Plexii glossary
Mind map
A diagram that begins with one central subject and branches outward into related ideas or parts.
What it means
A diagram that grows outwards from one central idea; the term popularised by Tony Buzan ; mind map vs flowchart vs concept map; uses people search for (studying, planning an essay, scoping a project).
The term is most useful as a shared description. It does not remove the need to look at the actual task, evidence or constraint in front of you.
A practical example
A research question branches into people, process and technology; each branch then grows into evidence and open questions.
Put it into practice
- Name the concrete situation before applying the label. Mind map is useful only when it changes a choice, boundary or next action.
- Make the state visible: write the owner, time, source or stopping condition down instead of relying on memory.
- Review what happened. Keep the part that reduced ambiguity and change the part that added ceremony without helping the work.
How it relates to Plexii
the Mind map widget — add branches yourself or with AI Expand, which uses your own Anthropic key, and turn any branch into a task or a canvas of its own (widget mind map, widget requirements); the Brainstorm starter puts a mind map on a new desk (desk templates).