Mind map app: how to make a mind map (and one that draws itself)

Daniel Gavalec · Updated October 16, 2026

A mind map is a diagram with one central topic and branches that radiate out into subtopics, keywords and details. It is a fast way to see a whole subject – a project, an exam, a decision – on one page. This guide gives you a six-step method, an example you can copy, and the mind map in CORTEX: a free mind map app that builds itself from the vision, goals, tasks and subtasks you already have, so it never goes out of date.

What a mind map is

A mind map replaces lines of notes with branches. The central topic sits in the middle, thick main branches come out of it, and thinner sub-branches come out of those. Each branch ideally holds a single keyword or short phrase, often with a color or icon.

British author Tony Buzan popularized the term and method in the 1970s, although radial diagrams for organizing ideas are older. The advantage over linear notes: you see the whole and the connections between the parts at once.

What mind maps are good for

• Studying: a whole chapter or course on one page.
• Brainstorming: collecting ideas fast without sorting them yet.
• Project planning: breaking a goal or a client project into parts and steps.
• Writing and talks: the outline of an article, proposal or presentation.
• Decisions: options, pros and risks side by side.

A mind map example you can copy: launching a side project

Here is a complete example. Copy it to paper or any tool and swap in your own topic. Indentation shows the branch level.

Notice three things: five main branches (not fifteen), only keywords on the branches, and the deepest level is already a step you can tick off.

Another example: exam season

For the study plan itself, see how to gamify studying.

How to make a mind map in 6 steps

1. Write the main topic in the middle. Keep it short: "Side project", "Moving house", "Finals".
2. Add 3–7 main branches. The main categories. More than seven usually means a level is missing.
3. Use keywords, not sentences. One to three words per branch; your brain fills in the rest.
4. Branch down until you reach actions. Stop when a branch is something you could do in an hour.
5. Connect related branches. Draw a line or arrow between branches that depend on each other.
6. Use color as a guide, not a goal. One color per main branch helps; an hour of decorating isn't work.

Hand-drawn maps vs. a map that builds itself

Most mind mapping tools give you a blank canvas, which is perfect for brainstorming and studying. For planning goals, a hand-drawn map has one weakness: it goes stale. You finish a task, add a new one – and unless you redraw the map, it lies.

The two work well together: a hand-drawn map to figure out what you want, an automatic map to see where you actually stand.

The mind map in CORTEX

In CORTEX the Goals section has three tabs: Goals, Vision board and Mind map. You don't draw the map; it is an interactive graph built from what you already have:

• Vision items from the vision board – where you want to end up.
• Goals – with categories and progress calculated from finished tasks (see the goal tracker).
• Tasks from the task planner linked to each goal.
• Subtasks – the checklist of each task.

app.getcortex.online/mind-map

The map answers a question your task list can't: which goal does this task serve, and which goals have no tasks at all? A goal with no branches under it is a goal you are not working on this week.

You change the map by editing your vision, goals or tasks. For free-form brainstorming with no link to tasks, paper or a dedicated canvas tool is the better fit.

From mind map to plan

Use the side-project example above:

1. Turn the center into a vision item – "My own product" with an image on the vision board.
2. Turn main branches into goals. Not all of them at once – pick the 1–3 that matter now, such as Product and Audience.
3. Turn sub-branches into tasks linked to those goals. Quick capture does it in one line: Define the core feature monday ~1h #Product.
4. Turn details into subtasks. Anything you can do in under an hour is a subtask.
5. Once a week, open the map and look for goals with no tasks. The weekly review is the natural moment.

Want the bigger picture of how goals become daily work? Read SMART goals and let Plan My Day put the tasks into today's free slots.

Common mind mapping mistakes

• Full sentences on branches. The map turns into scattered prose.
• Too many main branches. More than seven means a category level is missing.
• A map instead of work. A beautiful map is not a finished project. After mapping comes the first step.
• A map that goes stale. For goal planning, use a map that updates with your tasks, or redraw it regularly.