There's a Dot Net Rocks Interview with Richard Campbell where he says:

"Computers are amplifiers; they can either amplify our intelligence or they can amplify our stupidity. Until we can clearly delineate what we're trying to achieve on a whiteboard, computers are not going to help us."

I whole-heartedly agree.

I'd like to suggest we start a whiteboard appreciation day. You know, everyone bring a little gift, an eraser, some new dry-erase markers... Treat it to a good cleaning, whatever.

Ok, I'm kidding, but only slightly. I love whiteboards almost as much as I love computers. They let me work out ideas in free and unhindered ways. I often do impromptu sessions, just me and a whiteboard, for small projects, application problems, or designs in need of refactoring.

The next best thing is a free computer-based tool called Freemind (on Sorceforge). It's a mind mapping tool, which is basically a structure-enforced whiteboarding application. It's very useful and I highly recommend you give it a try.