Long-life and short-life mind maps in Innovation Blog:
"According to Nick Duffill from Gyronix, many users of mind mapping software only use them to meet short-term needs – to brainstorm ideas or outline the agenda for a meeting, for example. But he believes one of the most powerful ways you can use them is for what he calls “long-lifetime” applications. That is, maps that you return to again and again to update the information contained within them.
Typically, many users of mind mapping software use them for a few days to get them through an event, such as a brainstorming session or an upcoming meeting. Because of this short-term perspective, Duffill says they may be missing an opportunity to get even more value out of their favorite visual diagramming application.
In contrast, long-lifetime mind maps are focused on strategies or projects – assignments that take a longer timeframe to develop. Often, connections between related pieces of information in our maps aren’t immediately evident at the time you record them. It’s often only after days or weeks of perspective that you may get hit by the legendary “a-ha!” and see where something fits. Long-lifetime maps, therefore, are works in progress, which you continue to refine as your project evolves."