2010 has started and with it, dreams of a better year. Here's my favourite articles from January.

The mind mapping software blog kicks us off with two great articles. The first article looks at how mind mapping software saves time. Lots of good points here, but some of these can also apply to paper mind mapping as well. The second article focuses on a form of mind mapping I have struggled with since I started using mind mapping software. Starting a new project mind map is never easy, but the 10 steps to a killer project mind map article should keep you on the right track.

Every day is special, but did you realise that every day you can start a new? Paul Foreman's 24 hours mind map is a great source of tips and inspiration when you're at the start of the day.

Alberto Martinez has just produced a white paper on note taking using mind mapping. Some great advice in here for those who wish to use mind mapping for business purposes like meetings and attending talks. 

There's been lots of great articles in the mind mapping community this month. However instead of solely focusing on links in the mind mapping community, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight a few mind mapping articles that highlight the benefits of mind mapping and would serve as good starting points for those new to mind mapping.

The My Child website has interesting article about how mind mapping software can be used to help kids with dyslexia. The article points out that dyslexic learners are often conceptual and very creative. As a learning aid, mind mapping software is being seen as an excellent tool for children to communicate ideas through a less linear medium.  

Nathan Morris has written an excellent guide to at the Free Articles Directory website. His post entitled, "How To Prepare For Exams Using Mind Mapping Software". Starting from mind mapping what you already know, Nathan covers how mind mapping well for learning and recall. Well worth a read if your student looking to use mind mapping in your studies.

Michael Tipper has an excellent video on his blog answers the question, "What is Mind Mapping?". In the video Michael talks about what mind mapping is and describes it as the software for for your brain, which is the hardware. At just under 4 minutes long, it's a great introduction for those new to mind mapping. You can download this months links mind map that contains more great links from here.

Paul Foreman has an excellent mind map on his Mind Map Inspiration blog that is a fun activity to do with kids. Mind Maps are great for asking questions, but what if the mind map asked your kids a question. Paul’s mind map asks the question, “What would you do if you found an alien in your bed?”. This is a great activity to introduce younger children to mind mapping and let’s the creativity run free with whatever responses they want.

Tim Fulford has posted 3 mind maps that have been used by Year 5 pupils. This is a great example of how mind mapping can be used as a great education tool. These mind maps show how spelling and general knowledge can be taught using mind maps.

Mind mapping is a great tool for not only retaining knowledge but also for capturing information. During a typical work day you can be bombarded with so much information. This post highlights a technique from Michael Tipper’s e-course, Business Profit Productivity Blueprint. This mind map makes it easy for you to capture information on a daily basis.

The mind mapping laws define the best practices that we should follow when mind mapping, but people are rarely given more guidance on these laws. I was pleased to see the Mind Mapping For Success blog expand on the one keyword per branch law. While most people might not follow all the laws, this article helps you to understand why the one keyword per branch is important.

One of the key selling points of mind mapping software today is the ability for multiple users to collaborate on a single mind map. Just to see how important this selling point is, the Mindjet blog asked people on different mediums what benefits collaborative mind mapping brings. I was surprised by the different gains people got from collaborative mind mapping. Check out the article for yourself and see if your organisation could benefit from collaborative mind mapping.

The Mind Mapping Software Blog delves into a problem solving technique from Chic Thompson's book, "What a Great Idea 2.0: Unlocking Your Creativity in Business and in Life". Using five different trigger words as perspectives, you try and look at your problem from these perspectives to generate different ideas. This is a great technique to practice when mind mapping as it offers a different angle on the problem and is well worth adding to your list of key mind mapping techniques.

Managing any project can be a big task but making the project a success is what defines great project managers from mediocre ones. Using mind maps can help your project reach success and the Mindjet blog has 50 ways in which you can do so! Tim Fulford has put together a gallery of his mind maps that have been produced by iMindMap and by hand.

Arjen unveils his #1 goal for a mind map and the steps required to get there. For me this has always been an important guideline to follow. A mind map is at its best when it can convey its contents to the reader clearly and easily.

Paul Foreman has a new technique for recognising the spaces between the branches of your mind map. By focusing on the space around the branches of your mind maps, you should be able to absorb more from your mind map than by some scanning across all the branches. You can download this months links mind map that contains more great links from here.

Let's start off by saying this has been the busiest month for posts since I started blogging a year ago! There have been so many good posts this month from the mind mapping community that it's been really difficult selecting a few to show on this post.

Paul Foreman has been exploring the fears and doubts by people new to mind mapping and also has an interesting challenge for people: Is a picture worth a thousand words? I've downloaded my mind map for this, but have yet to find a topic to do this on.

Michael Tipper has been really busy this month and I recommend you read his post on Mind Mapping and David Allens Getting Things Done and also the his post on Brainstorming Mind Mapping using Mind Maps for Creativity and Generating Ideas.

MindMaps Unleashed wants you to break from the norm and posts this controversial thought on improving your mind maps. For people who are running their own mind map atlas, Arjen has posted this little tip for when your creating master mind maps on paper.

The Mind Mapping Software Blog has bumper list of 45 ways to use mind mapping in a business. From todo lists to business continuity planning and risk management, it's all here.

Adam Sicinski has 5 new premium IQ Matrix mind maps that have been released this month:

1. Expanding your comfort zone
2. Analysing your strengths and weaknesses
3. Modelling the qualities of successful people
4. Developing your intuition
5. Meta-programs: The software behind your decisions & actions

Giving people forms to fill out is can be such a chore, but Steve Rothwell has an excellent idea where mind maps are used as forms for gauging feedback or recording information.

If your new to mind mapping then why not check out this mind map on Biggerplate that gives you a brief outline to the uses and benefits of mind mapping.

Lastly, Associate Degree has put up a list of 50 useful mind mapping tools for students. If your student and your keen on using mind mapping for your studies then check out some of the tools mentioned here. There's something here for everyone, so you won't be stuck for choice!

This month has seen some brilliant posts by those in the mind mapping community.

Arjen ter Hoeve has continued posting great content for mind mappers. Last month he outlined the 4 stage process of mind mapping and looked at 5 major mistakes made in mind mapping.

Paul Foreman shared his 10 favourite mind maps with us. There are some truly amazing mind maps in this list. Well worth checking out if you want to see what's truly possible with mind mapping.

Adam Sicinski has 3 new IQ Matrix mind maps available covering Effective Decision Making, Drawing Up a Plan of Action and Perceptual Influence. As you would expect, these mind maps are of a high quality with attention to even the smallest details of each topic and they're graphically rich, which makes them stand out that much more. Pop over to IQ Matrix and see for yourself!

Cliff Allen, a consultant on online marketing strategies, shared his experience and expertises by showing how mind maps make marketing more meaningful. Spiro Spiliadis outlines a method for taking notes in your mind maps by splitting the mind map up into 4 sections. Spiro uses this method to generate ideas by combining notes under each section.

Finally, the MindJet blog has a post on mind mapping your business strategy and home life. This post looks at three real-life mind maps from a single author. These are great examples of the power of mind mapping software, and should help you to be more creative with your own software mind maps.

It's been a busy month in the mind mapping community, with lots of insightful and helpful articles, but we open this months post with news of a new blog in the mind mapping community. Mind Maps Unleashed is a new blog from mind mapping trainer Arjen ter Hoeve. There's been a steady stream of great posts this month on his new blog, but the one post that has stood out for me is Arjen's 4 item checklist to unleash your mind maps. It's a great read and will really help you get the most from your mind maps. Welcome to the community Arjen!

Adding extra dimension to your mind maps with a background is a great way to make them stand out and capture the reader's interest. Chuck has a great post on his Mind Mapping Software Blog about this very topic. Most of the time we leave out mind maps with a blank background, but why waste that space when you can add an extra dimension to your mind map?

Twitter has been growing at a fast rate over the last few months, and is fast becoming the best place to go for networking, news, resources and general chit chat. What happens though if your new to Twitter and need a little help? Well look no further than the How To Twitter mind map from IQ Matrix. It's got all the information you'll need if your new to Twitter.

Tim Fulford has followed up on a post from Mind Maps Unleashed with his thoughts on making mistakes in mind mapping.

Over at Idea Mapping, Jamie Nast has been delving into the differences between mind mapping and idea mapping. If your not too bothered about sticking to the mind mapping laws, then idea mapping might just be your cup of tea!

Finally, a post on the Visual Mapping blog has got me interested in a more visual form of mind mapping. Mind scaping builds upon the fact that people tend to doodle when they're taking in information. This is definitely a great technique to use if you like to doodle!

Mind Map Art, a new blog dedicated to the best of mind mapping art, has a great mind map on why people should give mind mapping a try. From a promotional pack for people new to mind mapping, it covers aspects of mind mapping like how, when and why.

Sticking with mind map art, Tim Fulford has posted four of the biggest mind maps he has ever drawn. With each being A1 in size, there are extremely detailed and show how much information mind maps can convey without your eye ever leaving the page.

The Information Tamers Wiki, has an article highlighting every day business uses of mind mapping. Covering important business activities like decision making, event planning and marketing, this is a must for anyone who wishes to bring mind mapping to the workplace.

The Mind Mapping Software Blog has been covering a lot this month.  First Chuck Frey has summarized all your responses to the question, "How Does Mind Mapping Software Help You Innovate?".  Also there is an article entitled, "How To Rethink Your Business Visually", where Chuck shares his thoughts on how businesses are facing new challenges and how mind mapping software can help. Finally, Chuck has a blog post on how to get the most from floating topics in your mind maps.  A must read for anyone new to mind mapping software or for anyone who wants to work more productively with their mind mapping software.

Paul Foreman at Mind Map Inspiration has a great mind maps on Present Moment Awareness and also looks into the productivity hype, by asking "What Am I Actually Looking For?".

Adam Sinciski over at IQ Matrix has released three new preimum mind maps covering Pain vs Pleasure, Human Needs and Self-Concept Transformation.

The Visual Mapping blog, has posted a mind map, created using NovaMind, on how to build your personal brand online.

Update - 5th May, 2009: Due to a suspended wordpress account I have removed the link to the Causes Hair Loss blog.

This a new type of post from MindMapSwitch that will be repeated on the last Thursday of each month.  These posts will highlight the best articles on mind mapping from that month so that you can save yourself some time looking for those high quality posts on mind mapping.

Tim Fulford has posted a great mind map detailing 6 ways that you can boost your brain power. An excellent mind map to use as a reference but also shows how imagery and color work well in a mind map.  For those of you in higher education, the start of spring indicates that exams are just around the corner.  Be sure to check out Tim's mind map about his 10 tips on revision and exams.

IQ Matrix have been at it again and have released a matrix for beginners new to mind mapping.

Paul Foreman over Mind Map Inspiration, has a terrific mind map exploring the concepts and ideas of personal growth.

Chuck Frey has been busy this month turning out some really great quality posts on mind mapping from a software perspective.  His "How Mind Mapping Software Helps You To Work Smarter" article is great for those who want to get the full benefit from mind mapping software.  "Leverage The Awesome Power Of Links In your Mind Maps" is another great article showing how to make the most of links to files, hyperlinks and applications from the your favorite mind mapping software.

Michael Deutch over at the MindJet Blog, has published an excellent article exploring how mind mapping can be used in presentations and its benefits over traditional "bullet point and slide" styles.