Smart jumping with cheap mind mapping software

A little introduction to the Mind-Mapping tools

The same map in two different visualizations

Mind-mapping tools can really help to increase your creativity and concentration about every kind of problem.
Their purpose is to map the connections of the brain with a visually structured map.
Using the mind-mapping tools you can "see" your thoughts and focus on them.
You can use the visual maps to "see" more solutions to any problem.
There are a lot of different mind-mapping apps for every kind of device and operating system. Some of them are free and open-source.
The best solution is to share all your maps through different kind of devices: computer, tablet or smartphone. Maybe running various kind of operating systems running on them.
And, if possible, save your money.
You can share the maps through the devices using a cloud service like Dropbox, even in the free version.
Assuming you use different devices like a computer, running Linux, or Windows, or Mac OS, a smartphone and a tablet, running Android or iOS, here’s a cheap way to share mind mapping software without waste your money.

The sharing folder in Dropbox

The first step is to create a folder in Dropbox to share the maps.
Of course, you can name the folder as you want.
In the folder, you can enter the map files in various formats.
The same folder must be visible from all devices you are going to use to share the maps.
This is not a problem with Dropbox because you can find a client for every operating system, desktop or mobile.

The desktop software: Freemind

Why Freemind? The first answer could be: because it's free.Another good answer could be: because it's open-source. Both answers are good reasons to use it.
But we need a different reason: we need a standard to use it to convert formats between the different applications. Freemind is a standard de facto in the mind-mapping panorama. Almost every application in this panorama can save to or read from the Freemind files.
We can consider the Freemind file format as a base to share informations between different applications.
Obviously we can use not only the file format as a common base but also the program itself to manage the maps in our desktop devices.
Then the desktop app for our sharing system is: Freemind.

The mobile app: SimpleMind

SimpleMind is one of the most versatile app for mobile devices.
It's really simple to use, as its name suggests. It has plenty of functions.
You can find a free version on Play Store (for Android devices) and on Apple Store (for iOS devices).
But if you want really to use it it's necessary to buy the "Pro" release.
The price, both in Play Store and in Apple Store, is really economic.
It's a right price for this app.
Naturally it's possible you export the maps in "mm" (Freemind) format.
Then the mobile app for our sharing system is SimpleMind.

Let's go to use the exchange folder

The starting point is a map in Freemind: here's a simple map built in a few minutes. The operating system used in this example is Linux Mint.

A simple mind map created in Freemind

You can see some levels, sublevels and subsublevels.
Every element could be an idea of yours.
The ideas are connected with the parent and the child level.
There are some elements connected directly to other ones.
And now we are going to export the Freemind map into a SimpleMind map using a iOS device.

The first visualization immediately after the translation

The same map with a new item and a visualization in Freemind style

We could go back to Freemind and then return to SimpleMind in a neverending work.

Some limits of this system

The system is a basic way to share informations with the most widespread devices.
But it's not a perfect system.
In particular you can see the lack of the direct links after the conversion from Freemind to SimpleMind.
However the essential informations of all levels, sublevels and so on, are perfectly managed and saved by the different applications.
Then you can use the sharing platform to develop the contents and reserve the linking operations at the end of the entire process.