From Mind Map to Kanban

Faizel Mohidin, founder of Using Mind Maps digital magazine and experienced IT project manager, shares how he adapted Lean/Agile practices into a system he calls “Mind Map to Kanban.” Speaking from South Africa, he explains how combining mind maps with personal Kanban helps small business owners manage the three roles described in The E-Myth Revisited — entrepreneur, manager, and technician — to move from ideas to action and improve workflow. Key Themes & Topics: [1:40] From mind maps to Kanban – Explains his experiments in combining the two approaches. Shows how creative ideas can be converted into structured workflow. [2:49] The E-Myth framework – Roles of entrepreneur, manager, and technician. Applies to small business owners who must juggle all three at once. [6:13] Personal experience – Transition from corporate IT to small business. Reveals why large-scale project methods often fail in smaller settings. [7:41] Discovering Kanban – Using Lean/Agile tools like Kanban and Scrum. Demonstrates how proven software methods can be adapted to personal work. [10:06] The three phases of work – Idea, organising, implementing. Highlights where people often get “stuck” depending on their personality. [13:14] Introduction to Personal Kanban – Three-column model (to-do, doing, done). Helps individuals focus on limiting work-in-progress and finishing tasks. [16:38] Avoiding multitasking – Explains bottlenecks and the importance of WIP limits. Useful for professionals who overload themselves. [19:48] Tools for implementation – Trello, Jira, MeisterTask. Shows practical entry points for applying the system digitally. [22:17] Strengths and weaknesses – Mind maps inspire creativity but lack time tracking; Kanban enforces flow but can be too linear. Illustrates why combining the two balances idea generation with execution. [28:11] Story mapping – Jeff Patton’s concept as bridge between maps and Kanban. Provides a narrative structure for projects before execution. [36:30] Practical workflow – From mind map, to story map, to Kanban board. Demonstrates step-by-step transition from ideas to finished work. [42:03] Benefits of Map–Kanban system – Aligning tools with roles (entrepreneur, manager, technician). Gives small business owners a practical framework to “get more done.” Featured software: XMind