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I use mind-mapping in problem solving and in creating a speech, seminar or
article. Kind of like your bubble system you mentioned. By placing the page
horizontally and drawing an oval or bubble you immediately bring
right-brain and left-brain into the equation. Then, rather than start with
a list as we were taught in school, convert mental images of what we want
to convey onto the paper by naming that image. A word or two will cause
instant recall. What you end up with is a bunch of lines and squiggles,
ovals and stuff. But the moment you focus on one item the others come into
play and you have a sense of the whole and the order in which it should be
written or presented. I love it!