XMind

With everything going on around us and in the world, sometimes it may be difficult to organize your ideas and make plans. If you are struggling with organizing your ideas or need something more visual to create plans, then using mind maps can come in handy.

XMind is a well-known tool in the mind mapping and brainstorming niche. As you are spreading the ideas across the page, the unique free-flow structure enables you to perhaps view new connections and relationships.

The program comes with a stylish interface and getting started is just a matter of hitting the ‘+’ button. You don’t really start from scratch with this tool, and you have dozens of templates to choose from for your first mind map. If you already have other maps, then you can open the local folder and load them to continue your progress.

I noticed that there are templates for most situations, starting with the simple to-do and shopping lists to more complex marketing surveys, missed deadlines and weekly SWOT analyses. What I don’t like is that, if you happen to have a change of heart, you can’t access the templates and need to start a map from scratch.

There is an abundance of ways you can customize the mind map and make it your own. For starters, you can change colors, shapes, fonts and text from the little menu located to the right side. If it distracts you, click the Format icon from the main menu to toggle it off.

As I previously stated, the app is suitable for all situations, and this is why you can find all sorts of extras to complete your mind map or check it progress. Simply put, you can highlight, add labels, check progress with icons, include summaries and even add attachments and audio notes.

Sometimes, when you are trying to gather your ideas, you may get distracted by other open apps. Zen Mode is an option that you can access with just one click and that opens the tool in full screen with all the panels hidden, so that you can focus on your train of thoughts. I like it that it has multiple looks, with an emphasis on specific content.

XMInd seems to pack everything you need to create mind maps, and I also got the impression that it’s more responsive than it used to be a few years ago.