I’m big on brainstorming and mind-mapping – getting all of my thoughts down on paper before diving into a topic. It dramatically helps me clear my mind of distractions and gain better focus on the task/project at hand.
I’m also a geek for cool productivity tools. I recently found this site: bubbl.us. It is a mind-mapping/brainstorming tool that is completely free and web-based. It’s pretty intuitive and works well. I haven’t found anything better so far. Here’s a quick screenshot of what it looks like:
