Using Mind maps to boost your creativity and productivity
Whether you are writing a book, a blog post, or designing software, the first step is always to create a plan in order to understand how ideas or features will work together, what is in scope and what is out of scope.
The problem is that when you are confronted with a blank page, it's hard to know where to start. Too many ideas flow in your brain and you don't know how to organize them.
This is where mind maps come into play.
Mind maps are a way to add structure to your ideas and to represent them visually. They allow you to visualize and focus on the bigger picture instead of the non-essential details.
I personally use MindNode which can export your mind map as Markdown. Thus, the mind map above can be exported to:
# Privacy Guide
## Smartphones and Tablets
### iOS
- Siri
- permissions
- adblocker
- Settings
- bluetooth and wifi
### Android
- permissions
- adblockers
- alternative rom
### Do facebook listen to your microphone
## Computers
### Linux vs macOS vs Windows
### configuring macos
- native apps vs appstore vs webapps
### Windows
### backups
## Home privacy
### cameras
### smart speakers
### Smart TVs
## Conclusion
...
## Out of scope
### Finance
- cash
- crypto-currencies
- credit score
## Communications
### E2ee vs encryption at rest
### What means private communications
### The case of Telegram
### The case of WhatsApp
### Signal vs Matrix
So once the plan is done, I just have to copy/paste this into my Markdown editor and start writing. Simple. Effective.
If you want to learn more about writing, publishing and selling your first ebook, take a look at my guide: Technical Writer - 90 days to write, publish and sell your first technical book where I tell you everything you need to know, what works, and what doesn't so you can focus on what matters: writing your own book.
