I’ve been a long time proponent of mind-mapping as a technique to get your creative juices flowing. I have found over quite a few years now that once I have the chapters and sub-section written down for my information product I can sit down and mind map each section and essentially get the guts of the book written - in fact, many times I have mind-mapped just to get the chapters and sub-sections to start with.

The trick is to not be self-critical of any ideas as they pop up - everything is equal at that moment. Your job is to let the mind roam free - so banish your editor self for during that time and just jot things down.

So it’s good to see others extol the virtues of mind-mapping as Liz Strauss over at Successful Blog has recently done:

When to use a Mind Map
Mind maps are useful for clearing your mind of the thoughts around an idea. A mind map is best used for capturing an idea and its parts while it’s happening. They work well for most people because they allow for information to be structured in the same way as our brains relay it

Personally, I’m looking at some mind mapping software to try out (Mindjet seems to be the standout) - there are some real beauties out there, but I still can’t go past the old pen and large paper routine of sitting down, shutting out all external noises and just let the mind rip out ideas and let them go in whatever direction they may wish to go.

It works for me every time.