As some will know, I’m very fond of creating mindmaps and flowcharts. I think they provide a very flexible way of looking at how things flow and interact. Sometimes I’m not sure of how exactly my ideas would come together. So, I’d put them into a mindmap and move things around or add stuff over a few days to weeks. I call that ‘baking the idea’. With time the ‘cake’ rises into something that I value.
The ability to move nodes around makes it so much easier than working with text alone. I can see issues top-down, side to side – all different ways. Over the years I’ve used MindManager – which is pretty expensive software. But in the last 10 years there has been a lot of competition. A range of cheaper alternatives popped up. Free is always as cheap as it can get. No – I’m not ditching MindManager just yet. Jeez.. people are so nosey!
The diagram below was created totally free of charge at Diagrams.net or Draw.io .
To learn more about them click this where you can read that their mission statement is to “provide free, high quality diagramming software for everyone.” That’s brilliant and I’ll donate to their effort. I usually donate a fiver to efforts like these, once a year. Yes – I can afford to donate more but I’m not here to show off, or make myself feel nice. The point is that people in large numbers should donate small amounts.
Diagrams.net will allow files created online to be saved to a computer or cloud-based service and later on uploaded back up, for further work. At intervals you can export your diagrams to an image file in a range of formats. I tend to use PNG or JPEG. Oh – and there is a brilliant desktop app to work with draw.io files that are generated. So, once you create you diagram no need to return online to work on it. In case anyone is now totally confused Draw.io is Diagrams.net.
Mindmaps, flowcharts and diagrams are a great tools for people who have difficulty concentrating or organising ideas. Of course, if they can’t concentrate enough to learn by exploration or remember where they saved their downloaded diagram files, then it is useless.
Do you have to use this? Nope! You only have to do two things: breath in and then breath out – if you want to stay alive that is. The choice is yours!
Disclaimer & Guidance
The reading of posts on this blog is subject to the Terms & Conditions. Unpalatable truths and personal experiences may be told. Nothing posted on this blog is directed at any identified person. On occasions individuals are quoted anonymously. That does not mean that they have been identified to the world. Should any person or organisation reading this blog find something that makes them feel or know that they are being referred to – any such perceived identification does not mean ‘identified to the world’. ‘Stupid‘ is an impish figment of my imagination who occasionally is allowed to pop up – and does not represent any known individual, individuals or groups. The treatment of ‘Stupid‘ is not representative of the way people are treated in real life. Adverse inferences made are dismissed in advance.