Computer assisted thinking

The focus of this book is on personal, computer assisted thinking with mind maps. You don’t necessarily need a computer to do mind maps. You can start with pen an paper if you don’t have a suitable device or application at hand. My aim is, however, to convince you that using a computer can take your mind mapping experience—and your thinking—to a totally different level. In fact, any old application that lets you write text can get you started: a text editor, word processor, spreadsheet, diagramming tool or a concept mapper. Anything that lets you write down ideas and move them around easily.

There are things a computer gives you, that paper and pen don’t, such as speed and flexibility. It’s one thing to write a shopping list on a piece of paper. Even though I wish my wife would arrange the lists she writes to me in the order of the physical location of the items in the store, it just doesn’t happen. Once you write something down on paper you don’t do much editing, simply because it’s too much trouble. On the computer things get much easier. Moving items around, editing, reordering, at the speed of your thought. Well, almost anyway, and after you’ve got some practice.