Introduction to Context Charting in Contextminds

Context charting was developed to solve a common problem: diving into a new topic often leads to a tangle of browser tabs, scattered notes, and disjointed ideas. This method offers a way to visualize what you already know, identify gaps, and clearly see where to explore next. It provides a structured yet flexible process for organizing thoughts and information visually.

📖 Read a full article here

Do you want to write a blog post? Understand a concept? Pitch an idea? While you don’t include your goal in the map itself, keep it clearly in mind.

Example:

• Goal: Write a blog post about da Vinci’s influence on modern science and engineering.
• Focus question: How did Leonardo da Vinci affect science and history?

💡 Pro tip: A good focus question is specific and concise. Instead of “da Vinci,” ask “What modern technologies were inspired by da Vinci’s inventions?” or “Which of da Vinci’s studies had a lasting scientific impact?”

👉 In Contextminds, when you create a new map, you’ll be prompted to enter your focus question right at the beginning. This becomes the first item on your whiteboard, automatically placed and ready to guide your charting journey.

Before adding anything to your map, get familiar with item types. These help both you and the AI understand how each piece of information fits into the bigger picture.

In Contextminds, there are the following item types provided: Topic, Keyword, Question, Heading and Articles.

👉 Learn more about related items and suggestion.

This step is about clearing your head and getting your baseline knowledge into the map. Don’t worry about structure or relevance yet — just offload.

In our da Vinci example, a brain dump might include:

• Leonardo da Vinci was from the Renaissance (Topic)

• He invented a flying machine (Topic)

• He painted the Mona Lisa (Topic)

• Unknown inventions (Keyword)

Add each thought or fact as its own item. Use the correct item type and let the visual canvas grow organically.

👉 Learn how to add custom items

💡 Pro tip: Even if your brain dump feels sparse or scattered, that’s okay. It’s meant to surface what you already know and spark ideas for what to explore next.

Now that you’ve mapped your current knowledge, it’s time to go deeper. This phase turns your map into a living research tool.

👉 Here´s how to add contextual suggestions and how to use filters in the search sidebar.

After expanding, your map will probably be overflowing with ideas. Now it’s time to focus back in.

👉 Learn more about how to organize items into lists and outlines

💡 Pro tip: During reduction, add Headings to group content or sketch an outline. You’re not just cleaning the map — you’re shaping it into a tool you can act on.

Whether your end goal is writing an article, giving a talk, or just understanding something better — now’s the time to use the map.

In Contextminds, you can use the map as a prompt for AI-assisted writing. Since your map is full of sources, questions, and carefully chosen ideas, the AI knows what you want to say and can help you say it.

👉 Learn how to generate outlines or drafts from your map

Context charting isn’t just a technique — it’s a mindset. It turns research into discovery, brainstorming into structure, and information into insight.

Here´s what you´ve learned:

• The focus question keeps you on track.
• The item types give structure to chaos.
• The expansion phase is where discovery happens.
• The reduction phase transforms insight into action.

And the best part? You can always come back to a map, expand it again, and find new pathways to follow.