What’s a mind map? Wikipedia says:

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. It is used to generate, visualize, structure and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

I like to think of it as software to help you during those “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” sessions. Instead of a cumbersome Microsoft document I find mind mapping allows you to quickly collect and organize information especially during meetings.

Freemind is a free, open-source mind mapping software written in Java. As such it is cross platform so you can easily run it anywhere you can run Java. The Freemind wiki also has a nice list of alternatives.

If you have never tried mind mapping Freemind makes it easy to give it a shot.