Create a Blog Mind Map

Remember when you were in grade school and you were taught how to make a brainstorming web or a mind map? It's time to apply that skill to help you gather your blogging thoughts into one place. All you need is a pencil and piece of paper, or a computer program that will allow you to make your own mind map like the one you see below.

Here is an example mind map that you can create for your blog. I opened up Microsoft Word and went to Insert > SmartArt tools. I found the option to create a mind map to show you. I keep a mind map at home but it is far more complex with even more branches coming off of each category. I thought I would show this basic mind map to you and allow you to go through and create the branches for your categories so that the mind map will be personalized for you.

You will see that my website is in the middle of the mind map. I decided to chart each major category for my blog that I could think of. Why is this helpful? This is helpful for those days that you run out of ideas to post. You can pull out your mind map and get a quick glance at a category that will help give you ideas for posts, and is also a way to keep your thoughts organized.

My main categories are: Money Saving Tips, Free Samples, Coupons, Daily Deals, Referral Programs, Giveaways and Reviews, Guest Posts, Surveys, Affiliates, Advertising, Blog Hops and Link Ups, and Blogging Tips.

From these categories, you can choose what you would like to write around each bubble. For example, on my coupon bubble, I have categories such as Red Plum, Coupons.com, Cellfire,  SmartSource, Target, coupon matchups, and coupon codes.

My Daily Deals bubble includes categories such as Groupon, LivingSocial, Zulily, and Deal Pulp.

Around my rewards programs, I have categories such as Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars, Send Earnings, Pampers Gifts to Grow, Huggies Enoy the Ride, and Disney Movie Rewards.

I enjoy my mind map and use it daily. I like to be able to refer to it during those times when I need a few ideas to go by. We all know that there are alot of areas in our day to day blogging and this gives you a place to track them all onto one page. When you are low on ideas, refer to your mind map and see which areas you may need to focus on at that time.

*Note: This mind map can be applied to any blog niche, not just for frugal blogs. Think about the categories included in your blog niche to create your mind map.