Draw a circle in the center of a piece of paper. Write your topic inside the sphere. If you are considering getting a pet, for example, write "Pets" inside the sphere.
Set a timer for ten minutes. Draw ten spokes outward from the circle. At the end of each spoke, write a word or draw an object that comes to mind. Silence your inner critic if he asks how rainbows relate to pets. Allow your mind to connect freely.
Set the timer for ten more minutes, and add more words and images to your map, prompted by the words and images from step 2. Use lines or circles to connect related words and images. Repeat steps 2 and 3 if time permits.
Choose three to five of your most unusual connections and write them on a fresh sheet of paper. Free write a few paragraphs or a page on why your mind connected the items. You may find yourself writing long-forgotten memories or associations.
Use your mind map to spawn more creative thinking or to activate an action plan. It may provide the solution to a sticky problem at work, the scope of a piece of writing or the answer to a personal dilemma.