Thoughts on landscape architecture, the landscape profession, 2B's news updates and technical musings.

Sign up for email updates at the bottom of the page.

Mapping the canyons of your mind...
21 Jul 2011 22:44     A+ | a-

OK, turn off that 60's psychedelic music, this is serious. A few years ago I asked a number of friends and colleagues if they knew of good “To do” list software, which would allow for flexible note-making, and reorganisation of priorities.  A number of suggestions were made and followed up, but none quite provided the flexibility I was looking for.
 

Then I came across mind-mapping software and tried a few commercial offerings before finding the excellent open source Freemind, and an offshoot, Freeplane.  Although I may yet be tempted to pay for a commercial product (particularly if it allows effective transfer to my Android phone), I have found Freeplane to be intuitive, effective and reliable. Running as a Java application (and therefore compatible across Windows, IOS and Linux platforms) it allows complete freedom in the creation and arrangement of thoughts, and as such, provides near-perfect “To do” list functionality.

I have also come to rely on it for any situation where I need to set out some initially vague thoughts and bring structure to them, for example: fee proposals, methodologies, unusual reports, research proposals and so on. 

When my eldest daughter was going for a job and was asked to prepare a short presentation for the interview, describing how she would deal with particular issues relating to the job, I suggested that a mind map would marshal and present her thoughts.  She used Freeplane and came up with a compelling, structured argument, presented both onscreen and in a handout.  After the interview, I asked if there had been any comments about the mindmap and was disappointed to find that there were none, but the great news was that she got the job.  In a later discussion about the interview, it turned out that her future employers had been impressed and wondered, ‘how on earth she had produced that excellent map thingy...’ ;-)

Freeplane Mindmap
Older Post Home Newer Post