Hi Seyoung! Could you please introduce yourself?

I'm a passionate and curious person, both personally and professionally. Personally, I've always loved storytelling through videography, photography, and self-publishing. Since 2020, I've worked in tech startups, starting as an engineer, transitioning into product management, and now serving as Director of Customer Success at Basemark, an AR software company.

I've been a visual thinker since I was young. I speak four languages: Korean (my mother tongue), English, Japanese, and Finnish. I learned the three foreign languages by visually associating concepts with positions on notebook pages. For example, I’d think “line 4 on page 5,” and my brain would draw the content for me. That’s why mind mapping has always felt so natural to me.

I’ve grown both personally and professionally through MindNode over the past decade. It’s become an essential part of how I think, plan, and build. I deeply appreciate the team behind it and want to see MindNode thrive for many years to come — it truly plays a meaningful role in my life.

When and how did you discover mind mapping?

I was first introduced to mind mapping in elementary school, when I was about 8 or 9. But it never really clicked with pen and paper — it felt too slow. That changed in 2015 when the App Store recommended MindNode. I gave it a try while writing my bachelor’s thesis, and I’ve been using it daily ever since.

Writing & Presentations – structuring thoughts before writing or presenting

Framework building – defining and organizing reusable templates for different types of work

Scheduling – daily, weekly, and long-term goals

Ideation & Planning – videography, photography, and book projects

Meditation – reflecting on my goals, progress, and what truly motivates me

Understanding & Summarizing – breaking down books, technical papers, or code repositories

How has it helped you, personally or professionally?

I think non-linearly and constantly jump between ideas across domains. MindNode matches my mental speed. It lets me stay in flow, connect dots, and turn abstract ideas into concrete plans — fast.

That speed is crucial because I work in a startup with offices across three continents. It's also essential for personal projects, where no one sets the deadline but me. With MindNode, I can break big goals into small, motivating wins and adjust as I go.

MindNode helps me understand myself and what I truly want. I use it every morning to review my priorities — both personal and professional. This keeps me focused, organized, and intentional with my time.

MindNode helps me deconstruct problems and cut away the noise. I can clearly see what doesn’t matter and double down on what does. That clarity helps me hit the right goals fast.

Which device do you like to use MindNode on, and why?

I mainly use my MacBook Pro (for work) and MacBook Air (personal), connected to a 27-inch external display. The large screen and physical keyboard help me work quickly. When I’m away from my Macs, I use an iPhone 11. When switching between devices, I’m careful to avoid sync issues.


Do you have any MindNode features that you particularly enjoy?

A small but essential set of features — the simplicity is a feature in itself. The MindNode team clearly understands what it takes to get into flow.

Image attachment — a picture is worth a thousand words!

Copy-paste that maintains indentation — super handy for switching between MindNode and other text editors like Confluence

Native & local — MindNode isn’t bloated or cloud-dependent, so it stays lightning fast. I often work offline while traveling, and this makes a big difference.

Writing helps me clarify my thoughts. Reading books lets me experience new perspectives. Cinema teaches me storytelling, and behind-the-scenes documentaries show how teams collaborate in depth. I love listening to interviews with industry leaders on YouTube and podcasts. And last but not least, I enjoy talking with my nerdy friends, who are always working on cool hobby projects. They introduce me to new technologies and domains — and give feedback on my projects too.


Seyoung has made his MindMap with books and notes available to us. It can be downloaded here. 

Discover how Seyoung first used MindNode for his bachelor’s thesis — and how it’s become essential to both his personal and professional life.

Visual Thinking in Motion: Seyoung’s inspiring Journey with MindNode.

Would you be so kind to give us a little intro on yourself?

I am Vanessa, the longest standing member of user support at MindNode and I also do quality assurance. I grew up in Bavaria, in a little town near Munich at a very pretty lake.

I live in Vienna for 13 years now and first studied physics and later socioeconomics. Then, I slipped into the IT world with a job at MindNode which I started in my last bachelor semester in socioeconomics because I still had to finish my bachelor thesis. This was like the perfect opportunity.

My first experience with mind mapping was when I was 12 or 13. My best friend and I sort of created a mind map of all our friends and their relationships, who’s into whom, and all of that kind of very important stuff when you’re 13. So that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of my first contact with mind mapping. And then, I guess it really was with starting my job at MindNode. And now, they’re omnipresent.

I use it a lot for taking notes during meetings and for planning workflows. I now also have a packing list for various vacations in the form of a mind map. Also, every big project, like moving houses or starting something new, always starts with a mind map and then ends up as several mind maps.

What kind of workflows do you use mind mapping for?

One that we've documented over time is the onboarding of new customers and new employees, and we use MindNode specifically for support. We outline the different phases of the onboarding process, what tasks people should be able to handle independently by a certain point, and where they can find all the necessary information.

As you said, you’re using mind mapping for business purposes as well as personally. How has it helped you, especially beyond just packing lists for travel?

The biggest help was when I was writing my bachelor’s thesis. I started by outlining the thesis using a mind map, which was really useful because I didn’t have a clear sense of the structure at first. The mind map made it easy to move chapters around and adjust the flow, so I could see what made the most sense logically.

I also used mind maps to organize quotes from the books I was reading, adding notes with references like book titles, page numbers, and so on. Since I’m a big procrastinator, I had gathered all this material but hadn’t written much. As the deadline approached, I ended up writing about three-quarters of the thesis in one weekend. The mind map was a lifesaver—its search feature made it easy to find related quotes and ideas and piece everything together.

In the end, I got an A, and my professor complimented how well-structured the thesis was. I knew the mind map had made all the difference in helping me organize and rearrange my ideas, something that wouldn’t have been possible with a regular document.

You mentioned that search is one of your favorite features. Are there any other particular features in MindNode that you really enjoy?

Yes, absolutely! I would have loved to have the ability to edit the outline back when I was writing my thesis, and now that’s possible, which is great. Another feature I truly enjoy is the ability to add notes. It’s so helpful to have the main idea in the node and then use notes to go deeper without cluttering the mind map. For example, when I was working on my thesis, I could keep the key points in the node and add all the repetitive details — like who wrote the book and page numbers — in the notes. That kept things tidy.

The outline view is another feature I love. It’s super helpful to switch between the mind map and outline view, letting me scroll through the content and see how it would flow as a text. It’s great for organizing ideas and figuring out the right structure.

Oh, and keyboard shortcuts! They might not be a “feature” in the traditional sense, but once I started using them, everything became so much faster and more efficient.


I think my favorite is the shortcut for notes, and I’m laughing because we’ve changed it two or three times since I’ve been here! I actually forgot it after the last update, but we recently brought it back to the original, which is Shift-Command-K.

It’s funny because even though the logic behind the shortcut could be different, a lot of users had developed muscle memory for the original one. We got so many emails from people saying they couldn’t open notes because they were so used to the old shortcut. So, eventually, we went back to it to keep our users happy!

On which device do you use MindNode the most on, and why?

I most like to use it on the iPad, which is such a common answer, but for a good reason! Every time I do, I think, “Oh, this is great!” But since I spend so much time on my MacBook, I mostly end up using it there. On the iPad, the ability to tap directly on the screen and interact with the mind map makes it feel more alive and engaging.


Final question, Vanessa: What makes your creativity spark?

Having enough time and not feeling under pressure really helps me. When I can focus without being overwhelmed by responsibilities, creativity flows more easily. I try to carve out dedicated time, which creates the mental space needed for creative thinking.

Being in nature is another big inspiration for me. It helps me stay present and clear my mind of distractions. The beauty and complexity of the natural world often spark my creativity and lead to new ideas.

Download "Gliederung Arbeitswelt.mindnode"

Can you give us a little intro on yourself, please?

Yeah, well, I'm English, but I've worked in Italy for 42 years, and it's always been an alternation between being a consultant and being a CEO. For example, I was the CEO of Italy's number one Fashion Institute. I'm actually not a fashion guy at all. I'm an engineer from Yorkshire, but they needed someone to rebuild the place. Which we did over the course of 8 years. And it's now one of the best 10 in the world.

Then in 2013 I opened my own little consulting company. It's called Phil Taylor Consultants, which is a boutique consultancy. Now, Lamborghini is the oldest client we have. But we also work with Ferrari, Ducati, Caterpillar, and other Motor brands besides the many universities like those in Naples or Bologna.

Our company is known for highly engaging, involving and interactive seminars. We have the audience participate in almost every step of the way. A crucial element of our workshops is the way we present information and exercises. While other consultants go with decks of 100+ slides per meeting, we only work with a single MindNode file per project.

That must have been around 2014. Back then, I tried a few mind mapping apps, but most of them were a too heavy. I was looking for something intuitive and fast. And that's when I discovered MindNode and stuck with it ever since. There, customer experience always comes first.

Our consulting projects are often about restructuring organizations, breaking down silos or implementing innovative topics like Artificial Intelligence into everyday business. Every project consists of multiple workshops and seminars, which are supported to 95% by MindNode. We also use survey tools in addition, but no other presentation apps.

Initially, I had the core topic in a main node and all sub topics in child nodes. But these days I rather use multiple main nodes that I spread out on the infinite canvas that MindNode offers me. I navigate the canvas from top to bottom and have a main node as a label for each section. Within each section, there are multiple other main nodes and mind maps.

The great thing is that I can have backup content that I simply pull into view when needed or push out less important nodes if we run out of time.

Mostly for business purposes but also a bit personally. For example, I do holiday lists or dinner organization. And quite recently I planned my pool with MindNode. I designed the pool from scratch and had to consider things like the excavation process, or the filtering.

So for organizing my thoughts in that project, I find MindNode a lot more attractive, and incentivizing than just a boring black and white list. With colored elements that make certain information stand, you get what's important in one glimpse.

Which device do you like to use MindNode on and why?

The iPad is my device of choice 99% of the time. This even stuns my clients because it is often snappier and more interactive than a regular PC. You can even make changes in a presentation in real time without leaving some sort of presentation mode, making changes and going back in.

The thing I really like are the multiple shapes a node can have. To me, that's a real value added. Through these shapes we encode whether information is an interactive exercise, a video, a voting, or information presented by me. For example, fluffy clouds mean that the audience will be working. Thereby, I can also apply our so-called cloud test:

Have you got around 70% fluffy clouds? — If not, it means that I'll be talking too much.

And I can do that test just by looking at the canvas.

One aspect is not being overloaded. I'll make sure that my brain hasn't got a million other things to do. I clear out my brain, delegate everything, and then start working on creative tasks. Otherwise, the preconscious level is blocking the creativity.

The second element is the time of the day. I'll never try to design an important workshop at two o'clock in the afternoon because that is not my time to be creative. There is also an exercise during our seminars regarding this topic where we map all the groups members' creativity curve. Only then they can see that they might all function different. So, if you are having a meeting at 3pm, some people will be firing on 10 cylinders. Other people will be dead. This is an essential learning.

How to Run Seminars for Lamborghini and Ferrari with Phil Taylor

Hi Dr. Avi, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Dr. Avi Patel, and I am a dentist and entrepreneur. I currently live in Austin, TX, with my wife and dog. I look to help others believe in themselves and maximize their potential in life. I look at life through a positive lens and believe everything happens for a reason. I use social media as an outlet to spread positivity - foster growth-oriented mindsets, and share tips for dentists pertaining to Invisalign. I created an online boot camp where I teach dentists how to do Invisalign with the hope of helping them provide their patients with comprehensive dental treatment.

I discovered mind mapping when I started my consulting business in March 2022. I was looking for a tool to help me document and organize my thoughts/ideas.

I started by using it as a tool to document my brainstorms for my consulting business. I then started to use it for step-by-step protocols and an outline for presentations.

How does mind mapping help you personally?

It helps me document my flow state of ideas and thoughts in a very natural and seamless way.

By letting me stay organized with short and long-term ideas/goals - and allowing me to take a step back and look at the "big picture", which leads me to connect dots and form new connections, that I was not aware of in my brainstorm phase.

The iPad. I like the ability to type AND use my fingers to zoom in and out. I feel like Tom Cruise from the Minority Report 🤣

When are you getting your mind mapping done?

Anywhere and everywhere. There is no set time when I use it

Focus Mode – it's great when I'm working on a specific topic.

Hi Mike! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am the Executive Editor at The Sweet Setup where I write about using Apple technology to be more productive and creative. I'm the architect and producer behind many of the training courses available there, like Mastering Mindmaps and To Obsidian and Beyond.

I also co-host the Focused podcast with David Sparks where we talk about intentional productivity, the Bookworm podcast with Joe Buhlig we read and discuss a lot of books relating to productivity and creativity, and the Intentional Family podcast with my wife where we share what we've learned while raising 5 kids together.

I have a few of my own courses available on my personal website, and I share my Sermon Sketchnote videos there every week.

So TL;DR - I make a lot of stuff on the web. And MindNode is a big reason why I can.

My dad introduced me to the concept of mind mapping on paper when I was in high school, but I had no interest in it until I listened to the Mac Power Users episode on Cooking Ideas. Once I tried mind mapping on the computer, I immediately fell in love with the ability to drag nodes around on the screen and see the layout automatically update in real-time.

Mind mapping is an essential part of my idea development system.

For me, mind mapping is where I develop my ideas. Whenever I sit down to write, I always spend time mind mapping my ideas for the article first. This helps me gain clarity and makes the act of writing MUCH easier once I do sit down at the keyboard.

I estimate that every hour I spend mind mapping saves me two hours when I sit down to write.

In addition to being an essential part of my creative workflow, I also use mind mapping for book notes. I read a lot of books, and I always read physical books to minimize distractions. I do always have my iPhone with me though, and I like to take notes in mind map format. I love the ability to embed pictures from my iPhone camera, which I use to add diagrams or other interesting visuals. When I get done, they look something like this.

There are lots of other places I'll occasionally use mind mapping (when planning product scope, for example) but writing and reading account for about 95% of my mind mapping.

I almost always start mind mapping from my iPhone. When taking book notes, I start by finding an image of the book's cover on Google and placing that in the middle, then fleshing out the major sections of the book before I start reading. Then I add things as I go that stand out to me or that I know I will want to remember later.

For writing, I'm never quite sure what an idea will look like when I start. I'll frequently start on my iPhone and go for a walk where I just noodle on the topic and flesh out the mind map as I go. If I feel the idea is substantial, I'll switch to the iPad because I like the larger canvas. I almost never mind map on my Mac however because I enjoy physically touching the nodes and moving them around on the screen. It's a little thing, but it makes me feel much more connected to my ideas as I develop them.

Are there any MindNode features that are particularly helpful?

When I’m developing an idea before I sit down to write it, I like to use MindNode’s folding feature to help “see the forest through the trees.” I find it helpful to fold up sections that I’m finished developing so my brain can attach more easily to the specific section I’m working on. Then when I sit down to write, I use the Focus feature to highlight just the section I’m currently writing.

Learn how Mike Schmitz uses MindNode to stay productive and develop ideas into projects.

Developing Ideas & Being Creative – How Mike stays Productive with MindNode

Hi Matt! Could you please introduce yourself?

I’m a writer — a novelist, in particular — full time now. I used to be a consultant software engineer focusing on user experience and interface design, on the various Apple software platforms, but I also wrote extensively for technology magazines and web sites. I made the transition to full time writing a few years ago.

I discovered mind mapping years ago, when I was still at high school, but I didn’t use it very much at that point in my life. I did occasionally create mind maps during my years at university, but generally I’ve always used outlines as my primary planning and thinking aid.

It was only when I started to write as my job that I found both mind maps and outlining had their own roles to play.

Coming from a scientific and technological background, I’m a very logic-oriented person. I like to break down ideas and concepts into their components to help me understand them. I use outlines in almost every aspect of my life, from planning home renovations to creating the plot for a novel. I find it reassuring and comprehensible to be able to see how one thing flows to the next, and to be able to put things in their proper order. In short, outlines help me to refine, understand, and track the flow of any project or process.

Mind maps are very different. Where outlines are in a sense one-dimensional, mind maps have an additional dimension of letting me see clusters of related concepts, and how many branches a dependent ideas come from a common source. Mind maps help me to do two main things: to explore the core of an idea before I really know what I’m going to do with it, and also to discover the relationships between discrete ideas.

When do you reach for mind mapping, or outlining?

One of the things you quickly learn as a writer is that you’ll actually have too many ideas, not too few. I write down every idea I have, no matter how trivial, bizarre, vague, or anything else. I find that the mere act of writing them down lets my mind suggest them to me later, in a context where they’re useful. The challenge isn’t coming up with raw ideas, but rather finding where they fit, and how they relate to other ideas. That’s where thinking tools like mind maps and outlines come into play.

My process for coming up with the plot for a novel usually involves starting with one very specific idea. It might be a core element of the story, or it might be a single scene, or even just an interesting character. There’s always something that feels like it has the potential to carry a story. That’s where I start.

If I feel like the story is something short, I might just go straight from the inspiring idea to an outline, but if it’s going to be a novel, I mind map first. I create a root node with the core idea, and the first thing I do is a sort of free association exercise, where I note down anything that the core idea makes me think about. It can be the meanings of words, or related plot elements, interesting places, other people, or anything else. Next, I tend to scan through my archive of written-down ideas, and see if any of them feel like they might be connected to the story I’m working on. If so, I add them to the map.

At that point, I zoom out so I can see the entire map, and I just let myself read it without judgement. Connections almost always become evident, even just one or two. I then start to move nodes around, and shape the tree into clusters of things that seem to go together. I don’t know why it works, but I can almost always start to see details emerging — perhaps a theme, or a genre, or the nature of the story’s central conflict.

I just allow the mind map to develop organically, sparking whatever associations come to me, and with enough attention (and plenty of breaks to let the subconscious do its work), it starts to shape itself into a few main areas that are relevant to a novel: characters, settings, plot elements, conflicts and themes, and so on.

At that point, I can take what I’ve learned from the mind map and start to slot it into the suitable form for a novel, with the three act structure, an inciting event, adversity, change, confrontation, and resolution.

Broadly, there are two types of writers: those who are more comfortable making it up as they go along (“pantsers”), and those who prefer to make a detailed plan first (“plotters”). I’m definitely in the second category. Before I start to actually write, I create an outline that’s many thousands of words long itself, to guide me.

Are there any particular features in MindNode that you have found useful?

For the most part, I use MindNode in quite a bare-bones fashion, as a robust and keyboard-driven outliner, and as an Apple Pencil-friendly mind mapping tool. I work quickly when I’m planning, and don’t tend to do much adornment — like changing colours, adding images/icons, and so on. There are two exceptions though.

First, since my outlines (and thus the mind maps they generate) can become very detailed, I use Focus Mode to visually de-emphasise subtrees that I’m not currently thinking about. I like to have multiple main nodes, for example to separate plot outlines from meta-textual elements and higher level planning, so I’ll often Focus on a particular main node while I work.

Second, when planning a novel it can be very useful to keep track of how much time you’re spending with protagonists vs antagonists, to ensure there’s a certain balance. Both types of characters need to be present and recurring, and it’s beneficial to make sure the story doesn’t dwell for too long on any one perspective. Tags in MindNode are useful for that purpose, because they place coloured dots on tagged nodes. This makes it easy for me to see which perspective a given scene is from, without having to expand all the nodes beneath it. It gives an immediately-visible overview of the balance of a plot, whether a given scene includes conflict, and anything else I care to create a tag for.

What's your favorite device to use MindNode on?

I use MindNode almost exclusively on iPadOS, because I’ve been using an iPad Pro as my full-time computer for several years. Being a writer means I have the privilege of being able to choose almost any platform or device for my work.

I’ve written a series of articles on my own web site detailing my journey since making the iPad my sole computer, including details on how I accomplish various tasks encompassing writing, publishing, book cover design, and various technical administrative tasks. Those articles can be found here.

(I do also have an iPhone, of course, and I’ve been known to occasionally add an idea to MindNode there while I’m out and about.)

Find out how Matt Gemmell uses MindNode to transform his thoughts into novels.

From Thoughts to Novels: How Matt uses MindNode to Write

My name is Summer, I'm a figurative artist and Senior Textile Designer for a fashion company in Los Angeles, CA. I create in a lot of mediums and produce content all over the internet. Primarily on Twitch and soon to be on Skillshare. Overall, I'm an artist and a thinker.

I discovered mind mapping years ago, but it was all by hand then. I LOVE the studies of productivity, time and organization. I've read most of the books out there covering everything from memory palaces to GTD to Atomic Habits. I delved heavy into a many of the alternative techniques for mental organization like brain dumps and productivity habits like the pomodoro technique – if there's an organization acronym or catch phrase, I probably know it. I have a lot of ideas all the time, and they get overwhelming – and I've tried so many different things – I make lists and just never look at them again, or have a million interests and project plans with goal sheets of things I want to do that don't connect to each other, and don't take into account everything else I'm doing (or the actual time I have to do them in).

Mind mapping takes alllll of that and lets me get as detailed as I want while retaining the big picture. It helps me see the feasibility of projects or scheduling and it helps me stay on track. My brain is wonderful because it connects disparate ideas and combines them into new ones, but it does that all the time – so having a literal web of ideas that I can jump around in lets my mind feel calm – not only is everything written down like a brain dump, but I can riff on any part, expanding it out, and not loose sight of everything it's attached to. I couldn't get into mind mapping by hand because it felt I'd need an infinite amount of paper and it was so messy! I'm such a visual person, and the chaos on the page of a handwritten mind map did not do for me what MindNode does. It allows me to think creatively, in an organized fashion. It lets me bring order to the chaos after expressing all the gargantuan ideas pressing to get out. I can also re-organize and align things later, and it becomes a working document. I've been a part of the MindNode community for years – but started really diving in more the last year or so since getting an iPad. The new features are amazing too. I've turned a few friends on to it, and one especially has said it changed how she approaches everything now – it's given her a new way to think. I love that.

I start mind maps whenever I start to feel overwhelmed or if there's a big project without a straight line of action in sight. I tend to get that deer-in-the-headlights paralysis if I can't clearly see my next steps, and if things aren't broken down small enough to be actionable. So I take them into a mind map and break them down. And then break them down even further if I need to. They're also great for showing me what seems difficult to understand - I did one of my schedule to show myself I shouldn't be upset I don't draw as much as I want – because I could visually see I didn't have the time during the week, if I wanted to also sleep and workout, etc. I use them personally a lot, just to see what I'm prioritizing and what's getting left undone, and where my interests are leading me or what projects I want to tackle next. They are my brain dump and my list maker.

I use them for professional projects as well. I'm using a large one right now for the first Skillshare class I'm creating. I was given a few outline forms to help with laying out the class, but I'd have to have 4 pages laid out in front of me at all times just to see the big picture.

Preparing a class for Skillshare with MindNode

It felt very overwhelming and I kept going back trying to reorganize the class because I couldn't wrap my head around it the way it was being laid out. With a mind map, specifically with MindNode – I can see what isn't fleshed out, what needs more outlining, what doesn't have enough b-roll or what slides haven't been made - in one, easily navigable document. Once I had everything laid out, I then started to move each item into parent/child line for each video I'm making to see how they would play out. Where I discuss what, with what tools. It's been the only thing to get me moving forward on this massive project.

I've laid out writing projects, blog and video ideas, business ideas – the format is insanely fun to use and seems to spur more ideas than typical brainstorming. It also helps me see what not to pursue. If I have an idea for a podcast, I can see how many ideas or topics I can pull out of it, or if the content would dry up fast. I've laid out content calendars that, once visualized, are completely unrealistic. It's great, because seeing that, visualizing the imminent failure of such a plan due to the sheer volume of work on top of my full time job, keeps me from trying to do it and burning out. And I don't blame myself! It was a plan that was doomed to fail, and all the time and effort and disappointment of not accomplishing it – I didn't have to go through any of it. I can SEE before I DO. Like I said to a friend, it's like that red yarn on a wall that ties everything together, without the conspiracy theories. It excites and prepares me for new projects, helps me avoid bad ones, and lets me organize this giant ball of ideas that is my brain.

Do you have any favorite MindNode features?

I LOVE the Tags and tag-highlighting. It’s great to go through and mark what I need to do in each section and then have it auto-populate into a very do-able list. It’s a life saver. And tasks?! VERY satisfying to check off as they're done. I like the little pictures and stuff you can add, but I try not to get caught up in making lists prettier as a form of procrastination, lol.

Learn how Summer connects it all together with MindNode in this User Story.

How Summer Connects it all Together with MindNode

My name is Christopher Grant and I am a professional artist working in the medium of oil on large format canvas to create traditional Abstract Expressionist works.

How has MindNode been a part of your workflow?

While I mainly use MindNode in my professional work, one of the more interesting uses I’ve found is creating cartographic style concept maps for a game I play with friends, Dungeons & Dragons.

Originally it was just a part of my workflow, utilizing other applications along side it. Now, however, MindNode is the workflow. Almost everything I do for our games begins and ends with MindNode. From brainstorming and creating adventures to expanding our cartographic maps. It is the constant brainstorming that is the workspace rather than a jumping-off point.

Tell us more about how you use mind mapping for creating an adventure.

During our gameplay, players will adventure through fictional places I’ve created for them as the Dungeon Master. A Dungeon Master is like a storyteller and the Players are like the main protagonists of the story. Rather than using traditionally drawn maps, I create concept maps where each node represents a specific place such as a town or dungeon.

Are there any features in MindNode that help in particular?

When players explore new areas I’ve not yet created, something that happens a lot in our games, I can quickly create new nodes describing them. It’s this ability to not get bogged down with the multiple keystrokes that makes it so desirable. It’s fast to create maps! This drastically reduces preparation time and perhaps more importantly helps keeps our fictional world where it should be, in our imaginations.

Another important feature of MindNode is one most people may not even consider a feature, it’s esthetics. Because these mind maps that are created for our games are often shared, it’s important they look good. MindNode’s mind maps are quite esthetic and thus I’m not forced to spend large amounts of time making changes in order to make our maps pretty. As such, the app feels lighter, faster and more fluid than other mind mapping applications.

"Almost everything I do for our games begins and ends with MindNode." – Christopher Grant

How Christopher Creates Adventures with Mind Maps – Being a Dungeon Master

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is David and I am working as a freelance React Native developer and bootcamp instructor specializing in cross-platform application development. I work remotely and I love building things for happy users.
My other mission is helping people to earn time by sharing all my automation and life hacks!

I am using MindNode for a lot of things, but basically it's for dumping my brain.

As a developer — and especially in the JavaScript world — it's really complicated to stay up-to-date with all the different technologies. When I am reading a great article, instead of just bookmarking it, I make a manual curation for my own work. I found this technique really effective for the memory, because when I am working with clients or during a bootcamp I remember the location of the bookmark on my giant mind map.

As a React developer I am always thinking in terms of a tree of component (It's more or less the same as a giant HTML page with plenty of nodes). When I jump on a new project, I used to draw the application component tree on a whiteboard. Now I am using MindNode, it helps me to visualise the interactions and state.
As an automation Nerd I am using a lot of tools like Zapier to connect API's together. It's really powerful for creating automated flows like the classic onboarding. It's ok when you have simple interactions, but when it become more complex I always create a mind map to reflect all the different scenarios.

Your first release to the store for your mobile application

Going to vacations can be a stressful experience. As humans being we like to complete tasks. That's a great opportunity to use the feature "add task to node" and export them to notes to complete my packing list from my phone!

What features in particular have been important for you?

When you are working 8 hours on a tool, every seconds matters. I am a power user of Alfred, a productivity app which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys.

One of my main problem is time. If I want to edit a mind map here is the classic workflow:

It's very slow, I don't have time for this. This is why I am using Alfred to automate the workflow.

This allows me to quickly copy/paste urls if I want to bookmark them.

According to me, the most important feature with MindNode is sharing files in different formats (.pdf,.png or .markdown) I am using it all the time!

When I need to write a blogpost I can quickly export my MindNode document (with option +  command + e) to a markdown file and illustrate my thoughts with a nice image.

Feel free to contact me on Twitter if you want some automation advice with MindNode 😉

"When I am working with clients or during a bootcamp I remember the location of the bookmark on my giant mind map." - David Leuliette

How David Develops with Mind Maps – Automating and Planning

My name is Thomas Dori and I'm a digital strategist who combines his 3 passions - contemplation, communication, and coding - into one business.

Is there one situation or project in which mind mapping helped you the most?

Digital Marketing (Strategies) is a very broad concept. Especially, when you are not working in this field every day, it can quickly feel overwhelming. To help my clients and me see the bigger picture including all the opportunities and necessities I start every project by presenting a mind map that gives a clear overview of what needs to be considered before and while doing digital marketing. We then use a copy of that mind map as a checklist to keep track of what we already thought about and what still needs to be considered. The final result is a clear vision of what the client’s company currently stands for, where it wants to go, and what needs to be done to get there.

How did you get your thoughts out of your head and into a mind map?

My current mind map for digital marketing is probably the millionth version of what it used to be several years ago. It started with the wish to have an overview of types of media (owned vs. shared vs. earned vs. paid). I continued to work on mind maps about branding, personas, social media marketing, and content marketing - and thought "Why not merging them into one huge mind map?" After moving everything around for hours and making it as MECE (mutually exclusive & collectively exhaustive) as possible, I tweaked the wording to get some nice acronyms (BRACES + 4C). The final but also essential step was the styling. I used the brand colors of my agency „Anwert" and the gorgeous stickers that MindNode has built in. Although I love the Auto Layout feature, I used the manual layout in my mind map because I wanted to give some nodes a bit more spacing than others.

How did it feel to finally see all your thoughts in a mind map?

Relieved. This mind map is like my external memory, and every time I look at it, I'm delighted that I have spent so much time to build it. It's like a cheat sheet that helps me to remember everything.

Once you were done with the mind map, what did you do next?

My mind map for digital marketing will never be final. It is the core of what I'm doing in my business every day. And like my business adjusts to new knowledge, trends and customer needs, so will this mind map. But even though it's a living document I use it all the time for myself as well as to support my clients in their (digital) marketing efforts. Most of the time people are stunned by how graspable such a complex topic becomes in a mind map - and how beautiful MindNode makes it look.

Where can people find out more about you and your work?

"Most of the time people are stunned by how graspable such a complex topic becomes in a mind map." - Thomas Dori

How Thomas Shows Clients the Bigger Picture – Creating a Marketing Strategy

My name is Teddy Svoronos and I’m a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

MindNode is the app that I use to begin the process of developing new classes. When staring down the barrel of a new class session, there is a seemingly infinite number of paths I could go down - huge numbers of topics, examples, and in-class exercises that could conceivably be incorporated into the class. MindNode helps me turn this complexity into a plan. I can group ideas into categories, which then link to one another in ways that gradually emerge as a class plan.

I start by creating as many Main Nodes as possible - using ⇧-Enter to dump all the ideas that pop into my head into a messy group of unstructured ideas. As I do this, I often start seeing connections immediately, so I’ll drag them on top of one another, or creating connection lines between them. If there are images, examples, or tables that I want to reference, I’ll drag them onto the map as well.

The best part is the transition from feeling overwhelmed and without structure to seeing a concrete set of steps to move forward. The mind map ends up being the starting point for further content - handouts and slides and such - but the map is always visible and always guiding how I conceptualize the class.

You can find out more about me on www.teddysvoronos.com or on my Twitter profile.

Teddy's Public Policy Class Mind Map
References: Kleinberg, J., Lakkaraju, H., Leskovec, J., Ludwig, J., & Mullainathan, S. (2017). Human Decisions and Machine Predictions. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 133(1), 237-293.

How Teddy Turns Complexity Into a Plan – Preparing a University Course

My name is Eric Bowers and I'm a Mortgage Loan Originator, business owner, writer/blogger.

That would be working on writing my first novel, the forthcoming The Mayor of Blackout County. My issue with the project was that I had the basic outline in my head, but needed to create more of a timeline so that I didn't get lost within the milestones of the story. I ended up creating a horizontal timeline using Vertical layout with angular branches, which was a great help in creating visual indications of my progress along the story line. 

I began, as I often do, with the Quick Entry feature. I input the main goal of what I was trying to accomplish, which was, "Write novel". Quick Entry seems to be at the core of what MindNode represents to me; a literal canvas upon which I can just let my mind wander. I entered a few major milestones into the outline entry area in Quick Entry, and then clicked "Create Mind Map". As the weeks and months went on I was able to add to the mind map using my iPhone and iPad or of course, my MacBook. It's important that MindNode is installed everywhere so that when inspiration strikes I have captured my thoughts.

See here for the map for the novel. It's not overly useful because I have folded up the details as it has the entire story contained there in milestones and major events. One thing to note: I created a separate theme for this particular mind map, to coincide with the overall feel of the story...that's a hint, but it always puts me in the right mindset.

In a word: relieved. I thought,"There. Now you have no excuse not to write this novel, because the elements are in place."...and what was funny was I just began writing, checking off tasks that I had assigned to various pieces of the story. Getting the main points out propelled me forward as a writer.

Because it obviously contains spoilers, I only showed the mind map to my wife who exclaimed,"Wow that looks great! What app is that?" (I'm not joking, either. She hadn't used MindNode for a while and was impressed with the layout capabilities).

How MindNode Propels Eric Forward – Writing a Novel

My name is Rosemary Orchard and I'm a developer by day, and a blogger and podcaster by night!

It's hard to pick just one, any complicated idea starts out as a mind map for me to let me get to grips with all facets of it. I'm currently working on a course to help people learn JavaScript to use with apps like Drafts and MindNode has been extremely helpful letting me keep track of and organise all my ideas.


I usually start in quick entry mode on iOS. My iPhone is usually the device in my hand so I start listing things there, then I jump into the mind map as the ideas slow down, and add to what I have and rearrange things.

Depending on the mind map I can feel anything from awed to overwhelmed! In this case I feel rather daunted by the tasks ahead, creating a whole course, but also calmed because I can see where everything is and what I've already completed is marked off.

I shared my mind map with a few friends for feedback before tweaking it. Then I printed it out on A3 paper so I could stick it on my wall! It's colourful and a great reminder of my goal right now.

"Creating a whole course, but also calmed because I can see where everything is and what I've already completed is marked off." - Rosemary Orchard

How Rosemary Teaches JavaScript – From Awed to Overwhelmed

Blog

Visual Thinking in Motion: Seyoung’s inspiring Journey with MindNode.

How To Plan Your Bachelor's Thesis

How to Run Seminars for Lamborghini and Ferrari with Phil Taylor

Staying Organized with Dr. Avi

Developing Ideas & Being Creative – How Mike stays Productive with MindNode

From Thoughts to Novels: How Matt uses MindNode to Write

How Summer Connects it all Together with MindNode

How Christopher Creates Adventures with Mind Maps – Being a Dungeon Master

How David Develops with Mind Maps – Automating and Planning

How Thomas Shows Clients the Bigger Picture – Creating a Marketing Strategy

How Teddy Turns Complexity Into a Plan – Preparing a University Course

How MindNode Propels Eric Forward – Writing a Novel

How Rosemary Teaches JavaScript – From Awed to Overwhelmed

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