
As opposed to traditional note-taking in a linear format, when mind mapping, information is structured in a way that resembles much more closely to how your brain actually works. You start with your topic in the center of your page and keep branching out with ideas and topics. You can draw your lines however it works for you, straight lines, curly lines, … whatever works for you.
There are no rules and there is no defined structure, you just go with the flow.
Some of the benefits…
- It declutters your mind
- It’s easier to organize your thoughts and ideas
- It helps with problem-solving
- It gives you clarity on goals
- It simplifies planning
- It’s a great visual tool when collaborating with your team.
Types of Mind Maps
While there is no right or wrong way to create your mind map, there are a few different ways of creating one. Here are 3 ways:
The Old-Fashioned Way ⭐️
All you need is pen and paper or even a napkin and you’re ready to go! A whiteboard is great way to go as well. Start with your topic or idea in the center and branch out with your ideas and topics as they come.
This is great for those moments when you need to do a quick brain-dump or brainstorm with a colleague. It’s not so great when you want to move your ideas or topics around because everything is set in stone/on paper.
The Sticky Way ⭐️ ⭐️
Grab a pack or two of sticky notes, a marker, and start writing down your ideas and to-do’s on each sticky and stick them randomly on a wall or window. Once done, you can start brainstorming and organizing all your topics/ideas around.
Click here to read more about doing it the sticky way! This is my favorite way of brain dumping.
The Digital Way! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This is definitely my favorite way to mind map, especially when it comes to bigger projects. Why? Because you can move your ideas/branches around, you can copy & paste things, you can add links and images, and so much more. It really depends on the app you’re using.
There are many different mind map apps available. I use and have used:
Just Google ‘mind map tools’ to see all that’s available.
As some of you know, ClickUp is one of my favorite project management tools and they have a built-in mind map tool that let’s you organize and move your projects and tasks around while it automatically adjusts all your projects and tasks within your Lists and Boards. This is such a great added feature and a great way to collaborate together with your team as well.
Mind mapping has seriously helped me in so many situations over the last few decades, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s usually the first tool I grab when starting any new project and I hope it’ll help you as well.
If you have questions or want to see if we’re the right fit to work together, you can click here to book a call with me.