There was a time when I would not know what to blog about. Each time I went to write a blog post, I would think about possible topics and think about how each would fit into the overall message of my business. I would actually question if each topic fit into the overall message of my business. It was frustrating and time consuming.
I try to continue to educate myself on the various aspects of my business. I’m guessing you do as well. One way I do that is to attend webinars. During a webinar on blogging, a speaker talked about using mind mapping to come up with blog topics. And I thought: why didn’t I think of that before?
During the early stages of deciding which market I should serve, I used mind mapping to come up an approach to bridge my knowledge and skills to possible products I could sell to various target markets. I used mind mapping because I wanted to make sure there were relationships between the possible future products and my skill set.
So after my aha moment from the webinar, I tried this approach to generate ideas for my business and it took me less than an hour to create a mind map. And using the mind map, I ended up with well over a year’s worth of blog topics.
What is a mind map?
A mind map is simple, visual tool that displays information around a central topic and connects concepts together in a natural way. This encourages even more ideas and deeper ideas. It gives an overview but also a lot of information all on one page. I use pen and paper but there are various applications that help you make mind maps using your computer.
Benefits of using a mind map
- improves the way you organize your thoughts
- helps improve planning
- increases productivity
- encourages creativity
- assists with clarify thoughts
- saves time
- allows you to see the whole picture all at once
- uses the brain’s natural way of doing things
- help you work more efficiently
- is a good way to get information out of your head
- is a good way to logically take notes
- is a good way to capture thoughts
- can help you solve problems quicker and more effectively
- is a great way to brainstorm
- can be used for a lot of different situations
- great way to generate related ideas quickly
How to create a mind map – associations are key
- The main idea is put in the center.
- The main themes branch out from the center.
- The branches are key words.
- The lesser important items are branched off of the main branches.
- Mind maps can include words, images, numbers and color or as simple as just words.
So tell me: how do you use mind maps in your business?
Leave a Reply