Can you give us a little intro on yourself, please?

Yeah, well, I'm English, but I've worked in Italy for 42 years, and it's always been an alternation between being a consultant and being a CEO. For example, I was the CEO of Italy's number one Fashion Institute. I'm actually not a fashion guy at all. I'm an engineer from Yorkshire, but they needed someone to rebuild the place. Which we did over the course of 8 years. And it's now one of the best 10 in the world.

Then in 2013 I opened my own little consulting company. It's called Phil Taylor Consultants, which is a boutique consultancy. Now, Lamborghini is the oldest client we have. But we also work with Ferrari, Ducati, Caterpillar, and other Motor brands besides the many universities like those in Naples or Bologna.

Our company is known for highly engaging, involving and interactive seminars. We have the audience participate in almost every step of the way. A crucial element of our workshops is the way we present information and exercises. While other consultants go with decks of 100+ slides per meeting, we only work with a single MindNode file per project.

When and how did you discover mind mapping?

That must have been around 2014. Back then, I tried a few mind mapping apps, but most of them were a too heavy. I was looking for something intuitive and fast. And that's when I discovered MindNode and stuck with it ever since. There, customer experience always comes first.

Our consulting projects are often about restructuring organizations, breaking down silos or implementing innovative topics like Artificial Intelligence into everyday business. Every project consists of multiple workshops and seminars, which are supported to 95% by MindNode. We also use survey tools in addition, but no other presentation apps.

Initially, I had the core topic in a main node and all sub topics in child nodes. But these days I rather use multiple main nodes that I spread out on the infinite canvas that MindNode offers me. I navigate the canvas from top to bottom and have a main node as a label for each section. Within each section, there are multiple other main nodes and mind maps.

The great thing is that I can have backup content that I simply pull into view when needed or push out less important nodes if we run out of time.

How has it helped you, personally or professionally?

Mostly for business purposes but also a bit personally. For example, I do holiday lists or dinner organization. And quite recently I planned my pool with MindNode. I designed the pool from scratch and had to consider things like the excavation process, or the filtering.

So for organizing my thoughts in that project, I find MindNode a lot more attractive, and incentivizing than just a boring black and white list. With colored elements that make certain information stand, you get what's important in one glimpse.

Which device do you like to use MindNode on and why?

The iPad is my device of choice 99% of the time. This even stuns my clients because it is often snappier and more interactive than a regular PC. You can even make changes in a presentation in real time without leaving some sort of presentation mode, making changes and going back in.

Do you have any MindNode features that you particularly enjoy?

The thing I really like are the multiple shapes a node can have. To me, that's a real value added. Through these shapes we encode whether information is an interactive exercise, a video, a voting, or information presented by me. For example, fluffy clouds mean that the audience will be working. Thereby, I can also apply our so-called cloud test:

Have you got around 70% fluffy clouds? — If not, it means that I'll be talking too much.

And I can do that test just by looking at the canvas.

One aspect is not being overloaded. I'll make sure that my brain hasn't got a million other things to do. I clear out my brain, delegate everything, and then start working on creative tasks. Otherwise, the preconscious level is blocking the creativity.

The second element is the time of the day. I'll never try to design an important workshop at two o'clock in the afternoon because that is not my time to be creative. There is also an exercise during our seminars regarding this topic where we map all the groups members' creativity curve. Only then they can see that they might all function different. So, if you are having a meeting at 3pm, some people will be firing on 10 cylinders. Other people will be dead. This is an essential learning.

How to Run Seminars for Lamborghini and Ferrari with Phil Taylor

Would you be so kind to give us a little intro on yourself?

I am Vanessa, the longest standing member of user support at MindNode and I also do quality assurance. I grew up in Bavaria, in a little town near Munich at a very pretty lake.

I live in Vienna for 13 years now and first studied physics and later socioeconomics. Then, I slipped into the IT world with a job at MindNode which I started in my last bachelor semester in socioeconomics because I still had to finish my bachelor thesis. This was like the perfect opportunity.

My first experience with mind mapping was when I was 12 or 13. My best friend and I sort of created a mind map of all our friends and their relationships, who’s into whom, and all of that kind of very important stuff when you’re 13. So that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of my first contact with mind mapping. And then, I guess it really was with starting my job at MindNode. And now, they’re omnipresent.

I use it a lot for taking notes during meetings and for planning workflows. I now also have a packing list for various vacations in the form of a mind map. Also, every big project, like moving houses or starting something new, always starts with a mind map and then ends up as several mind maps.

What kind of workflows do you use mind mapping for?

One that we've documented over time is the onboarding of new customers and new employees, and we use MindNode specifically for support. We outline the different phases of the onboarding process, what tasks people should be able to handle independently by a certain point, and where they can find all the necessary information.

As you said, you’re using mind mapping for business purposes as well as personally. How has it helped you, especially beyond just packing lists for travel?

The biggest help was when I was writing my bachelor’s thesis. I started by outlining the thesis using a mind map, which was really useful because I didn’t have a clear sense of the structure at first. The mind map made it easy to move chapters around and adjust the flow, so I could see what made the most sense logically.

I also used mind maps to organize quotes from the books I was reading, adding notes with references like book titles, page numbers, and so on. Since I’m a big procrastinator, I had gathered all this material but hadn’t written much. As the deadline approached, I ended up writing about three-quarters of the thesis in one weekend. The mind map was a lifesaver—its search feature made it easy to find related quotes and ideas and piece everything together.

In the end, I got an A, and my professor complimented how well-structured the thesis was. I knew the mind map had made all the difference in helping me organize and rearrange my ideas, something that wouldn’t have been possible with a regular document.

You mentioned that search is one of your favorite features. Are there any other particular features in MindNode that you really enjoy?

Yes, absolutely! I would have loved to have the ability to edit the outline back when I was writing my thesis, and now that’s possible, which is great. Another feature I truly enjoy is the ability to add notes. It’s so helpful to have the main idea in the node and then use notes to go deeper without cluttering the mind map. For example, when I was working on my thesis, I could keep the key points in the node and add all the repetitive details — like who wrote the book and page numbers — in the notes. That kept things tidy.

The outline view is another feature I love. It’s super helpful to switch between the mind map and outline view, letting me scroll through the content and see how it would flow as a text. It’s great for organizing ideas and figuring out the right structure.

Oh, and keyboard shortcuts! They might not be a “feature” in the traditional sense, but once I started using them, everything became so much faster and more efficient.


I think my favorite is the shortcut for notes, and I’m laughing because we’ve changed it two or three times since I’ve been here! I actually forgot it after the last update, but we recently brought it back to the original, which is Shift-Command-K.

It’s funny because even though the logic behind the shortcut could be different, a lot of users had developed muscle memory for the original one. We got so many emails from people saying they couldn’t open notes because they were so used to the old shortcut. So, eventually, we went back to it to keep our users happy!

On which device do you use MindNode the most on, and why?

I most like to use it on the iPad, which is such a common answer, but for a good reason! Every time I do, I think, “Oh, this is great!” But since I spend so much time on my MacBook, I mostly end up using it there. On the iPad, the ability to tap directly on the screen and interact with the mind map makes it feel more alive and engaging.


Final question, Vanessa: What makes your creativity spark?

Having enough time and not feeling under pressure really helps me. When I can focus without being overwhelmed by responsibilities, creativity flows more easily. I try to carve out dedicated time, which creates the mental space needed for creative thinking.

Being in nature is another big inspiration for me. It helps me stay present and clear my mind of distractions. The beauty and complexity of the natural world often spark my creativity and lead to new ideas.

Download "Gliederung Arbeitswelt.mindnode"

Hi Dr. Avi, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Dr. Avi Patel, and I am a dentist and entrepreneur. I currently live in Austin, TX, with my wife and dog. I look to help others believe in themselves and maximize their potential in life. I look at life through a positive lens and believe everything happens for a reason. I use social media as an outlet to spread positivity - foster growth-oriented mindsets, and share tips for dentists pertaining to Invisalign. I created an online boot camp where I teach dentists how to do Invisalign with the hope of helping them provide their patients with comprehensive dental treatment.

I discovered mind mapping when I started my consulting business in March 2022. I was looking for a tool to help me document and organize my thoughts/ideas.

I started by using it as a tool to document my brainstorms for my consulting business. I then started to use it for step-by-step protocols and an outline for presentations.

How does mind mapping help you personally?

It helps me document my flow state of ideas and thoughts in a very natural and seamless way.

By letting me stay organized with short and long-term ideas/goals - and allowing me to take a step back and look at the "big picture", which leads me to connect dots and form new connections, that I was not aware of in my brainstorm phase.

The iPad. I like the ability to type AND use my fingers to zoom in and out. I feel like Tom Cruise from the Minority Report 🤣

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