If you have disjointed ideas, and if the point of your using mind mapping templates is easier collection and better organization of your thoughts, then such templates will be of great help to you. However, there is also a downside to using pre-built samples of mind maps: because of their predefined structure, you will need to sacrifice a significant degree of creative thinking. Namely, you will skip using some of the ideas you would be getting if you were starting from scratch – without even knowing that you’re skipping them. In the remainder of this article, we will focus on various examples and ways of using templates, as well as list some freely downloadable samples you can use right away. But don’t forget, practice makes perfect, so use available templates sparingly.
What Exactly Are Mind Mapping Templates?
First things first. When you start considering using mind mapping templates, you should first check whether the template you have downloaded is a mind map at all. For example, does it have a place for a central word or topic at the center of a page? Are there some arrows you can use to connect the central word/idea with keywords/related areas by making use of associative thinking? For example, if you are trying to decide what career path to follow, the central word would be “careers”. Let your imagination flow as freely as possible so that you can generate concepts and connecting words. Soon enough, you will see that from the word “careers”, you can branch off to corporate, overseas, expatriate, remote, freelance and other related topics.
Don’t Let The Software Do It All
People today are very much concerned with planning their respective lives and careers. More and more software templates are now being offered on the market to aid many individuals in grappling complex situations. These software templates unintentionally guide individuals to input their mission statements, visions, objectives, and goals. Your subconscious mind hardly contributes any related ideas because the software will do it for you. It was said earlier that in using the templates, you will need to sacrifice a bit of creative thinking and imagination, however, you might reach your objectives quickly.
Goal Setting Mind Map Templates
If you are looking for interesting mind mapping templates to set your goals, try using templates exclusively designed for goal setting, where mind mapping will be used to tap into potential ideas that never crossed your mind when you were using the conventional format of linear note-taking. This can really help you reach conclusions you would otherwise not even think of.
If you are computer literate, you will surely like the tools for creating mind mapping templates. There are open source as well as commercial mind mapping applications available both off- and online. If you choose a software template for goal setting, you have to ensure that the program is capable to export to some standard format like MS Word. Not only that, you also need to confirm if it is able to import word processing in the other direction, that is into the format of the mind mapping tool in question. If you are searching for an intuitive idea generating tool and at the same time trying to combine it with analytical and logical thinking, take advantage of the templates for goal setting.
Start searching for the best templates online and try to compare them with one another. Check the features and other details of the templates. After doing so, you can already get the feeling about what template will be the most appropriate to aid you in setting your goals for whatever objective needed.