“I find XMind is a great tool to organize notes.

I wrote both my books in 10 days using it! ”

Tansel Ali@TanselAli

“Love XMind (and I've tried them all)! It's an

important part of my information toolkit. ”

John [Link]@johnataylor

“XMind. Thanks so much for being the world's

best Mindmap tool since 2008!”

JackTechie@jacktechnie

“I've been studying with this tool for a few months and it's
great!! it helps me to understand the issues in my teacher
and also with my children it helps them to understand their
subjects, especially when they have exam, I highly recommend
it for the education of any level. Invest in it!!”

Nestor Perez

“Never thought before to use xmind to plot out

code before writing it but it actually is helping a lot
with the stuff I can't just spit out without thinking
about it! ”

Rowen Husky@RowenHusky
contents
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 01

Chpt. 02 Work & Career 11

Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 34

Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 60

Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 80

Chpt. 06 User Cases 101

 01
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 01
Chpt.

Mind Mapping Introduction

Introducing Mind Map Get Started with XMind
What is Mind Mapping 02 Introducing the Structures 06
Why Mind Mapping Works 02 Meet the Topics 07
Mind Mapping Everywhere 02 Relationship, Boundary, and Summary 08
Principles for Mind Mapping 05 Add Additional Information 09
Discover Visual Elements 10
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 02

What is Mind Mapping

A mind map is a type of visual diagram that consists
of a centralized subject and related topics or ideas
branching off from it in all directions. From each topic,
subtopics can again branch off, resulting in a radial
structure.

The visual structure shows gaps in information quickly

and relationships between ideas clearly. It is an
expression of radiant thinking, and you can sort details
and recognize relationships among the details easily.

Why Mind Mapping Works

Mind mapping is regarded as one of the best ways to
capture thoughts, memorizing, analysis, etc. It’s easy,
effective, and fun.

Compared with linear thinking, the radiant thinking

expression in mind mapping is more closely how your
brain actually works. This allows you to generate
creative ideas quickly and helps you to solve problems
effectively, unleash creativity, and reach the full
potential.

Mind Mapping Everywhere

Mind mapping collects various content and can be
applied at any scenes. Whether learning, working or
living, mind mapping always helps you clarify ideas,
improve the logic, stimulate creativity, and improve
thinking effectiveness.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 03
Plan & List Note-taking & Report

Business plan, family planner, budget, Reading notes, class notes, meeting
schedule, to-do list, shopping list, minutes, weekly report, monthly report,
wish list, checklist, gift tracker, etc. annual report, etc.

Management Collection & Presentation

Project management, personnel Teaching, speech, solutions, resume,

management, task disassembly/ collect and structure information, improve
assignment, project assignment, communication efficiency, etc.
request sorting, etc.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 04
Analysis & Strategy

Pros and cons analysis, S.W.O.T analysis, cause and

effect analysis, decision-making, etc.

Brainstorming & Memory

Unleash creativity, brainstorming, writing framework,

Refine memory points, build up knowledge system, etc.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 05

Principles for Mind Mapping

Find out how you can build a clean, and structured thought is crucial.
organized and effective mind map.
To achieve clarity, we need to
choose a precise keyword/short
phrase that brings clearest and
Keyword or Phrases obvious information.
Use whatever works best for you If the mind map is for presentation,
and the most appropriate for current please put down information as
situation. clear as possible. If we organize the
For brainstorming, keywords are information or ideas in the quickest
efficient. You can associate keywords way which is convenient, it might
and capture the inspiration sparks. cause clarity to suffer.

For summarizing a paragraph,

short phrases, or sometimes short Color, Icon, and Image
sentences are also helpful.
Color stimulates imagination and
For presentation, you can consider
triggers memory, and icon helps to
combining keywords, short phrases,
organize content. They structure
and even sentences together which
a mind map, and show detailed
helps your audience to understand.
connections between which speed
up the recall process.

Clarity Compared with plain texts, image

is a universal language. Photos,
We can generate almost infinite diagrams, charts, or screenshot are
number of associations and ideas on all effective ways to add value,
a mind map, and that’s why structure and provide strong support with
mind maps with clarity of thinking additional information.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 06

Introducing the Structures

Mind Map Logic Chart Brace Map

The most classic and common- A structure emphasizes the It helps to identify whole and part
used mind map structure proposed correlation between the overall relationships and used to break
by Tony Buzan in 1970s. theme and partial analysis. into components/subparts.

Org Chart Tree Chart Timeline

An organizational chart to present A management planning tool that The timeline is typically a
the hierarchical relationships depicts the hierarchy of tasks and horizontal/vertical long bar
within a discussion or organization. subtasks needed to complete. labeled with dates paralleling it.

Fishbone Tree Table Matrix

A cause-and-effect visual It expands information in nested Organize and analyze information
analysis that helps to track down blocks and identifies whole and from multiple dimensions and
reasons for a result or an event. part relationships. increase thinking efficiency.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 07

Meet the Topics

There are four different levels of Subtopic: The third level of topics.
topics: Central Topic, Main Topic,
Floating Topic: Topic created on
Subtopic and Floating Topic.
any blank space of the mind map. It
Central Topic: The center of the is independent, and not connected
mind map. It is the central idea of the with current mind map structure.
mind map, and it leads the topics on
the mind map.

Main Topic: The second level of

topics on the mind maps.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 08

Relationship, Boundary, and Summary

Use these elements to highlight topics and add summarized description. In XMind, you can
also style these elements in your way.

Relationship Boundary
A relationship can be used to connect any two topics A boundary highlights one or more topics, and you
to show a special relationship between them. You can write notes on it. If topics share similarities,
can also add texts on relationship. boundary is distinct to highlight them.

Summary
A summary is like a bracket. It can be used to
summarize subtopics of the same main topic. You can
jot down the texts in Summary.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 09

Add More Information to Mind Map

The information in one topic is not ➌ Label: Label categorizes the

enough, these elements are handy topics, and it’s helpful to identify
to fully express and elaborate your the topics.
mind map.
➍ Link: Add a link of a webpage,
➊ Note: Jot down texts in Note to while you can click it and land on
elaborate or annotate a topic. Note the page directly later.
also offers different formats: bold,
➎ Attachment: Insert other files
italic, underline, ordered/unordered
as attachments, and make it a new
list.
topic when inserted.
➋ Callout: Callout helps to
annotate the topics, and the shape,
color and text can be edited easily.
Chpt. 01 Mind Mapping Introduction 10

Discover Visual Elements

The built-in Icon gathers Marker

and Sticker, and you can use it to
highlight, elaborate, and make mind
map fun.

Marker & Sticker

Marker is small icons that helps

to mark or tag priority, persona,
process, etc. It’s essential for project
management, tracker, etc. Besides, it
highlights the mind map as well.

Sticker is a picture, you can use it

to reduce writing effort while make
mind maps beautiful. In XMind,
you can find more than 90 original
stickers.

Local Image

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Use image to present your idea
rather than to describe it with words.
Efficient and accurate.
 02
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 11
chpt.

Work and Career

How to Write Weekly Reports with XMind 12
How to Take Good Meeting Minutes with XMind 15
How to Manage Your Time with Mind Mapping 21
Mind Map SWOT Analysis for Improvement 25
How Does XMind Help for Working at Home 30
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 12

How to Write Weekly Reports with XMind

Weekly report at work is one of the but it is actually a very necessary

effective tools that are necessary and smart tool strengthens
for managing and communicating communications within teams,
within a team, especially when we and have better reflection and
are transforming everything into developing time on management
remote. However, many employees skills.
find it annoying and even question
whether it is a time-wasting thing Team Updates
to report weekly, that’s probably
Weekly reports serve as a
because they haven’t done it in the
communication tool. By going
right way.
through weekly reports, a team
In XMind, we also need to write leader can be fully aware of the
weekly reports. Most team members current project progress, individual
finish their reports efficient and working status and any work
organized with our tool XMind, in difficulties or problems. Colleagues
less than ten minutes. Therefore, we from different departments can keep
are going to discuss how to write updated with others’ finished tasks
a good weekly work report, making and ongoing projects to see if there
a reflection of the past week and is an overlapping or cooperative
planning out tasks for next week, part.
with XMind.

Time Management
Weekly reports can be a part of
Is it Necessary to Write
the time management process. You
Weekly Reports? reflect on what you did this past
week and plan out a to-do list for
Some people regard a weekly report
what is coming up next week. It is
as a mere formality in corporations,
efficient to use the weekly report
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 13

time to realize your next week’s spaces for thinking and evaluating
goals, organize specific tasks, and your performances. Through a
manage future time while making structured logic map, you look back
adjustments when needed. and see what you’ve accomplished
and encountered in the past week,
Self-Reflection summarize and flag any unfinished
tasks or unsolved problems for next
Weekly reports give us opportunities
week.
to self-reflect.

Working in a structured routine can

lead to a lack of creativity which What Does a Good Weekly
is a must in almost every industry. Report Look?
Occasionally, it is helpful to use a
creative and efficient tool like XMind We’ve summarized a map regarding
to write weekly reports, allowing what a good weekly report should
sufficient time for self-reflection. include.
Compared to typing hundreds of
Never think of writing a weekly
words to summarize past tasks
report as a forced task to complete
done in a week, mapping a weekly
for supervisor’s need. Write it for
report with XMind would allow
your self-reflecting, monitoring, and
your brain to have more breathing
planning purposes. Be honest and
succinct ;-)
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 14

Use XMind to Write in Less

than Ten Minutes
Let this map tell you why XMind
is perfect for weekly reports! With
built-in templates and features
dedicated to facilitate your thinking
process, it takes less time to write
a structured, clear and reflective
weekly report.

The weekly report template is ready

for you, click here and download it
for good weekly reports ahead.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 15

How to Take Good Meeting Minutes with XMind

Taking good meeting minutes is an What Makes Good Meeting

essential skill to acquire at work, as Minutes?
these important points taken down
are a summary of the past meeting Good meeting minutes need not only
discussion for you and your team to a rundown of the past meetings,
review later. Besides, taking good but also entails clear logic flow
meeting minutes quickly during and throughout the meeting discussion.
after the meeting shows one’s strong The purpose of meeting minutes is
professionalism and productivity. to facilitate both the participants
and absentees. Participants use the
Today, let’s talk about how to take
summary to refresh the memory of
impressive meeting minutes with
the meeting discussion and specify
XMind easily! Along with XMind.
some business goals and actions of
works, the web edition of XMind,
the next step. Absentees are given
making it even easier to take
the meeting minutes to know the
meeting minutes. In [Link]
central theme and discussion of
web page, you can connect to Cloud
the meeting and be updated on the
services (Dropbox/Google Drive/
same page as participants.
OneDrive) so that you will be able
to create a new mind map or edit Therefore, the following points make
existing ones with XMind anywhere good meeting minutes:
and anytime. All features function
exactly like the desktop version, Write in a clear logic flow
so there won’t be any learning
difficulties! Meetings are comprised of
interaction and discussion. If you’re
recording everything chronologically,
the meeting minute will likely
become very messy. So, the most
important thing is to take the key
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 16

points from every speaker and need to be a definite action. There is

summarize them into a clear logic no conclusion/action by the end of
map, making your minutes more the meeting in many cases. The team
readable. may have reached or not reached a
certain agreement and will wait until
Comprehensive notes with the next meeting to pick it up. It is
highlights crucial to record that progress then,
as the close of the previous meeting
Comprehensive meeting minutes might be essential in guiding the
are more than welcome, but in most next one.
cases, highlights are important as
well. Meaningful highlights catch Include basic information
readers’ attention and save their
time from reading the comprehensive Dates, location, participants. Basic
notes, and these are especially information can be easily ignored
useful when presenting the minutes but is super necessary to keep as a
to your busy manager. Recommend record.
using bullet points when taking
meeting minutes.

Have a conclusion to guide the

next meeting

If a future business plan or an action

is decided during the meeting, then
a conclusion should include clear
instructions for who is in charge and
what to do next.

However, a conclusion doesn’t always

Chpt. 02 Work & Career 17

How to Record in High Organize and preview meeting-

Efficiency & Productivity? related materials before meeting
starts
Make Preparations Before Meeting
Suppose there’s any material needed
to be discussed over the meeting. In
Understand the background and that case, it is better for you to do
purpose/theme of the upcoming background research and organize
meeting and preview some pages or slides to
An efficient meeting (cross or within familiarize yourself with the major
departments) usually has a specified content discussed in the meeting.
theme/goal and discussion topics.
Therefore, understanding the overall
theme and tasks beforehand gives Use XMind to Take Meeting
you more control over the meeting Minutes
content and the minutes-taking
process. We offer useful structure and
handy features that help you to
It is also helpful when participants take effective meeting minutes
wander from the topic; you can effortlessly.
promptly bring the primary task/
purpose. Use structure & focus on key
points to construct a logic flow
Know well about the participants
When getting used to how XMind
For those larger-scale and more works, you will notice that there is
important meetings, it is necessary no need to take down minutes word
to study the information of key by word but instead, use the built-
participants if they are unfamiliar in (mind map) structure. The existed
to you, facilitating the note-taking logic structure template allows
process.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 18

you to spend more time thinking,

organizing, and grasping speakers’
central ideas and logic structure
to compose into a cohesive and
structured meeting summary.

Use Audio feature to note aside

and discussion backup

The Audio feature in XMind is

incredibly convenient when capturing
spoken information during meetings
or other activities.

By inserting an audio note into any

topic box, the minutes’ taker doesn’t
have to worry whether if a point
is missed during the fast-paced
discussion but can take time to
review the audio piece and transfer
it into texts after the meeting.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 19

How to Reorganize the Meeting Minutes?

Grouped by Tasks

Grouped by Speakers
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 20

It is effortless for you to illustrate

more details based on the structured
XMind's meeting minutes because
XMind supports different export
forms, including Word and Markdown.
Better to do that within a half-hour
after the meeting, as people forget
easily!

As we mentioned, XMind's web

edition, [Link] can be used
at any time and anywhere with a
browser, making it so much easier
to take and share your meeting
minutes.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 21

How to Manage Your Time with Mind Mapping

If you waste one day after another, An outline of what we are going to
your chance of achieving isn't just discuss today:
an improbability, it's an impossibility.
Why do most people fail on time
But here's the thing: it's hard NOT to
management?
waste time.
Why you should consider using
Eating that frog is intimidating, and
mind maps for time management
the daily routine is boring, even
worse than that, the journey seems How to use mind maps to manage
endless. Nothing has really changed your time (with a system)
after trying out different methods.
Time management techniques &
However, maybe this time, mind templates in mind maps
mapping will be the game-changer
for managing your time wisely.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 22

Why most people fail on medium for someone to set up a time

time management? management system, so whether
the system will work or not depends
To summarize time management in a solely on you.
word, it means that you spend time
Here are three reasons why mind
wisely, on things that matter to you
maps work for time management:
the most.
It gives you a big picture. Mind
Surprisingly, though it’s rather easy
maps contain higher information
for our brain to recognize what
density than linear notes. A single
matters to us, we are often reluctant
structure of a project allows you
to get hands-on those tasks and
to organize available time from a
choose to put them off until later.
holistic perspective.
Your brain would frequently lie to you
It allows you to add details. The
that it is alright to scroll TikTok for a
options of hidden information
few minutes and it is okay to work on
using a variety of advanced
easy but unimportant tasks. We also
features enable you to add any
tend to always feel unprepared when
project and deadline details when
getting started on a challenging and
managing time.
seemingly intimidating project.
It has excellent compatibility. It
supports PNG, SVG, PDF, MS Word,
Why you should consider Excel, Evernote, Markdown and
mind mapping for time OPML export.
management?
Mind maps help you visually organize
your information. However, note
that mind mapping is only a tool/
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 23

How to control your time Step 02: Goal settings

with mind mapping Write down actionable and
The main idea here is to build a specific goals and deadlines for each
system with mind maps and use it to activity.
monitor your progress every day.
Step 03: Strategy development
It may take you some time to test out
the best format working for every Drill down to each task branch,
individual. Below is a system that apply Show Branch Only to focus on
is summarized from best practices one topic branch and do the planning
and has been proven effective by a at one time.
scientific study. For each drill-down, note down
steps to finish them. And
Step 01: A holistic self-reflection specifically, how to kick-start
it. Thinking about how to start is
Write down ALL the tasks you are
critical in dealing with challenging
working on, including hobbies or
tasks as it eases our stress and
extracurricular activities, organize
turns overwhelming projects
them into different categories and
into something achievable.
keep the task lists on a macro level
at this stage.
Step 04: Plans for tomorrow
Then prioritize this task list, from
the highest level to the lowest Now it's time to jump into action
level. Ask yourself, what is the most plans.
crucial thing in my life at this stage? Pick on the topics from the lowest
Use callout to explain priorities if level (actionable, detailed small
necessary. tasks) and move them to the first
level in a new mind mapping sheet
named plans for tomorrow.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 24

Step 05: Daily monitoring Time management

Start your day by checking the task
templates
list, estimate the total minutes/hours
Feel free to check out the
to complete each one, and track the
following templates for more time
time when you start.
management techniques, practices
Eat the frogs (aka. kill the most and applications.
important tasks) first, though I know
How to eat that frog: 21 principles to
it will be hard. Use a 20-second
stop procrastinating
rule to lower the barriers to start
and ease the transition between Organize your tasks according to
unmotivated and positive phases. "I importance and urgency
only need to do for 20-seconds, then
I can stop!”
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 25

Mind Map SWOT Analysis for Improvement

Surprisingly, not many people do not excited. Weaknesses and threats are
know themselves that well as they the ones that cause concern.”
thought. Being self-aware is crucial
to know yourself deeper, assess and
address problems better and make How Does It Work?
more wise decisions. That’s when
the Self S.W.O.T. analysis takes the The SWOT analysis reveals important
stage. facts about yourself that you can
change or leverage as you design
the future life journey.
What is SWOT? To perform a SWOT analysis, you
need to understand how it works.
Paul Boag wrote a popular
It’s simple. Grab a piece of paper,
article that defines a SWOT
and draw two intersecting lines to
analysis perfectly:
create four equal quadrants. Then,
“SWOT stands for Strengths, label each quadrant as Strength,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Weakness, Opportunity, Threat.
That mirrors the gut reaction you have Lastly, fill in each quadrant with
in a discovery phase. Opportunities and keywords or answers.
strengths are the things that get you
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 26

The Four Dimensions Weakness

Strength and weakness are about Some internal characteristics that

internal characteristics, while you need but lack. It helps you to
opportunities and threats are the pinpoint attributes that may hinder
external characteristics. They vary your progress.
in different perspectives.
Ask yourself: What are my
weaknesses? What are the skills
Strength that I lack? What is preventing
me from my goals?
The internal and positive
characteristics that you possess. Notes: We tend to turn the true
These are the attributes you embody answers away, but remember
and make you stand out, leading to ask and answer objectively.
you to achieve your goals, learn Maybe people around you see the
something you are potentially good weaknesses that you don’t see.
at, etc. Ask your friends who know you
well, and invite them to be a part
Ask yourself: What am I good at?
of your personal SWOT analysis.
What did I do in the past to make
me stand? What compliments
have I received from others? Opportunities

Notes: Be objective as you can. Positive and external chances are

Don’t be shy or modest here. available to help and prove yourself
Knowing the strengths helps you for reaching the goals.
to make the best out of them.
Ask yourself: What doors are
If you find it hard to write them
open to you? What’s something
down, write down your personal
you could start doing right now
characteristics and identify some
that nobody else is doing? What
of the strengths behind them.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 27

niche characteristics do you A Personal SWOT Analysis

possess that others don’t? Example
Notes: Go back to your strengths,
Before the start of a self-SWOT,
and look closely at them to seek
first, understand what you hope to
possible opportunities. Then face
gain out of it. Establish what key
the weaknesses, and figure out if
objectives you’re going after and
you could open up opportunities
what outcomes you are aiming for.
by eliminating those weaknesses.
This is how Peter does his
Threats personal SWOT Analysis. As a
sales representative, he’s seeking
External and harmful things of improvements in his career
concern that could potentially have development. Peter chooses a
a negative impact on your progress. balanced map, fill in the subtopic
with Strengths, Weaknesses,
Ask yourself: What are the
Opportunities, and Threats. The
obstacles? What are things out
balanced map is a quadrant
of control that could hinder your
progress?
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 28

structure, so it is clear for listing the to the team leader who re-assigns it,
keywords in different sections. giving Peter enough time to prepare
for the presentation of the coming
XMind has built-in SWOT structures
project.
and the intersection parts allow you
to make the best of both positive To sum up, a SWOT is a framework
internal and external factors, while for analyzing your strengths
minimizing the negative internal and and weaknesses as well as the
external [Link] continues opportunities and threats that you
map and figures out solutions, and face. It helps you focus on your
there it goes: strengths, minimize your weaknesses,
and make the most of your talents
Peter seeks presentation advice from and opportunities.
John, and they have a wonderful
conversation. Later, Peter also talks
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 29

SWOT analysis doesn’t need to be

just about yourself, you can also
do a SWOT analysis on successful
people or people you admire in
work/life. Use it to display the key
characteristics that make up their
personality and lifestyle to succeed
in life.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 30

How Does XMind Help for Working at Home

So most of us have started a home Outliner is not only helpful for

office or freelancer career, what organizing the paper, but also shows
about next? How to continue being relationships and hierarchies of the
productive and creative while tasks. Take a daily to-do list as an
staying indoor for most of your time? example, you can fill the Main Topic
with Morning, Noon, Afternoon and
As a dedicated team building
Evening, followed by Subtopics with
productivity tools, we are benefited
different tasks.
from using the crafted features as
usual during this sudden pandemic Use Enter/Return for creating a new
outbreak. There are some XMind Main Topic, or Enter/Return + tab for
features and tricks up our sleeves adding a subtopic after it. If you
for both newcomer and mind mapping need to move the tasks, click, then
residents. drag and drop to the spot.

OutlinerStart a Day.
Summarize a Week.

Morning prep routine matters for

the day, so is a plan. A to-do can lay
out what you need to accomplish in
a certain period of time. It's short,
clear, and most importantly, simple
enough to notify the things that
need to be done.

We all have our "to-dos" in work, in

life, and in formats. Daily To-do is
friendly for beginners—simply fill in
the tasks for different categories.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 31

If the tasks are already in your head,

but you are struggling of choosing to
get started which one first, prioritize
the tasks in the to-do. Put Top and
Secondary Priorities in Main Topics,
then write tasks in each group.

If you've already got a long-term

deadline or process in your mind,
try to build an action plan with
Outliner. An action plan is useful
for long-term and strategic goals,
and it would be great if all the goal-
related tasks are listed. You can pay
attention to the overall progress for
the project, or watch closely how
each task is going, allowing you to
adjust the tempo of your work pace
for the deadlines.

You can also switch between Outliner

and Mind Map to know which phase
your project is at, and what are the
next steps.
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 32

ZEN Mode—Stay when people are working from

Focused. Presentation. home. In an online meeting during
the lockdown, the product manager
Brainstorming.
of XMind sent the mind map to the
A full-screen mind map enables participants before the meeting
you to keep your eyes on what started, then he used ZEN Mode for
you are working on right now, screen-sharing and introduced the
instead of getting disturbed by coming XMind version.
the pop-up, flashing info notice,
In order to highlight a section
etc. That's what ZEN Mode does—
of the whole mind map during a
offering an exclusive space for your
presentation, he right-clicked on
concentration so that you can work
a parent topic box and used Show
or think at full speed when working
Branch Only.
at home.

While you can move the mouse and During the meeting, participants can
hover/click the topic you are talking jot down the meeting notes directly
right now, ensuring your audience is on the mind map, or review them in
on the same page. the Outliner when it's done.

Here’s a great example of the ZEN

Mode application in online meetings
Chpt. 02 Work & Career 33

Enhanced Export—Let the Note that a mind map can also be

Flow Run Onward. used as your personal file arsenal for
you to locate and get a file whenever
XMind embraces multiple formats you need at ease.
and we have many export options
Let XMind be your great tool to stay
to tailor your needs. If you are
productive as always. Make your
looking for a clearer display of the
home office a real office!
PNG, you can choose a 100%, 200%,
or even 300% scale to avoid the
possible blurriness. The option for a
transparent background ensures your
mind maps can be well inserted and
presented in a presentation slide. If
the maps are used for a web page,
the SVG format (Subscribed Feature)
is always here for help.

Hyperlink Link—Bring
Topics and Files Together

If a mind mapping presentation

carries a bulk of topics, it might be
difficult for your audience to grasp
and understand, even for the speaker
to explain well. Divide them into
different sheets, and use Topic Link
for a smooth transition.
 03
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 34
chpt.

Study & Teach

How to Use Mind Maps to Take Notes in Class 35
How to Improve Memory with XMind 42
How to Learn a Language Smartly 46
Effective Online Teaching with XMind 52
Pitch Mode Makes Linda a Great Storyteller 56
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 35

How to Use Mind Maps to Take Notes in Class

Comprehensive note-taking might no about the better understanding of

longer be applicable in university. lecture materials. Many lecturers
With such intricate knowledge offer a splendid course, aside
structures we face in lectures, even from main modules that cover the
speed writers would find it hard to majority of course content. They
record every little detail enunciated never stop to expand our vision with
by the instructor. references and quotes from other
sources. Knowing how to take notes
How to take notes in class? How
wisely enhances our understanding
to take notes efficiently? We start
of the content, and is beneficial for
by tackling a series of questions to
future references.
share with you on how you can up
your note-taking game. With that being said, what needs
to be recorded, and what doesn’t
Is note-taking during lectures
during your note-taking process?
necessary?
It is important to know that the
What needs to be recorded, and content of each subject varies, and
what doesn’t? the emphasis between science and
liberal arts subjects is also different.
Taking notes with mind maps and Therefore, we should adopt different
their sticking points? note-taking strategies for different
subjects. However, the core idea of
Tips on increasing the efficiency
these strategies would still have an
of note-taking?
abstract, structural resemblance.

More often, there is no need to

The Purpose and Content take notes on textbook materials or
of In-class Notes PPTs given ahead by the instructor.
Instead, try to focus on these
The purpose of note-taking is all critical aspects below:
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 36

The Nodes and Frameworks of materials, which should be recorded

Knowledge in detail.

The enormous amount of course

Questions and Reflections
content in an undergraduate class
may be intimidating. However, It is ideal to be able to follow
starting with a skeleton of the instructor’s thought process
information then one by one filling in throughout the entire class.
the gap with more supporting notes However, you can mark what you
to “build” the body of knowledge didn’t understand or missed in
could be something worth trying. class and then check and fill in the
Instructors with the habit of gaps accordingly. In addition, also
writing on a board tend to provide remember to write down interesting
outlines of the subject; this would ideas or reflections whenever they
be an excellent place to start your bump into your mind!
framework building process.

To Understand and Analyze Key Note-taking with Mind

Information Maps
What can be understood and Mind mapping is the deep processing
digested on the spot does not need of knowledge. Drawing a mind
to be memorized in detail, simply map is equivalent to re-encoding
mark down key points. The essential information, which is undoubtedly
task when attending class is to more conducive for memorizing and
understand and keep up with the understanding the notes.
teacher’s ideas, especially in the
comprehension and analysis of some From “linear listening” to the
main concepts, as well as extensions structural grasp of course content,
and supplements of textbook mind mapping records the key
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 37

knowledge points and also clarifies learning loop of “preview-listening-

the logic among them. The knowledge reviewing” in high school still holds
points can be supplemented with unshakeable in college.
details by inserting notes in the
topic/subtopic block. Furthermore, Grappling with Main Ideas
you can also construct practical
review sessions with your mind The extraction of keywords is
maps; taking the topics and referring essential to a mind map. Therefore,
them back to the detailed contents making decisions on what to keep
of the textbook provides an overall and what not to keep is also crucial.
combing of main ideas. Mind mapping Using mind maps to determine the
appears to be more malleable core concept and logic behind the
compared to paper or other forms of lecture materials is beneficial to
note-taking. cultivate one’s senses in grappling
with main ideas.
The above manifest the ideal way
for taking notes in class, but it could
The Paradox of Note-taking and
be difficult in practice. Specifically
Paying Attention
reflected in:
Notes are not the focus of the
The Structural Grasp of Lecture lecture; the focus of the lecture
Materials is understanding the flow of the
instructor’s thinking process. So,
If you have not previewed the lecture when you take notes, you have to
materials, it would be pretty tricky strike a balance between writing
to grasp the overall framework and and listening, emphasize on
logical structure. Getting into the understanding and internalizing the
habit of reviewing before class can knowledge.
help you overcome it. The excellent
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 38

These are obstacles to overcome, but lecture material. Please check out
once you're comfortable with them, our blog post on How Does XMind
you'll get to know the power of mind Help for Working at Home? For
mapping. Countless XMind student further information on the Outliner
users use the app to efficiently feature.
organize their class notes, and have
Where to find the Outliner feature:
learned a lot from it. Below are some
Click "Outliner" on the top left of
tips for effective note-taking in
the interface to switch between
terms of software capabilities.
mind maps and outlines, also
applicable to iOS version of XMind!

How to Use XMind in Class?

XMind comes in handy for in class

note-taking; being able to make use
of the capabilities of XMind can help
you take notes with ease.

The Transformation from

Outliner to Mind Maps

When capturing course content in

real time, linear note-taking can be
beneficial for speedy documentation.
On this basis, switch bullet-point
notes into mind maps with just a
simple click, then further comb
out the logical process behind the
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 39

Use Audio Notes to Document greatly improve the efficiency of

Difficult Concepts sorting out the notes later.

When note-taking in a lecture Review in time: Reviewing helps

that requires high concentration, enhance your listening and note-
try inserting an audio note in taking skills, and it also keeps
your subtopics for effortless your retention from falling
documentation. Here’s something to sharply. Getting into this habit
pay attention to when using audio gives you twice the result with
notes in your mind maps: half the effort.

Main points only: only document Inserting an audio note: Select a

the necessary portion of the topic in XMind and click Insert >
lecture, keeping it concise save Audio Note on the toolbar. The same
you from all the hustle when applies to mobile devices.
replaying the recordings.

Pay attention to the structure:

the speaker generally has
a relatively straightforward
logic. When listening, we
should carefully take notes on
main points made clear by the
instructor, and mark them for
later organization and review.

Classification: Audio notes are

also part of the mind map, which
can be briefly classified and
marked during recording. Keeping
the audio notes organized would
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 40

Use LaTex to insert equations, click on Main Topic icon to expand

take science notes in a breeze the dropdown list of preset styles.
On iOS devices, click the paintbrush
Mind mapping is not just for art icon after selecting the subtopic.
majors. LaTeX helps to insert
mathematical and chemical formulas,
and let the process of sorting out the
scientific notes more manageable
and more efficient. For a detailed
tutorial on LaTeX, check out our FAQ
page on equation support.
What command does XMind Equation
Support?

Inserting LaTex equations in XMind:

Select the topic in XMind and go to
Insert > Equation in the toolbar.

Emphasize Key Points with

Preset Styles

Using the preset styles under

the Style tab in the Panel, you
can classify your subtopic “Very
Important”, “Important”, “Cross
Out”, “Default”, etc. This feature
allows you to bring out and classify
subtopics with just a simple click.

Where to find Quick Styles: On

XMind, click the Styles button, then
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 41

Use Colors and Icons to Form

Your Symbol System

Mind mapping is not just for art

majors. LaTeX helps to insert
mathematical and chemical formulas,
and let the process of sorting out the
scientific notes more manageable
and more efficient. For a detailed

When note-taking, you can use a

notation system to help you quickly
identify the main points and locate
the content. Check out the common
icons shared by Spark in earlier blog
posts. You can define colors and
build your own symbol system with
icons provided right on the XMind
interface.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 42

How to Improve Memory with XMind

Things are getting faster in this such, memory plays a crucial role in
modern world. We are required teaching and learning.
to work on multiple projects and
The memory mechanism can be
learn new knowledge faster. The
divided into 3 parts: Encoding,
importance of memory is obvious,
Storage and Retrieval.
since we make sense of its
framework and take action for the
moment. Encoding

Mind mapping displays the The way information is taken

connections between different parts in, and the way you understand
and helps you sort out the inner [Link] is usually encoded
connections inside, while helping to through one (or more) of four
memorize things subtly. Today, we methods as below:
will discuss the inner mechanism of
Visual encoding (how something
memory, and how does mind mapping
looks)
contributes to continuous memory
improvement. Acoustic encoding (how
something sounds)

Semantic encoding (what

How Does Memory System
something means)
Work?
Tactile encoding (how something
Memory refers to the continued feels)
process of information retention over
time. It is an integral part of human There are 2 types of encoding :
cognition, since it allows individuals Automatic, the information is to be
to recall and draw upon past events naturally memorized. Effortful, the
to frame their understanding and information that requires effort to
behavior within the present. As memorize.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 43

Storage On the contrary, Long-term memory

has immense storage capacity, and
How, where, how much, and how
the information can be stored there
long encoded information is retained
indefinitely.
within the memory system.
We need to recall or retrieve it to
The storage can be divided into
make use of said information, and
three systems of memory: sensory
that’s where the next system shows
memory, short-term memory, and
up.
long-term memory.

According to Atkinson and Shiffrin,

information that is encoded
acoustically is primarily stored in
short-term memory (STM), and can
be saved through constant repetition.
The short-term memory only lasts
between 15 and 30 seconds, and
that’s why time and inattention may
cause information stored in STM to
be forgotten. Additionally, STM only
stores between five and nine items
of information, with seven items
being the average number. In this
context, the term “items” refers to
any piece of information.

The long-term memory (LTM) stores

semantically encoded information
primarily, and also visually and
acoustically-encoded information.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 44

Retrieval he tested how well individuals

remembered a list of nonsense
Access to the previously encoded
syllables over increasingly longer
and stored information, and get it out
periods of time. Using the results
of storage.
of his experiment, he created what
This is the phase to determine is now known as the “Ebbinghaus
the performance—whether you Forgetting Curve” (Schaefer, 2015).
memorize it or not. The information
Through his research, Ebbinghaus
stored in STM and LTM is retrieved
concluded that the rate at which
in different ways. While STM is
your memory (of recently learned
retrieved in the order in which it
information) decays depends
is stored, LTM is retrieved through
both on the time that has elapsed
association(Roediger & McDermott,
following your learning experience
1995).
as well as how strong your memory
is. Some degree of memory decay is
inevitable.
Why We Forget?

In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus

conducted an experiment in which
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 45

Effective Methods for

Improving Your Memory

Memory can be trained and improved

like other skills. We’ve gathered
some useful methods in this map.

By visualizing ideas/concepts
and generating a range of ideas
around the specific idea/concept
through connections, mind mapping
is helpful for better understanding
and memorizing. Another important
fact is that mind mapping involves
association and imagination during
the process, and it improves memory
subtly.

Also, note that attention is important

for memory storage and learning.
In XMind,ZEN Mode—an immersive
editing feature, allows you to focus
on what matters.

Using icons to mark the current

process as instant rewarding helps
you to stay on track.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 46

How to Learn a Language Smartly

As global communication nowadays “Don’t Wait Until Tomorrow,

expands rapidly, multilingualism Act Now.”
become more and more common
in ordinary lives. In order to live Procrastination is always the top
and work in this global village, reason to not start a thing today.
one language seems to be not Some people benefit from their
sufficient if wanted to go beyond procrastinating habit by generating
one’s local area. Some people prefer more thinking space. But the rest of
to stay in their comfort zone and people tend to use it as an excuse
are a little intimated by this new every time when they are about to
language learning process. However, step out of the comfort zone and
a language learning habit gives delay any upcoming challenges.
your brain a good workout and the However, the truth is, it is certain
learning process can be full of that there will be countless
excitement and fun, not to mention obstacles along the way, and you
the benefits of traveling, studying will never be ready for all of them,
abroad, or working internationally. so why not take the procrastinating
time to get a head start.
We believe that a language is a
key to a culture, so obtaining the Fall in love with a foreign language
key is the perfect way to unravel and transform the learning process
and immerse yourself in a country’s into a daily habit. Interest is the
diverse and rich cultures. Thus, in best teacher. Deep passion or love
the following article, we wish to let for a foreign language is the best
you know secret tips to smartly learn appetizer to start a learning journey
a new language, offer you options on and a good stimulant in the future
how to make it fun along the way. process. It’s not like exercising,
which may only take weeks to show
impressive results; it takes years
to fully understand and master a
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 47

foreign language. Therefore, even and start by setting up small &

if learning can be a dull and dry attainable goals.
process, at least you’ve found
Besides the factor of love/interest,
the language itself captivating to
motivation is another effective
explore, making the learning journey
driving force in life to achieve
much more inspiring.
results. In many cases, people
Transform your love for a language decide to pick up a new language
to a long-term habit. This habit can not because they like to do that,
be a structured learning schedule but because it comes as a handy
from textbooks or a casual hobby and beneficial tool along the way to
to relax. For example, combine your achieve a goal. This final goal is a
interest with the learning process: form of motivation that urges them
watching French movies or playing to start and progress on the learning
Japanese video games. path. By setting up small and
attainable language goals at first
However, if you are not learning a
such as memorizing 50 words a day,
language out of personal interest but
motivated people will be satisfied
are required due to external factors,
to see small achievements soon,
then find your motivation first
getting closer to the final objective.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 48

“Create an Immersion better understand the essence of a

Environment.” country’s culture and language, but
we’ve known people who’ve lived
There is a long-time debate that in Australia for years but aren’t
whether studying or living in a fluent in English, and people who’ve
country is a requisite for mastering never been to Japan speak perfect
the country’s native language. If Japanese. It is good if you have an
one studies French, then he or she opportunity to travel and immerse
needs to go study or live in France within the language environment of
for a while to become possibly fluent a country, but if not, then create the
at it. It is undeniable that a local language environment around you!
experience would help learners to
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 49

Bring the language Join the language circle

environment to your house
Make foreign friends of people with
Play foreign news radio in the similar interests or around your
morning while brushing teeth and age to better connect and stay in
having breakfast. Turn on the foreign touch. Transferring what you’ve
television shows while exercising at learned from a textbook to a social
home. Talk to yourself in a foreign conversation with native speakers
language while thinking in the head. is one of the best ways to practice
These are easy methods to adopt speaking and using a new language
and create an immersive language practically.
learning environment around you.

Let technology help

The online education system has

taken a more significant role in
people’s learning process. Without
stepping outside the house, people
can register for online classes or
hire an online tutor to learn at any
time. Advanced learners can even
change the language setting of their
technology devices to help them
read and become familiar with a
foreign language faster.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 50

“Find the Perfect Study language with XMind today! It is your

Tool.” perfect study pal and a remarkable
tool for note-taking. Brace Map,
The next step to begin the official a structure that helps to identify
learning process is to find a handy whole and part relationships, which
study tool. It is important to take is perfect for summarizing grammar
notes, summarize and constantly structure when learning a new
review learning materials because language.
everyone forgets things quickly.

Hesitate no more and study a new

Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 51

“Make Mistakes? No One languages are not ones who are

Cares.” smart, but ones who don’t give up
and stick to a consistent language
TFinally, don’t be afraid to make learning habit over years. Hear some
mistakes while learning a new tips from multilingual!
language, remember to always keep
We hope that this article inspires
positive and maintain a learning
and helps any foreign language
habit. You’re not a native speaker,
beginners who are getting a head
so don’t be embarrassed by making
start or experienced learners who
mistakes. The more mistakes you
are looking for a boost on their
make, for example, when chatting
learning path. Let XMind be your
with a foreign friend, the more
study pal, stay motivated, form
possible you will not make the
a consistent learning habit, and
same mistakes next time and
have fun exploring in the world of
therefore become better at this
languages.
language throughout time. Those
who eventually speak fluent foreign
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 52

Effective Online Teaching with XMind

A debate between the pros and cons sense, but they are important for one
of in-class and online education to know and follow when conducting
systems has been discussed and online classes. For example,
argued during the recent years. This according to the article How to Be
COVID-19 pandemic, unfortunately, a Better Online Teacher by Flower
puts the classroom experience Darby, some principles include
on hiatus and leaves billions of that an online teacher needs to
students and teachers transitioning organize the course content more
into and experimenting with higher intuitively, add more visual contents,
technology – online classrooms. etc. If interested, here is the fully
summarized XMind map.
Though gradually becoming popular
during previous years, online
teaching suddenly becomes the only
option left for everyone starting
Teach with XMind
2020. In this following article, we will
A powerful mind mapping tool can be
be talking about essential guidelines
a huge help toward online teaching
for teachers who are still adapting to
in many ways.
the online setting and providing some
helpful ways to possibly achieve a
Presentation
better academic experience when
incorporating XMind into online Teachers of both traditional and
teaching. online classrooms tend to include
tons of written texts in prepared
materials, which turns out to be dry
Essential Principles and unappealing to most students.

Many essential principles of online Adding a variety of visual contents

teaching are more like common- to your presentation, such as
inserting photos or including relevant
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 53

videos, is more entertaining and Live Note-taking

pleasing for students to study with.
If a teacher is conducting a live class
Among those visual options, mind
while sharing the computer screen
maps graphed with XMind is a more
with students, mind mapping with
interesting way of presenting texts
XMind can be an efficient lecturing
along with photos & web links. XMind
method. A live-streaming lecture
also offers transparent background
with mind mapping on the screen and
when exporting, so it is easy and
synchronous audio explanation is
convenient for teachers to insert the
easier for online students to follow
graph into any presentation format.
the logic flow of academic concepts.
Below is an example used in an
XMind 2020 also supports equation
Economics online class.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 54

insertion with the LaTeX command case, a clear and well-organized

which is greatly suitable for science- rubric should be provided to
related subject lectures. students in advance, which informs
some general grading criteria and
Grading other specific things you are looking
for. An electronic copy of individual
When a teacher posts an assignment grading feedback afterward is also
online, some students may find the helpful for students to analyze their
instructions confusing and unclear. submitted work and understand
It takes a longer time for online where they could improve upon the
students to get clarified via emails next time.
instead of asking in-person. In this
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 55

Student Assignment

Frequent paperwork assignments can

be burdensome and tiring for many
students as the standard essay
format may limit creativity to some
extent. Therefore, it is probably more
beneficial to leave an assignment
that is allowed to be conducted in
different formats.

Mind map, recognized as one of the

best tools to organize thoughts
and inspire creativity, enables
students to unleash creativity for
both individual and group projects,
whenever they are writing an
essay outline, preparing a group
presentation, or summarizing reading
notes.

XMind has a special offer for

academia, and we hope everyone is
getting the most out of their online
teaching and learning experiences!
We believe that the addition of
XMind will bring higher efficiency
and more entertaining content to the
online classroom.
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 56

Pitch Mode Makes Linda a Great Storyteller

Linda is a sophomore in college. track easily of what she’s planning

She is preparing for a midterm to tell.
presentation on a business topic
about the marketing initiatives and Pitch Mode in XMind solves Linda’s
challenges met by Universal Studio frustration quickly because it allows
Japan in the recent 20 years. Linda is you to create a presentation and
concerned about connecting slides in map your slides from a holistic
a story-telling approach and making perspective. Without having to bring
her presentation more entertaining pieces of slides together as a whole
to her classmates. Finally, she in PowerPoint, Linda uses a mind
finds XMind Pitch Mode is her best map to first outline her presentation
solution, outweighing any other structure and then break it into
traditional presentation tools she pieces to collect information.
ever used.
Once she has this layout in hand,
Linda starts researching information
and reading related articles to
Map your slides from a draft her speech and presentation
holistic perspective. content. Adding bullet points into
her mind maps allows Linda to be
In a traditional PowerPoint way, Linda
concise with her texts, leaving only
first would need to create a PPT
the most important points.
document and continue adding slide
pages in a one-way vertical direction
along with her research progress.
This one-directional method hinders
her thinking progress when creating
a logical, organized, and cohesive
story. Constantly jumping from
different slides makes her losing
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 57

She can also insert photos into

the topic boxes for more visual
information. XMind allows users to
edit the inserted photos, including
their size, border, shadow, and
opacity. Sometimes, show, do not
tell!
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 58

Make your presentation during the overall presentation.

easy and fun for the Many features can be adopted by
the Pitch Mode and presented in a
audience.
clear way. For example, Linda uses
Once Linda has finished her mind map the Summary feature to conclude
(aka. presentation content), all she the new marketing concepts
needs to do is click the Pitch button. and solutions into a Rebranding
Many classmates’ presentations Marketing Plan for execution.
are all in the form of PowerPoint,
and Linda’s mind map attracts the
audience’s attention with well-
structured mind map outline, and
audience can quickly grasp the
upcoming content.

Inform your audience the central idea

of presentation at a glance, and lead
them to dive into the details. Linda’s
soft and medium-paced voice with
intelligent and smooth transitions
in Pitch Mode based on the
content direct the audience’s eyes
throughout her entire presentation.

The audience easily stays on

track with the presentation and is
constantly aware of what has been
talked through, new points, and in
which content section they locate
Chpt. 03 Study & Teach 59

One click to transfer

structure seamlessly.

After the midterm presentation, Linda

needs to hand in a paper document
of presentation file to the professor.
Instead of directly submitting the
mind map, she prefers to transfer
and organize the texts into a more
systematic and cleaner format.
XMind does the job for her in one
click! Every structure in XMind can
be transferred almost seamlessly.
Linda only has to change the mind
map structure of her content; she
picks Matrix or Tree Table for a
squared look.

Linda exports, prints out, and

hands in this Matrix structure of
her presentation content. She
then scored an A for the midterm
report and received the highest
peer assessment score from her
classmates.

Thanks to XMind, Linda believes

she is on her way to becoming a
smart learner, fast thinker, and an
outstanding storyteller.
 04
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 60
chpt.

Life & Self Care

Crack Procrastination with XMind 61
Start Your New Year with Self-care Journaling 65
Tips to Combat Anxiety with Mind Mapping 68
Keep Family Organized with Mind Maps 71
Mind Map Actionable New Year's Resolutions 76
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 61

Crack Procrastination with XMind

“You may delay, but time will not.” true. Find out what's behind the
— Benjamin Franklin scene.

Procrastination is painful and guilty

to experience, but occasionally, we
Our Brain Values Rewards
just can’t resist it. Differently

Let’s face procrastination and view it According to behavioral psychology,

in a new way. Procrastination can be our brain values immediate rewards
a positive thing, and it reveals some higher than future rewards due to
the time inconsistency, and temporal
insights and facts inside you.
self-discontinuity or temporal
disjunction makes the gap bigger.

What is Procrastination? For example, you decide to learn a

new instrument and set a goal of
Procrastination is the avoidance playing 3 songs in three months.
of doing a task that needs to be The person who makes the plan and
accomplished by a certain deadline. decisions, and envision the result is
It could be further stated as a the one for today—the Present Self;
habitual or intentional delay of while the long-term achievement
starting or finishing a task despite belongs to the one in the next three
knowing it might have negative months—the Future Self.
consequences.
The Present Self makes decisions
and takes actions, which results
in instant satisfaction, and
Why We Are Trapped in
gratification. On the other hand,
Procrastination? the Future Self is different as it
Laziness is the one that gets the takes long-term benefits and values
blame usually. Well, it's not 100% long-term rewards.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 62

The Present Self and Future to reassess and think about what
Self are disconnected from each you’re doing. The reason why
other, leading to different ways of we don’t take the action is that
procrastination. Since the future perhaps, you don’t feel motivated
rewards are far away from the to do it or have no idea of how to
present time, the Future Self is not achieve the goal, and that leads to
attractive enough to the present you. procrastination.

Abstract Goals Settings Let's Crack it

It turns out that people are more We all know that procrastination
likely to procrastinate when the brings us guilt, shame, and anxiety.
goals are vague or abstract. In the Procrastination-action line
graph below, being in the middle of
“Lose Weight” and “Get Exercise”
procrastination is more painful, but
are relatively vague goals, and they
once we pass the action line, the
might lead to procrastination. “Play
pain decreases.
Badminton on Monday after work
with the colleagues” is more specific, As soon as we reach and pass the
and you might have the tendency for action line—start the work, the
real actions. procrastination pain will be gone.

Lack of Reasons/Ideas to Do it

We may put the blame on laziness

when procrastination.

Well, sometimes it is not 100% true.

Procrastination is not that bad,
instead, it gives you an opportunity
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 63

Set Concrete Goals

As mentioned above, a specified

goal is the first step towards
success. Ask yourself before the
goal setting: What do I need to do?
Answer as detailed as possible. Use
mind maps to write down all the
things you come up with.

Break the Tasks Down

Make solid steps to make your tasks

achievable. When having a purpose
and a solid plan, you have removed
the barrier to start a thing and act
without hesitation.

Use stickers to mark those steps you

think it’s hard, or time-consuming. If
anything changes, you can add new
steps in subtopics, or change the
sequence by drag-and-drop.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 64

Create Rewards for the Present It's important to remember that the
feeling of panic is an indication that
Since the long-term rewards of the
your action plan needs to be re-
future are not that attractive for the
evaluated.
Present Self, make the incentives
immediate, such as a short break or a When your current pace is
piece of chocolate. inconsistent with the action plan, go
through the to-dos, and figure out
Motivation comes and goes quickly,
if there’s anything that needs to be
but it can be refreshed constantly.
changed.
Have some sources of motivation
with you—inspirational quotes or Ted
Talk speeches.
Add Priority/Urgency

Priority also copes with

See how far you’ve accomplished.
procrastination. Besides the deadline
Cross out when the steps are done
sets, mark those tasks at first
and track the current status.
priority as Very Important with Style
in Format Panel.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 65

Start Your New Year with Self-care Journaling

One of XMind’s users, Wendy, shared decided to try. After continuing this
a heartwarming story with us on habit for a month, I felt something
self-care through keeping journals inside changed. My emotions became
with mind maps. Thanks to the habit more stable and less intense, and
of daily self-care journaling, she was I began to accept my imperfection
able to pull herself out of the swamp and my mistakes, embracing the real
and get a better handle on herself self. In short, I had a better handle
during 2020. Wendy hopes to help of myself. I called to thank my friend
more people struggling with their and decided to write the following
mental health and well-being find words to share this powerful habit
ways of comfort through self-care with more of you who experience
journaling at the start of 2021. Here’s pain in life during the year 2020.”
Wendy’s story.

My Journaling Routine
Why I Started Journaling?
After a busy day of work, I usually
“There was a period of time during make myself a nice tea, bring it
the pandemic when I started with my journal and sit in a quiet
to overlook my mental health; I corner of my room. Make yourself
began to constantly feel anxious, comfortable – the key to a relaxing
depressed, and critical about myself, and reflective self-care process.
my work, and my surrounding. One Light a candle and play some lofi
of my friends noticed my condition background music; you are good to
during a FaceTime call, and she go.
recommended that I try self-care I then do a few sets of the breathing
journaling. At first, I was not into the process. It’s not a necessary step,
idea of journaling and was foreign to but I like it. A breathing exercise
the concept of self-care, but I still scientifically stabilizes your
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 66

emotions and reduces your body’s My Journaling Pages

tension and stress levels, preparing
you for a smooth and healing Journaling is a personal thing, and
journaling process. Follow a list of it is a free space for you to answer
reflective journaling prompts to write the prompts and write anything
down your responses. According about your feelings and thoughts.
to my friend, if you are looking for However, I do have some additional
technical assistance, DiveThru and functional pages in my journal to
Jour are great applications to try complement my self-caring process.
out. I am introducing my pages below in
case you would like to adopt one in
your journal as well.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 67

Mental Health Tracker Thank you for reading a small

chapter in my self-care journey. The
A mental health tracker (in a month)
habit of self-care journaling has
allows you to input your daily mood.
supported me throughout a tough
Many people find that this tracking
2020, and its power in calming and
behavior and its results show
inspiring something inside me makes
weekly/monthly patterns in their
me accept the imperfect self and
mental health status and give them
fall in love with myself again. Start
more control over their emotional
self-care journaling, or simply start
management. I use an XMind Mental
caring and loving yourself, and I
Health Tracker template to record my
believe 2021 will be a wonderful
mood over a month, using different
journey for you.
colors to represent different feelings
of a day – a straightforward visual
presentation of how I feel mentally
throughout a period of time.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 68

Tips to Combat Anxiety with Mind Mapping

Headaches at a job interview? Sweat Symptoms of Anxiety

glands overacting right before
delivering a public speech? Irrational Anxiety, both physical and
fears and worries hit on big days? emotional, lasts for a short time — a
few minutes to a few days.
Everyone experiences anxiety in
life. Anxiety is your body’s natural We have to pay special attention to
response to stress, and it’s an frequency and severity when anxiety
emotion we feel from time to time. happens. Please get professional
It is a sign of vulnerableness due to treatment if your anxiety lasts for
potential threats, uncertainties, or months or years, intensifies, or has a
the fear of failures. significant impact on your life.

Today, we will be talking about

common anxiety in human life, and
guide you to calm your mind and
move forward with mind mapping.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 69

Types of Anxiety between emotion and consequence

There are some common types The basic idea behind the ABC model
of anxiety that most of us have is that “external events (A) do not
encountered from time to time. cause emotions (C), but beliefs (B) and,

You can control and get through in particular, irrational beliefs (IB) do”

these types of anxiety by fully (Sarracino et al., 2017). Another way

understanding these emotions in a to think about it is that “our emotions
rational way. and behaviors (C: Consequences) are
not directly determined by life events
(A: Activating Events), but rather by
the way these events are cognitively
Manage Your Anxiety
processed and evaluated (B: Beliefs)”
(Oltean et al., 2017).
We tend to believe that our emotion There’s no necessity to change the
is directly determined by an environment, instead, recognize
event. However, Dr. Albert Ellis, a and change one’s way to react to
psychologist and researcher who the environment helps with the
created the ABC model, brings up consequences.
another insight into the relationship
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 70

Mind mapping is helpful to identify

and clarify the thoughts in your
mind, and also a great place for you
to observe the emotions.

By taking a step back to view an

event, you can recognize rational
and irrational emotions and gradually
transform the way you feel about
a certain (stressful) situation. Here
are several things to try to eliminate
anxiety, and stay strong and the
best is yet to come.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 71

Keep Family Organized with Mind Maps

Despite the typical chaos, Elizabeth Having to juggle between multiple

and James Smith, the parent of three tasks in life, Elizabeth ups her
kids, were able to find the order efficiency game by integrating the
using mind maps and tree tables in organization of life and work matters
their everyday lives. XMind becomes all on XMind. The combination of
a great tool to help better manage various structures in a single mind
family matters and claim back a map allows Elizabeth to build an
tremendous amount of time to focus all-in-one planner for herself and
on what matters for oneself. her family members. Unlike other
ordinary to-do lists, you have
The family sets up a comprehensive
absolute freedom in XMind to set up
family planner that covers grocery
the design, the elements, and add
lists, meal planners, to-do lists and
outside links/resources you’d find
errands all in one file with XMind.
helpful in your family planner.
They also build emergency contact
forms, and important date timelines.

The Weekly Family Planner

Like any other family of five, the

Smith family encounters laughter
and overcomes challenges together
as one. The Monday breakfast has
always been chaotic in the first week
of September. Kids do not want to
be back in school (or can’t wait to
be back!), and the parents have to
get back to a relatively rigid morning
routine to comply with the kids’.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 72

Weekdays are in different topics, of character. The built-in marker

and under each topic has the collection in XMind includes a
errands (subtopics) for the day that variety of emotion markers, allowing
can be folded and crossed out once users to personalize their mind maps
finished. and express themselves through the
use of markers.
Built-in Markers and Stickers
Use Insert Feature for Seamless
By using the built-in markers in
Access
XMind, Elizabeth was able to mark
important family events with a star, With the insert link feature, she was
and put cute emojis beside the able to insert links to the electronic
prom shopping date which she looks invitation for Tommy’s piano recital;
forward to going with her daughter. simply click on the icon and let
XMind takes you directly to the
The markers are like ornaments webpage without having to look
on a Christmas tree, they light up through them hefty emails again
the canvas and bring all elements to find the correct address of the
together, always speaks a trait recital!
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 73

Conflate the Past and Present All for One, and One for All.
with Audio Note
Using multiple mind map structures
It’s the long family car rides where in one file can only increase
the best things can happen— the efficiency enormously. Such
enjoying the beautiful scenery presentation of mind maps aren’t
and thoughts exchanging naturally common in the market, and XMind
between you and the kids. Awed by did it to help you facilitate complex
their creative ideas or suggestions, ideas and allow you to jump outside
but not having pen and paper at the ordinary thought process.
hand? Elizabeth and James insert
The tree table here is the grocery
audio notes in their family planner
list for Elizabeth to better organize
as an alternative way to mark and
the items to be purchased, in the
record the kids' ideas and to-dos.
old-fashioned box-like structure just
The cross-device access to the mind
like how you would write them down
maps allows you to edit and listen
on a piece of paper. The matrix here
back to the audio whenever, keeping
is the meal planner for the Smith
things organized 24 hours a day,
family, seven days a week and three
seven days a week.
meals a day, all in this compact form
to be filled beforehand to spare time
for preparation.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 74

Important Dates (For the

Family)

Use the timeline or tree chart in

XMind to record big days of the year,
and mark those special days that
mean a lot to the family.

Pick a color for each month, and

use stickers and font colors to
customize the special day. Don’t
forget to add emojis to mark that
unique and meaningful day to all
your family members. Print them out
and put them on the wall for future
references; no more movie nights on
the day of Grandpa’s birthday!
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 75

Family Emergency Contact

Form

James made use of the tree tables

and built an emergency contact form,
as shown below. A detailed and clear
overview of the kids’ information
and whom to contact in case of
emergency. Easy to read and easy to
share. He was no more writing down
information for the babysitter. Save
time by simply printing this out or
sending a copy to their phone!

This file can be shared through the

XMind Share feature, which allows
the file to be viewed by clicking the
URL generated. Other ways of export
include but are not up to PNG, PDF,
Markdown, and SVG files.

Family life is a bitter-sweet

symphonic repertory with fortes and
pianos throughout the arrangement;
some play a supporting role, and
some lead the way. We hope the
story of the Smith family can spark
new ideas for you to start planning
your own unique ways of using mind
maps outside the workplace or
school.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 76

Mind Map Actionable New Year's Resolutions

We are ambitious at the beginning of It’s a resolution that I was told by

the year. We dump resolutions, stick others.
to them for several weeks, and then
The description is vague.
proceed to forget all about them.
I don’t have a realistic plan for it.
Not anymore. Let’s identify the right
resolution, make/track real progress, We’ve talked about the SMART
and achieve the goals. principle, a mnemonic acronym,
giving criteria to guide in the setting
Have you wondered if these
of goals and objectives, when
resolutions are the right resolutions
listing specific key results in OKR
for you? I’ve looked back on my
to achieve New Year’s Resolution.
resolutions last year which I failed
In fact, SMART also works for
60% of them, and I’ve concluded 3
resolution settings.
reasons below:
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 77

Be Specific

Make a concrete plan starting with a

specific goal. Goals like “lose weight”
“healthy lifestyle” and “save money”
are vague. Use mind maps to make
your goal specific.

For example, lose weight is pretty

vague here, so ask yourself several
questions to make it more specific,
and the goal will be: I want to lose
30 pounds in 6 months.

Measurable

Since we’ve already had a specific

goal, now let’s record this goal on
a mind map. It helps you to track
behaviors, and also reinforce the
progress. Use a timeline to record
your actions and results.

Watch yourself getting to the goal

step by step is promising. Don’t
forget to give yourself a break, since
self-restraint is hard.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 78

Achievable

We’ve already had a specific goal,

but 30 pounds in 6 months still
sounds big to me. Break it down,
and use positive words to make it
achievable. Let’s set a small and
positive goal for the first month: lose
5 pounds by doing regular exercises
at the end of the month. That sounds
not too big nor too fast.

For people who don’t have regular

exercises before, it’s not realistic for
starting HIIT in the beginning. Start
exercising with your friends, family,
or ask a trainer for advice.

Now we have a realistic and

encouraging plan with doable
steps, it’s always allowed to have
some room for mistakes because
unexpected hurdles or inevitable
events occur.
Chpt. 04 Life & Self Care 79

Relevant If you are not sure about it, use

a mind map to determine your
Keep in mind that the resolution goal. Here are some questions for
is about you. It’s not created upon reference.
others’ expectations, or commanded
by someone who is telling you to
change.
Time-bound
“If you do it out of the sense of self-
Give room to mistakes, and also
hate or remorse or a strong passion
patience. Use the timeline we
at that moment, it doesn’t usually
mentioned above, you can manage
last long,” said Dr. Michael Bennett,
your time for small goals. Gradually,
a psychiatrist and co-author of two
you will achieve the big goals, one
self-help books. “But if you build
step at a time.
up a process where you’re thinking
harder about what’s good for you, Use marker to track your progress,
you’re changing the structure of and reward yourself once achieved
your life, you’re bringing people a goal, no matter big or small. Don’t
into your life who will reinforce that be a quitter, and we are eagerly
resolution, then I think you have a awaiting your success.
fighting chance.”
 05
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 80
chpt.

Tips & Tricks

Boost Mind Mapping Efficiency with Shortcuts 81
How to Build Bubble and Double Bubble Map 83
A Markdown Plus XMind Workflow for Writing 88
Tips for Mind Mapping Color Harmony 93
Mind Map on iPad 97
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 81

Boost Mind Mapping Efficiency with Shortcuts

How to become more efficient in Customize Your Shortcuts

mind mapping? Training your brain
to think faster can be one of the You can always customize the
options, but it takes a long time to shortcuts based on personal
achieve that kind of improvement. preferences. The “None” shown
beside a feature indicates that this
One of the fastest ways to speed up feature has not yet been assigned
your mapping process in XMind is to with a shortcut. To add a customized
master the use of shortcuts. Built-in shortcut to this feature:
and customized shortcut keys help
you to skip many redundant clicks Select the “None” beside the feature
and make your mapping process a enter a shortcut click “Apply”
seamless experience. at the bottom right to confirm the
entered shortcut key.

Note that you can also overwrite the

Use Built-in Shortcuts existing (default) shortcuts as well.
If you would like to go back to the
To check all the built-in/default
default settings, click the “Restore
shortcut settings in XMind, go to the
Default Shortcuts” on the bottom
top navigation bar:
left.

to see a complete list of default

shortcuts. You can also use the
category scroll or search bar to
search for a specific shortcut key.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 82

Shortcuts Summary
We have put together a mind map summarizing all the shortcuts in XMind.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 83

How to Build Bubble and Double Bubble Map

We’ve introduced different built-in representation of comparing and

structures already, and in fact, you contrasting. There are two bubbles
can also build other structures from of two ideas, items, or events on
the ground in XMind easily. the map, while each of the bubbles
connects with ideas relevant to one
The structures we are going to
of the two ideas.
present is Bubble/Double Bubble
Map. Today we will be sharing We start with two central bubbles
comprehensive introductions, using and branch out outside bubbles
scenarios, and how to make them in filled with relevant characters. If
XMind effortlessly. an outside bubble is connected to
both the central bubbles, it is filled
with words possessed by/relevant to
Bubble Map? Double both.

Bubble?

A Bubble Map is a visual

representation of a noun that is in
the central topic, and surrounded
by adjectives that can be used to
describe it.

We start with a central topic and

map out the branches that connect
to more ideas with inner connections.
Both the noun and adjectives are in
bubbles, while the size of the noun
bubble, the central topic, is the
biggest.

Double Bubble Map is a visual

Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 84

Build Bubbles on XMind for Desktop

We are going to use only two features to create bubble maps: Topic Shape and Relationships.

Bubble Map is similar to the mind map structure. Both of these structures start with a central
idea and further connects to different ideas. So, let’s start with a mind map structure.

Step 1 Click mind map structure in XMind. Step 2 Change the Topic Shape for central and
main topics in the format panel.

Step 3 For making outside surrounded bubbles, Step 4 Change the color of the topics and texts,
we need to use Floating Topic and adjust the or move the topics, and we are all set.
map layout in format panel.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 85

Double Bubble Map for Desktop

Let’s keep building this based on the Bubble Map above.

Step 1 Create a floating topic, copy and paste Step 2 Choose the structure. Use shortcuts Tab
the style from the previous bubble map. and Enter to add subtopics, and set topic shapes
for them.

Step 3 Add relationships to connect the bubbles

in the middle, the same way when making Bubble
Map. Style colors, and texts, lines, etc. You can
also add more topics to the new bubble too.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 86

Examples of the Bubbles

Bubble map also helps to brainstorm

on qualities of an idea. For example,
this is a mind map of brainstorming
writing, simply put down related
words and keep exploring more ideas
behind it.

If you are thinking of an IT project,

what qualities are related to that?
Then write the qualities in different
bubbles and continuously drill down
those ideas.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 87

Let Imagination Fly

You can also create structures based on existing structures, including your own, using topic
form and relationships.

Find out more templates to download here and keep having fun with XMind.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 88

A Markdown Plus XMind Workflow for Writing

Markdown is known as a lightweight if the previous Markdown application

markup language with a plain text is uninstalled, you can import
formatting syntax. Unlike Word or your Markdown files into another
Pages which includes typesettings Markdown application, and keep
and font settings, Markdown is all working on it.
about plain text. We love Markdown
because as it provides an immersive Same Layout Inside Out
environment to read and write.
Today, we will share how to integrate Besides running on different
Markdown and XMind for an efficient systems, and Markdown editing
writing workflow. application, Markdown also ensures
a coherent layout.

What is Markdown Save Once and Forever

Markdown is a lightweight markup Markdown-formatted files can

language that you can use to add be preserved indefinitely. Files
formatting elements into plain text such as books, theses, milestone
documents. It was created by John documents are good to be saved in
Gruber in 2004, and is now one of Markdown format.
the world’s most popular markup
languages. Easy to Use and Set Hands Free

Markdown helps you to write and

adjust the display simply on the
Why Markdown keyboard. It won’t take very long
Read, Write and Edit Anywhere to learn the Markdown syntax, and
you can write with it for almost
You can create Markdown-formatted everything including blogs, websites
text on any operating system and or even to-do lists.
Markdown editing applications. Even
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 89

Basic Markdown Syntax

Headings Blockquote

Emphasis List — Ordered List

Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 90

List — Unordered List Insert — Link

In case you forget it, you can click here for a

complete Markdown syntax mind map.

Insert — Image
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 91

Integrate Markdown and process, new inspirations may burst

XMind out.

Once you have a central idea, fill

Knowing What You Are Writing
in other extending subtopics, drag
Before writing, create an article and drop topics to establish valid
framework of a central idea, the main connections. You will surprisingly
points are going to help you write find this mind map becomes the
smoothly. framework and you can now use it to
trace the following writing process.
If you are feeling clueless,
brainstorming is a solution for A mind map is helpful for sorting out
solving this problem. Scatter as many ideas, while the Outliner feature in
ideas as you can in floating topics XMind can be switched in one click
in XMind. Based on this mind map, and it allows you to read your mind
diverge or try to find connections map in a linear listing format.
between listed elements. During this
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 92

Knowing What You Are Writing Integrate Markdown and

Before writing, create an article
XMind
framework of a central idea, the main
points are going to help you write A Lot of tools to choose from!
smoothly. Typora, Ulysses, Bear, Visual Studio
Code, etc. Different editors emerge
If you are feeling clueless, to fit specific niches, and you can
brainstorming is a solution for pick one from below.
solving this problem. Scatter as many
ideas as you can in floating topics
in XMind. Based on this mind map,
diverge or try to find connections
between listed elements. During this
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 93

Tips for Mind Mapping Color Harmony

Understanding the basics of color Colors between primary and

theory, color combination and some secondary colors are called tertiary
useful tools can help you to create colors, and they are mixed results
mind maps like an artist. of primary and secondary colors. For
example, red-orange is the tertiary
In XMind, we’ve prepared a collection
color resulting from red (primary
of built-in templates that make your
colors) and orange (secondary
mind maps stand out and fit the
color). You can find out how it works
scene. But if you wish to build your
in this mind map below.
personal template, we will teach
you how to go with the right color
harmony.

Let’s start with basic color theory

principles with Sarah, an artist who
creates coloring books for stress and
anxiety reduction.

Color Wheel

The color wheel was developed by

Sir Issac Newton in 1666 and has
been used ever since.

There is a total of 12 main colors on

the wheel, including primary colors:
red, blue, and yellow.

Combining 2 primary colors, we have

our secondary colors: orange, green,
and purple.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 94

Colors in XMind Topics, Background, and Others

(Relationship, Summary, and
Let’s have a look at two classic Boundary)
built-in templates in XMind, and find
out the color principles behind them. Central Topic is the root of the
mind map
Use at most 3 or 4 colors on a
single mind map. Make sure the color contrast of
your background and topic boxes
4 parts need to fill in with is strong enough
colors: Central Topic, Main/Sub
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 95

Let’s Do the Color Harmony Together

Here, we will try 2 ways of color harmony experiments.

Monochromatic Colors

Let’s go for the Monochromatic Color, friendly for beginners. It starts with one base color,
and different shades, tones, or tints gets developed from it.

Start with the background color.

HSL Sliders RGB Sliders

Drag to adjust the hue, saturation, and RGB sliders allow you to adjust the ratio of
lightness and develop colors for the different colors and mix them freely.
remaining parts of the mind map.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 96

Analogous Colors

Let’s level up a bit and add up to 2-4

colors. If you have decided on the
color of the color wheel, you can use
color picker to apply it in XMind right
away.

Color Palette Inspiration

Out There
If you have choice difficulties, you
can use color-related websites for
inspiration.
color. With 5 likes, you can gradually
build up your very own color palette,
Color Hunt thanks to the knowledge of millions
of designers.
Color Hunt collects color palettes
created by the users. The color
palettes are used by designers from Color Palettes Collection
different industries. The palette
is public property and anyone can Pick color based on your content. For
save their favorite palettes, copy example, if you are making a recipe
the color codes, and distribute color mind map, searching color palettes
palettes of their own. of food is a delight.

With various options in XMind and

Palettable
massive online resources, you can
In Palettable, all you need to do is always build a beautiful mind map.
clicking Dislike or Like for the current Have fun!
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 97

Mind Map on iPad

This guide covers some of the most

useful information and instructions
you need to know to master XMind
on iPad.

Sign in to Your XMind

Account

First, click on the Settings button

on the top right, and Sign in to your
XMind account to begin the mind
mapping journey on your iPad. Your
past mind maps on other Apple
devices will be synced via your
iCloud Drive.

Create Folders to Organize

Your .xmind Files

Click the Add New Folder button

on the top to create and organize a
special folder for XMind graphs.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 98

Recover the Deleted Files

with File Cache

Deleted your XMind files

accidentally? No worries! Go to
Settings/File Cache to recover the
deleted files.

Hand-draw with Your Apple

Pencil

Use Apple Pencil to insert any hand

drawings into a topic box:

1. select a topic box;

2. click "+" in the tool bar;

3. click Draw.

Add labels, notes and more to make

your mind maps more professional.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 99

Undo Key Saves Your Life!

The Undo key is located at the top

left on the navigation bar. A simple
click reverses your action.

Style Update to Boost

Graphing Efficiency

Once a customized style is created

for a topic box, you can directly use
Copy Style and paste it to other
topic boxes for a consistent and nice
look without having to re-customize
every time.
Chpt. 05 Tips & Tricks 100

Export Your Maps to Share

with More Peop

To export your finished mind maps

for multiple uses, we provide
different formats of export including
PNG, PDF, and Markdown.

Tap to Present a Slideshow

Right Away

Pitch Mode has new updates on iPad.

With the latest Pitch panel, you can
edit content, pick delivery/layout for
different topics freely. Pitch Mode
supports different aspect ratio and
appearance that cover your need for
different occasions.
 06
Chpt. 06 User Cases 101
chpt.

User Cases
Better Mind Mapping Helps Better Coding 102
How Does XMind Help with Bug Bounty 106
Why Screenwriter Consider XMind Efficient 112
How Does Mind Mapping Help Digital Marketer 118
How Do I Make Decision with XMind 126
Chpt. 06 User Cases 102

Better Mind Mapping Helps Better Coding

As a software developer and editor Please tell us a bit about

of prominent programming magazines, yourself.
Andrew has frequently discussed the
benefits of taking notes to deliver For the last five years, I've been
clear and reliable codes. He finds the editor of Java Magazine (from
that recording observations and Oracle). Earlier, I was the editor-in-
tasks in a structured document as chief of Dr. Dobb's Journal. And in
he's coding helps him keep track of earlier lives, I've been the editor of
where he is in a project and where he several programming publications.
needs to go. I started my career as a software
developer and have continued
After trying out various ways, he
programming as a side activity
found that mind maps were excellent
contributing to various open-source
solutions. He could lay out the part
projects and working on projects of
of the project he was working on in a
my own.
mind map and decorate it with notes
and to-do tasks, which then were
easy to find.
What do you do for fun?
This approach clears mental space
for him to focus on the code he's I study the piano. It's far more
working on, while not losing any difficult than programming. The
of the contextual information he road to expert on piano is arduous
needs. He also uses mental maps for indeed. I think most programmers
analyzing code as explained in the tend to be overconfident in their
following interview. programming skills. I know that I am,
until I'm brought back to earth by
looking at old code and wondering
how I could ever have written that!
But with piano, there's humility all
Chpt. 06 User Cases 103

along. You're constantly aware of to keep track of all the decisions

how much more there is to learn and you make when programming. (Both
how unattainable the level of the important ones such as: "I'll keep
great pianists is. How does mind map the maximum value for this variable
help with your life or your work? I at 70." "I'll make sure users can
use mind maps in two different areas: enter fractional values in their
orders." and smaller ones, such as
Brainstorming tasks and projects
"I need to expand the integration
for myself or with family and
tests to cover this new code." And
friends;
so on.) What I found was that simply
Programming. As I describe writing these decisions down was
later, I use mind maps for three not enough. But putting them into
primary purposes in software the project task/defect tracker was
development. overkill. So, I began with a mind map
that is developed for the project
I was working on. By adding micro
decisions and notes, I could find
How long have you been
and review them when working on
using XMind? some other part of the project. I
It's probably been six or seven years; found mind map was very useful
maybe longer. for quickly finding notes, such that
I could find and review them when
working on some other part.

How did you come up with I also use mind maps when working
using XMind for coding? on the design of a feature. I'll start
with the new feature as the central
It originally started with Kent Beck topic and then I'll spin off branches
(the father of Agile) who once for sub-features and then attach
suggested that it was a good habit decisions to those branches, as well
Chpt. 06 User Cases 104

as implementation notes, reminders, This way as I'm working my way

and possibly proposed names for reading the code, I can see on the
objects and methods. This allows mind map, where I've been and how I
me to think in detail about the code got to where I am now. I can see that
long before I've written a single line. the path that leads to my current
Many times, I'll move some branch place. In addition, as I'm reading,
containing several methods to I'm developing documentation that
another branch, which allows me to I can refer back to later on. I'm still
change things easily and gives me experimenting with this use case.
more confidence in where I'm going
when I begin to code.

This is a case of a new feature—

an addition of HTML to an existing
tool Finally, I've begun using mind
maps when reading unfamiliar code.
Most programs have a hierarchical
architecture, which is surprisingly
amenable to representation in a mind
map. This is an analysis from a library
called iText 7, a little-seen use case
but practical.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 105

What is your favourite rather than cats, spaces rather than

feature/features in XMind? tabs, Brahms rather than Wagner,
Monet rather than Manet.
Why?

Honestly, it's the ease of use. I can

move quickly and put into the mind
map what's in my head. I like that a
lot because very often time is of the
essence when you have something
you want to capture.

How do you keep

productive? Any other
productivity apps you're
using?
I've written a lot on this topic in
various editorials. I find eliminating
distractions, using good tools, and
listening to classical music are all
helpful.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee to get me going in the

morning. Then tea most of the day.
As to other binary options: Dogs
Chpt. 06 User Cases 106

How Does XMind Help with Bug Bounty

“If mind maps work for you then earlier lives, I've been the editor of
great, else figure out something that several programming publications.
does.” I started my career as a software
developer and have continued
Katie, a PhD student from the United
programming as a side activity
Kingdom, an “occasional bug bounty
contributing to various open-source
hunter”, and a YouTuber. We talked
projects and working on projects of
a lot, and she shared stories of mind
my own.
maps, her bug bounty insights and
strategies, and how she used mind
maps in her bug bounty career and
more.
Tell us more about yourself.

We first met her on a tweet where My name is Katie, and I'm a PhD
she shared her ideas of bug bounty student and bug bounty hunter. I
notes with mind maps, and she gave study natural language processing
us a big warm welcome later. She and cyber security at Cranfield
shared her story between mind University.
maps, her bug bounty strategies, and
I do bug bounty hunting in my free
how she used mind maps in her bug
time and I also make educational
bounty career, etc.
videos about bug hunting on my
YouTube channel.

Please tell us a bit about I also knit! I have knitted various

'lucky socks’, and I always find bugs
yourself.
if I am wearing my lucky socks.
For the last five years, I've been
the editor of Java Magazine (from
Oracle). Earlier, I was the editor in
chief of Dr. Dobb's Journal. And in
Chpt. 06 User Cases 107

How long have you been How did you feel about
using XMind? What do you your first mind map?
use mind map for?
My first mind map was a mind map
I have been using XMind for 2 years of everything I have left to do on
now, since the start of my PhD. I'm my PhD. I found it very stressful
really into productivity and being to look at as I made it my desktop
organized so I spent a lot of time background. A colleague said I need
googling for note-taking techniques. something natural in there to keep
me calm.
I found mind mapping and XMind and
I've never tried any other software So, I added some grass :)
for mind mapping, I tried XMind and
almost immediately purchased it.

I mind map for all kinds of things:

I run a YouTube channel talking

about cyber security, and I mind
map all my videos.

During my PhD, when I write

notes on my research, I mind map
questions and answers.

For bug bounties, I treat learning

as a course, so I take notes in
XMind too.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 108

Are you studying at home What are your steps and

now, and how does XMind principles when making a
help? mind map?

Yes! The UK is under lockdown right I keep these templates highly

now. So if we can work at home, we focused on asking and answering
need to protect others. questions, and I’m never left with a
blank screen. I start with something
I have had no real changes adapting
like "How did they exploit the
to working from home full time. I
target?" , and answer with "They
think one of the most important
were able to do x, y, z”. It must be
things when you're learning anything
appealing to look at but visually
(official student or not) it's really
distinct. So playing around with
important to not read things
colour, branch styles, topic styles
passively.
etc. Mind maps end up messy as my
You need to question what you read, brain processes all the info as I read/
think critically about it and take watch/listen.
notes, you never know what will
inspire you later.

When you take notes it helps for

them to be searchable. In XMind, I do
this by exporting the markdown as
well as the image before adding it to
my notebook. My notebook also has
tags so I can easily find mind maps
relating to certain concepts.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 109

Step 1 Open up the Template Step 2 Decide What to Read Step 3 Ask and Answer Myself
My template focuses on ask-and- I use link to read the info on I start by asking questions that I
answer, and must be appealing to the web again. Then I add some think whatever I'm reading should
look at but visually distinct. So keywords, this is significant be able to answer (it might not
playing around with color, branch because it can be searchable when but this tells me my motivation for
styles, topic styles etc. it goes into my notebook. reading+taking notes)

Step 4 Summarize Step 5 What New Things Have I Step 6 Asking and Answering My
I read the whole article/watch the Learned? Initial Questions.
whole video/read all the slides This focuses on everything new I've Sometimes a resource might pose
and just focus on the core ideas - learned while reading, sometimes extra questions, but in this case
often including screenshots. these are notes and sometimes I we ignore that bubble.
add symbols for my own comments.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 110

How did the idea of using create new leaves quickly means
XMind for bug bounty that it can keep up with you. Plus
later as you start to reflect you
come up?
can throw in summaries, boundaries
From my followers! and relationships to join related
ideas. Also you can easily include
I've been using XMind a LONG time screenshots without messing around
for work. When my followers and too much, and then you can hide it if
other bug bounty hunters tell me, you want something out of the way
they were using XMind, it's like a so you see your ideas and not the
lightbulb went on and I was like “whah output of tools.
I can use this for other things”.
In general, I think it's just very
I definitely take better notes when flexible and when you deal with a
I mindmap because the visual notes lot of types of notes (Screenshots,
+ flow really work well for me, so I links, etc), you aren't limited by just
don't know why I was making it more text.
difficult by writing notes in bullet
point form.

How did the idea of using

XMind for bug bounty
What are the advantages
come up?
for mind mapping on bug
bounty notes? Bug bounty hunting is a hobby
for me, although it certainly has
I'm a very visual person so I find financial benefits!
mind mapping to have a low "brain
focus requirement”. I think especially for beginners,
it's absorbing a ton of content, like
Being able to drag ideas around, learning a language; it's reading
Chpt. 06 User Cases 111

every article, even if you don't quite contextual information, but they're
follow it, listening to podcasts, not always appropriate.
watching YouTube videos, doing
Honestly though, you're doing a good
security challenges for practice.
job many people in security are using
Never stop learning and never say 'I XMind:
can't read this I'm not good enough
[Link]
yet’.And like I said before, it's about
972605648109096960?lang=en
not reading/watching/listening
passively, always take notes and [Link]
stay engaged.
assessment-mindset
That's how you can learn. Even the
(Maybe start a formal bug bounty
really technical/hard parts can be
program ;) - If you haven't already)
understood given time.

What is/are your favorite

How does XMind help to
features in XMind? Why?
make better defense and
security? Definitely tab+enter to create new
leaves or branches!
I think one feature that would
be really useful for security I can mindmap and think at the same
professionals is better support for time, so I can write everything down.
dealing with code/cmd line output: I also really like being able to theme
Automatically formatting, preserving and colour my mind maps, it makes it
source formatting etc. really nice to present them to others.

More Markers! And the ability to I've actually forgone a powerpoint

import new Markers/stickers into presentation and just showed off my
XMind. I use these a bunch to add XMind notes.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 112

Why Screenwriter Consider XMind Efficient

Have you ever imagined creating I’m working as a show-runner on a

a script on your own? The exciting big-budget TV Show, I just finished
plots, the characters, and the the writing of the sequel of a movie
reactions from the audience. Mind which I co-wrote years ago, and I’m
map is a good start for this — bits starting to write another TV show.
and pieces, develop characters,
draft outline, even without exactly
knowing it. When did you start mind
As a screenwriter and director, mapping, and how does it
Héctor Cabello Reyes found mind help for your life/career?
mapping is the only way that works
for him. With XMind, he sees an idea I started mind mapping 15 years ago.
is worth to go further or not though Mind mapping with that software
mind mapping, and identify the was fine but far from my standard.
problems occurred ahead. Find out I discovered XMind when it was
his stories and suggestions. released and loved it (even if I have
suggestions ;-).

It completely suited the way I think

Tell us a bit more about and create. Everyone has his way
yourself, and what are you of thinking: some see shapes and
working on right now? forms, others wander in some virtual
space such as a city with streets,
I started as an actor, and later others think with words, etc.
became a play-writer and a theatre
I always thought, in my mind, with
director. Then I started writing and
mind maps, without really knowing
directing small comedy acts for TV,
it. So, it’s the best tool I can
and finally, I began writing movie
imagine, even if we often need to
scripts, and became a professional
switch between different kinds of
screenwriter and director. Presently
visualization.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 113

What is the difference that in good fiction: you have to set

between screenwriting and up as a situation which will let the
character no choice but to do what
other writings? Such as a
you need him to do. So, basically,
novel. a movie is just a set of situations
Everything I can say on this matter that you fit in a certain order, such
can be contradicted and is purely as chords forming a symphony.
speculative, so don’t get me wrong: Mind mapping allows you ton focus
it’s only my humble opinion. on what matters most : situations.
Once you got that (e.g., "1917" by
In a novel, you can get into the Sam Mendes), it’s simply a series
character’s mind. You can read what of branches and sub-branches in a
he actually thinks. In a movie, you mind map, and you’ve got your story.
can’t (except through voice over, but The rest is details : it does matter a
that’s exceptional), you can only see lot, but you’re working in a charted
actions the character performs, and territory.
what he says, which is not always
what he thinks or feels.

So in a movie, you can see everything How do you use mind

which is about actions. These actions mapping for screenwriting?
exist because the writer forces Does it work?
the character to do so: how do you
oblige someone to do something Not only does it work, but it’s the
(and mostly something he generally only way it works for me.
doesn’t want to do: ask Brad Pitt’s There are new software coming out
character if he wants to kill his there, which include some kind of
wife’s murderer in Seven ;-). basic mind mapping features, along
Well, there’s only one way to do with screenwriting and story editing
Chpt. 06 User Cases 114

features, but their abilities in mind There are new software coming out
mapping are still too basic. there, which include some kind of
basic mind mapping features, along
I recommend every screenwriter or
with screenwriting and story editing
person who wants to build up a story
features, but their abilities in mind
to mind map it first, if that’s the way
mapping are still too basic.
they think (but many people think
that way, I’m no exception). I recommend every screenwriter or
person who wants to build up a story
to mind map it first, if that’s the way
How do you use mind they think (but many people think
that way, I’m no exception).
mapping for screenwriting?
Does it work?

Not only does it work, but it’s the

only way it works for me.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 115

How do you mind map a That what MindMapping does best :

movie/show with XMind? it shows you through a quick glance
where something’s wrong with the
Well, mind mapping is back-office structure. It takes a few seconds, or
work, even an underground work — minutes, when it takes hours with a
like the architect files in ArchiCad, script.
so no one ever sees them. What
The MindMaps I share here show
people see is the script, a hundred
preliminary work for the screenplays
pages of texts born from the
of "Retour chez Ma Mère" and
structure built through mind maps.
"Barbecue", which both reached big
From the very first day I started
success here in France.
mind mapping, it changed the output
of my work : I started getting my
scripts produced ;-)

When a producer reads a script,

there’s a fine line between “The idea
is great, but… I don't know. Let’s talk
about it some other time,” and "I just
finished reading it : let’s do it !".

The distance between these two

situations is just, 99% of the time,
this : building, structure, story.
Many people know how to write
dialogs (not everyone but most
of them). Hardly any people know
storytelling and beyond that, build
100 structures where the audience
attention is always on the edge.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 116

They show how far the structure or a decoration issue is not a big
work can go, and how the real story deal. But if you’re told that there’s
is hidden in these colorful boxes. a problem with the heating system
The rest is about details and dialogs which is built under the floor, then
and jokes, which are essential too, you must destroy the whole house
but the real problems are never and build it up again. Screenwriting
there. It’s just like building a house mind maps are made to see if
: if someone tells you the house, everything's ok with what’s beneath
you just built it, and wall-painting the visible surface.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 117

We know an outline is Then, through mind mapping, I

important for writing, how quickly see if it’s even worth to go
further, and if the idea was good or
do you use Outliner in
bad.
XMind?

I sometimes use it because it shows

the structure in different ways Do you have suggestions
and that’s something significant : for newcomers to your
there’s never just one way to show industry?
something, and the more, the better
because we’re all different. Stop writing scripts. Make mind maps
and note down your dialog ideas
Especially when you need to see if for later, whatever you want, but
everything’s ok from A to Z, quickly. don’t write because 99.99% of the
In the MindMap, the eye travels. In problems you’ll have to face reside
the outline, it’s a succession, the eye in the structure. And mind mapping
controls. will show you these problems before
you write, it can save you… years.

The year 2020 is tough.

How did you manage to
face the challenges?

It changed very little for me, I’m

very lucky, for I’ve worked remotely
through video for years. Mindmapping
saves me lots of time and makes
more productive, and gives more time
to do hat I do best : have ideas, bad
or good, but have them ;-)
Chpt. 06 User Cases 118

How Does Mind Mapping Help Digital Marketer

A great project starts from a small traffic arbitrage and social media
idea. However, ideas will be forgotten marketing, and that led me to email
if not written down. The mind map marketing which I did for several
solves this problem, and that’s why years.
Vlad, our guest today, loves it.
In the last couple of years, I was
Vlad Falin is a seasoned digital running CostOfIncome as a testing
marketer with 10-year experience blog for various content and ideas,
in affiliate marketing. He talks and in mid-2020 I decided to focus it
about his first step in this industry, on digital marketing.
experience with the use of mind
Through the years I had gathered a
maps, tips on how to use mind maps
lot of experience in this field and
in affiliate marketing. The best part
wanted to create a resource where I
is, we develop an affiliate marketing
could leverage it.
mind map together and it is helpful
for fresh beginners.

What do you use mind

Tell us a bit about yourself. maps for?
Mostly, to not forget stuff.
I am a full-time digital marketer
writing about my experience with In affiliate marketing, the things
online business and reviewing that are on the surface are easily
online digital tools on my identifiable by everybody. The
blog Costofincome. competition is strong on those. To
get some good starting results, you
I started with affiliate marketing
have to look one or two levels under.
around 10 years ago. My first tryouts
were with some niche blogs and To do so, you just need to brainstorm
membership sites. Then it was some niche keywords or unusual
Chpt. 06 User Cases 119

ways to approach things. I tried But when you are planning a bigger
writing things down, doing voice endeavor which will take you many
recordings...but that did not really months, maybe years to complete —
work. you will want to make sure that you
thought of everything.
What worked well for me was having
a tool like XMind. Clean and easy to So creating a small mind map to
use, you can create various ideas encompass all your ideas, findings
and branch them out without losing from other pages and research is
the trail of thought. quite helpful. Also, as I’ve said, you
are planning for the long run.
Nowadays, I usually use mind maps
for a more creative type of work.
For example, if I want to start my
content in a particular niche, I
What is your understanding
would start building a mind map and of affiliate marketing?
later trim it. What is left will be my
Choose a product, drive traffic to it.
starting point and many ideas that I
Yep, that’s it.
have to bring to life.
Affiliate is a growing industry with
a very low barrier of entry but
How long have you been competitive environment. Adding the
mind mapping? recent events and digitalization of
the businesses affiliate marketing
I would say for roughly 3 years and is the place to be at. It seems
very actively for the last year and a simple at the first sight, when you
half. start to get into it, the number of
combinations and options may be
When tackling a smaller project, you
overwhelming which makes it hard to
may think that you do not need it.
master.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 120

But this over-simplification is the We are not talking about a personal

same as saying that chess is just “just for fun” blog. So knowing where
moving figures forward. There is an the money is, is essential.
array of questions to answer when
When choosing a niche, you can
you are getting started. Make sure
choose by Interest, Demand,
you brainstormed all the possible
Competition.
angles of your digital marketing
endeavor is to prepare a quick mind
map. By Interest

We will go further on affiliate There are areas that you know a

marketing with Vlad. Let’s create lot about or just have fun with. For
and develop a mind map with Vlad’s example, if you like golf, I have
understanding together, and see great news for you as it is one of the
what we get at last. most profitable niches.

I’ve divided affiliate marketing into There are more examples of great
four basic parts: Niche, Traffic, niches that you might be interested
Content, and Website. in personally, but it is important to
keep in mind one thing — is there a
market for it?

Let’s start with the niche. Let’s look at this mind map with 2
niches comparison as an example.
Niche is a segment of the market
where you plan to earn your Here is the dilemma:
commissions.
Be in an easy, unsaturated market
You want to know where and how but with very low-income potential?
you will make a profit and build Or fight for a piece of a much bigger
everything with that goal in mind. and profitable market?
Chpt. 06 User Cases 121

I would go for the second option, By Profitability

but the best answer is probably
The holy grail :)
somewhere in between. It is great if
the profitable niche aligns with your This is a great way to decide
interests, but go where the money is. between 3 niches that you like. You
can just have a look at the variety
By Demand of affiliate programs in that field
and chose the niche that could
New trends are appearing each day.
potentially make you the most.
The fact is that over 15% of daily
searches on Google have never been The final decision on the niche will
seen before. Have a look at Google be influenced by some later points
Trends and see if there are topics in our article. For now, we can put
that are picking up. down a quick mind map to keep are
thoughts lined up.
Digital marketing is a very active
space, usually, the demand gets Next, with Traffic.
saturated quickly which indicates
At this point, you may already have
money to be made there.
a couple of ideas of niches that you
would like to further develop. You
By Competition found that a nice balance between a
When analyzing potential niches, you wide market, good profitability, and
might want to have a look at the top also your interest in the topic.
pages for that niche. These are the
We have an offer. Now we have
questions you can consider first.
to get visitors to it, how do we
Check out the top content and know brainstorm that?
that you could do it much better. All
these things come into consideration
when deciding on the niche.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 122

Organic Emailing is a fantastic tool that

provides outstanding sales
When somebody says organic, you
engagement opportunities. There are
will mostly think of Google, and you
many intricacies to email marketing,
will be correct. Google concentrates
and a list of loyal followers to email
over 90% of global search traffic,
is just a matter of time if you’re just
and yes, SEO = Google.
starting.

Paid Ads You can build your email list through

various methods, that we will list in
You will soon discover that organic the following points. If you think that
traffic will take quite some time to emailing is technically challenging,
get. Usually, at least 6 months of there is a huge variety of email
hard work before you start seeing marketing services that you need to
any results at all. get going.

That is why paid ads are so popular

— because they get you immediate Social Media
results. You can get paid ads on
Social media are now much more
every platform and that is how
than Facebook. On these platforms,
they make money. Of course, your
you have the opportunity for both
net profit will be smaller, as you
paid and organic clicks.
will have to pay for the clicks.
Additionally, you should put budget We also can’t forget the shares that
aside for testing. are on social media. If you manage
to create something interesting, you
Email may receive some viral traffic right
to your offer.
There is a saying that “money is in
the list”, meant email list. One additional thing to consider is
shoutouts. We can count them also
Chpt. 06 User Cases 123

as paid clicks, but rather than doing “content is the king” if we would
it through the ad platform of the take it one level higher it would be
particular social media, you connect “traffic is the king”. If you have a
directly with the influencer. You stream of quality traffic, you will
compile a list of such contact and always be able to monetize.
outreach to them. Then you negotiate
Let’s move on, where will all this
the price directly and communicate
traffic go? It’s the website.
your ad to their audience.
Brick and mortar shops have
Giveaways addresses and so should your digital
business.
Another piece of the puzzle to your
traffic is the referral contest. This
Domain name
type of promotion can quickly drive
loyal followers to your page and Since you already have a couple
social media channels. of ideas concerning the niche (or
several niches) now will be a good
As the name suggests, you pick a
time to think about the proper
prize (it does not have to be anything
domain name. Make sure that is
expensive) and create a contest. To
always a .com domain.
compete for the prize, the audience
has to subscribe, share, or follow The domain you will choose should
— creating a viral aspect to this reflect the nature of the content of
strategy. your site. We will get to content in
more detail in further parts of the
This approach can for example be
post.
done to build your email list and
draw traffic from there. Self Hosted or Not Always self-
hosted. Make sure that you
In the digital world, it is said that
completely own the domain and the
Chpt. 06 User Cases 124

content that you put on it. It will give Content

you full control of the project that
People who are looking to buy
you will invest a lot in and require
something like to compare their
minimal technical knowledge.
options online. That is why review
sites are so popular. Probably all of
WordPress or Alternatives
us landed on the “best mobile phone
WordPress is one of the most popular under XY” or similar sites.
platforms for a website, it is used
Or, maybe you would prefer to give
on over 35% of all websites. So if
the site a more personal touch
you are starting, it is one of the best
and make a personal blog out of
options to go with. All the hosting
it. Personal blogs have better
companies offer a quick install,
engagement as users can connect
so you can have your site up and
with you and a more emotional level.
running in 30 minutes.
If we stayed on the surface, here
There are many themes available to
are some ideas for an overall
fit your niche and affiliate marketing
content theme. Usually, it will be
goals, or you can use a landing page
a combination of all. Though it is
builder (simply drag and drop) to
important to note that it is a good
make sure that your visuals and
idea to choose your overall content
function are perfect.
theme at the beginning so you do
For this part, we can also create not have to change it midway.
a note to keep in mind everything
that should be done. Of course, this
just shows the first few levels. If Does mind mapping benefit
you’re thinking about domain names, Affiliate Marketing?
there will be more ideas under that
category. As you can see, we just scratched
the surface of the main aspects
Chpt. 06 User Cases 125

of starting in affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is about testing,

These are just some basic thoughts, failing and testing, and failing until
and there are much more we could one day, all the pieces of the puzzle
go deeper to keep notes of all the form a perfect picture and it works.
ideas. Chasing that moment is what keeps
many of the digital marketers going.
Use this simple mind mapping
techniques to keep track of all the
interesting notes, snippets, and
ideas that you will have during your
affiliate marketing research. The
ideas that are not written down
will be forgotten and become an
“unknown”, while mind maps stop this
from happening.

Just make hat though spider as big

as possible, write every silly thing
that comes in handy. Save it, and
then you can trim down things that
are not usable.

Suggestion to the green

hands to digital marketer?

Some problems may seem too big

to solve. When you look at all those
established websites, you might think
that it is not possible to achieve that
level of success. That is not true,
everybody started at point 0.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 126

How do I Make Decision with Mind Map

Americano or Latte? Master's degree The Fear of Decision-

or get a job? Move to a new city or Making
stay in your hometown?
This is a mind map where I jot down
We face making decisions every day,
those hard decision-making moments
whether small or big, impacting our
and why I was afraid of them.I found
lives in different ways. I used to be
myself was not afraid of decision-
a person who was afraid of making
making itself. Instead, I was worried
decisions; moreover, I avoided
about the unknown.
making them.
The moment of deciding leaves
I decided to face this problem when
people feeling powerless and
I realized that this is my life, and
perplexed in both cases. According
I've got to live it. XMind is one of my
to University of the People,
favorite tools, and I decided to use it
decisions may seem grander
to overcome the concern and record
because of the reasons.
my decision-making process.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 127

Mind Map Your Decisions remind myself what these questions

are for. Then I jot down these two
To ease my fear of decision-making, questions side by side, and develop
I have to face the unknown, and list my mind map based on them.
down all the possible reasons and
look into them closely.

After some research, I followed

Sheng Huang’s video about his way
of mind mapping decisions.

Sheng shares his five steps of

making decisions as this mind map,
and I will follow the steps to decide
whether I need to find a personal
fitness trainer.

Ask the Right Question

According to the video, this is the

very first but essential part. These 2
questions are:

What’s holding me back?

What do I gain?

Each question can be a separate

mind map, according to Sheng.

When I am making the mind map, the

“real” central topic is on the top to
Chpt. 06 User Cases 128

Expand All the Factors

This part is to visualize these

factors, and by writing them down,
you can break down the complexity
and factors.

Evaluate Each Factor

This part aims to dig deeper

and figure out the concerns and
solutions/strategies we can make.

I keep drilling down each factor,

and I write as specific as possible.
Listening to my mind along the
mind mapping process is essential.
I cannot deny that the negative
emotions are more sensitive to me,
especially when mind mapping the
“Hold Me Back” part. However, keep
mind mapping, and I got over with it.
I can gradually face and accept all
messages from my body, mind, and
spirit, which is remarkable because
they are also a part of the decision.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 129

Connect the Dots

These factors are related to each

other. Using the relationship, and
by changing its starting and ending
point style, it’s obvious to recognize
the cause and effect relationships.
I also add icons so that I can figure
out the most important factor.

Weigh and Decide

Finally, weigh and decide. In this

section, you must determine whether
the benefit is worth the cost, as well
as whether you will require finances,
time, and bravery to make the
decision.

According to the map, the expense is

the most concerned element. I look
closely for solutions by checking
the gyms (locations, service, price,
trainers), resources I’ve already had,
and also I seek advice from friends
who have done regular workout.
Chpt. 06 User Cases 130

Another point is, in “What do I

Gain” map, I do feel promising, and
motivated. Deep inside my heart, I
could hear the voice saying “give it a
try”, and my mind is not that against
to this idea.

Actions Speak Louder than Map

I started regular training later on,

and managed to balance my work
and workout schedule. Everything
goes well so far :

Making decisions with mind maps is

magical because you are visualizing
the process of making the final
decision. The essence is to hear the
voice from your heart, mind, and
body, hence, reach the balance and
seeking acceptable reasons for each
of them. After all, they are also a
part of your decision.
Reference 131

Reference

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Build Actionable New Year's How to Build Bubble and Double

Resolutions with XMind Bubble Map in XMind

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Endnote 133

Endnote

We update XMind every year, such

as bug fixed, interface change, or
adding features, etc. No matter how
XMind changed, it will only become
a better mind mapping tool for
everyone.

We put together case study,

solutions from ourselves, and true
mind mapping stories from our
users without too many operations
included. That’s why you could still
use XMind as a practical tool for
work and life with any versions.

For tutorials, you can click here to

check a comprehensive user guide.