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Mind Maps help you to learn, organize, and store as much information as you want, and to classify it in natural ways that give you easy and instant access (perfect memory) to whatever you want.
Mind Maps have an additional strength: you would think that the more information you put into your head, the more stuffed your head would become and the more difficult it would be to get any information out. Mind Maps turn this thought on its head!
How?
With Mind Maps each new piece of information you put into your library automatically ‘hooks on to’ all the information already in there. With more of these grappling hooks of memory attaching to any piece of information in your head, the more easy it is for you to ‘hook out’ whatever information you need. With Mind Maps, the more you know and learn, the easier it is to learn and know more!
In summary, Mind Mapping has a whole range of advantages that help make your life easier and more successful.
It’s time for you to start your first one!
What Do You Need to Make a Mind Map?
Because Mind Maps are so easy to do and so natural, the ingredients for your ‘Mind Map Recipe’ are very few:
7 Steps to Making a Mind Map
1. Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways. Why? Because starting in the centre gives your brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express itself more freely and naturally.
2. Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for your central idea. Why? Because an image is worth a thousand words and helps you use your Imagination. A central image is more interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you concentrate, and gives your brain more of a buzz!
3. Use COLOURS throughout. Why? Because colours are as exciting to your brain as are images. Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to your Mind Map, adds tremendous energy to your Creative Thinking, and is fun!
4. CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect your second- and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc. Why? Because your brain works by association. It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together. If you connect the branches, you will understand and remember a lot more easily. Connecting your main branches also creates and establishes a basic structure or architecture for your thoughts. This is very similar to the way in which in nature a tree has connected branches that radiate from its central trunk. If there were little gaps between the trunk and its main branches or between those main branches and the smaller branches and twigs, nature wouldn’t work quite so well! Without connection in your Mind Map, everything (especially your memory and learning!) falls apart. Connect!
5. Make your branches CURVED rather than straight-lined. Why? Because having nothing but straight lines is boring to your brain. Curved, organic branches, like the branches of trees, are far more attractive and riveting to your eye.
6. Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE. Why? Because single key words give your Mind Map more power and flexibility. Each single word or image is like a multiplier, generating its own special array of associations and connections. When you use single key words, each one is freer and therefore better able to spark off new ideas and new thoughts. Phrases or sentences tend to dampen this triggering effect. A Mind Map with more key words in it is like a hand with all the finger joints working. A Mind Map with phrases or sentences is like a hand with all your fingers held in rigid splints!
7. Use IMAGES throughout. Why? Because each image, like the central image, is also worth a thousand words. So if you have only 10 images in your Mind Map, it’s already the equal of 10,000 words of notes!
Creating Your First Mind Map
To create your first Mind Map, we are going to take as a topic – your next holiday! You are going to use your powers of imagination and association to make a Mind Map about where you want to go.
LEVEL ONE
First take a sheet of plain paper and some coloured pens. Turn the piece of paper on its side, so that it is wider than it is long (landscape rather than portrait). In the centre of the page draw an image that sums up holidays for you. Use the coloured pens and be as creative as you like.
Now label this image. This could be the name of your destination or simply along the lines of ‘My Holiday.’
Central idea of your first Mind Map
LEVEL TWO
Next, draw some thick branches radiating out from the central holiday image. Use a different colour for each. These branches will represent your main thoughts on what this is going to be. You can add any number of branches when you make a Mind Map, but, for the purposes of this exercise, limit the number of branches to five or six.
On each branch, print clearly and in large capital letters the first five single key words that leap to mind when you think about your next holiday.
If you need to help your imagination choose these key words, ask yourself a few questions, such as ‘Where will I be going?’ (your key word could be ‘DESTINATION’), ‘What kind of holiday do I want to take?’ (your key word could be ‘TYPE’), ‘What do I need to take with me?’ (your key word could be ‘LUGGAGE’), and so on. In this example the key words are ‘TYPE,’ ‘EQUIPMENT,’ ‘CLOTHES,’ ‘SHUTDOWN,’ ‘BUDGET,’ and ‘BOOKING.’
As you can see, at the moment, your Mind Map is primarily composed of colours, lines, and words. So how can we improve it?
We can make it better by adding to it the important brain ingredients of pictures and images from your imagination. ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and therefore saves you a lot of time and wasted energy writing down those thousand words in your notes. And it is easier to remember.
As you continue developing your Mind Map, add little pictures to represent your ideas and reinforce it. Use your coloured pens and a little imagination. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece – a Mind Map is not a test of your artistic ability. Make sure that you place your images on the branches of your Mind Map.
Central image with branches to represent your main thoughts about the holiday
LEVEL
