How to mind map

The Complete Guide on How to Mind Map for Beginners

The more you know and learn, the easier it is to learn and know more. – Tony Buzan

What is Mind Mapping?

Mind mapping is a visual information management tool that helps us structure, organize, memorize, arrange, brainstorm and learn information in a highly specialized way.

The past 20 years have brought us incredible insights into the human mind and our limitless capacity to think, comprehend and store vast reserves of information.

If anything, these studies have highlighted that our capacity to think effectively and quickly is very closely tied to our imagination and our ability to create associations between various information chunks.

Mind mapping has come a long way since the early days when Tony Buzan first introduced it to the world. It is now on the brink of becoming a mainstream tool used by academics, students, business professionals and many other individuals to manage, organize and reimagine information in a new and highly structured way.

These days though, mind mapping isn’t just about creating a map. It’s instead evolving into a visual information management tool that’s transforming the way we think, work, and develop our visual thinking capacity.

The Visual Mapping Evolution

Visual mapping has slowly crept into mainstream awareness over a period of about 10 years. There are now a plethora of visual mapping software applications available on all platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Our methods for organizing information are changing dramatically, and visual mapping is quietly becoming a revolutionary tool that’s keeping us organized, productive, and focused. The question is…

What follows is a beginner’s overview of the principles behind mind mapping.

Along the way, we will also explore several mind mapping examples using a variety of mind mapping software programs. This exploration will provide you with a visual comparison of the features of each tool to help you figure out whether or not it might be suitable for your purposes.

We will begin our exploration by defining the process of mind mapping. After which we will delve into the benefits of mind mapping and describe a variety of uses for mind maps.

We will conclude our discussion by taking a look at the industry accepted standards of how to draw mind maps and the rules that govern their design.

A Broader Definition of Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a method for storing, organizing, prioritizing, learning, reviewing and memorizing information.

It presents an overview and summary of a body of knowledge that fuses words and pictures together.

Mind mapping seamlessly blends logic and creative thought to help us think more proficiently and effectively about the subject we are learning.

What are the Benefits of Mind Mapping?

The benefits of mind mapping are extensive and far-reaching.

In a general way, mind mapping expands our ability to think laterally and logically in any given situation.

Listed below are several benefits of using mind maps for thinking, organizing information, and brainstorming ideas.

This list of benefits is, of course, by no means comprehensive. There are many more value-added benefits that are specific to individuals who consistently work with mind maps.

To gain actual value from using mind maps, you will need to commit yourself to incorporating them into your work and study routine for at least 30 days. You will need at the very least four weeks to fully comprehend the value that mind maps can bring to your life.

Remember though, that you don’t necessarily need to be a doodler to gain value from using mind maps. Mind mapping isn’t about pretty little pictures and doodles. It’s rather about the structure and process you use to organize and make sense of information.

What Can Mind Maps be Used for?

Since the dawn of the Internet Age, mind mapping has been growing steadily as a traditional method for collating, organizing, and expanding upon existing knowledge and information.

Over this period, many people have shared extraordinary insights about how they have used mind maps to help them organize, manage and improve their lives.

What follows, are various uses for mind maps that people from all walks of life have found of value.

Mind Mapping for Work Productivity

Here are examples of ways professionals use mind mapping at work:

Mind Mapping for Academic Success

Here are examples of ways students use mind mapping at school:

Mind Mapping for Life Management

Here are examples of ways people use mind mapping to manage their life:

The things that can be achieved and the amount of information we can manage at one time using mind maps is absolutely extraordinary. And this list only scrapes the surface of what’s possible.

How do I Draw a Mind Map?

Drawing a mind map involves a rather simple process. All that’s required is an understanding of its underlying structure.

Mind mapping is, in fact, a process that requires very little step-by-step explanation. For that reason, I will break it down for you here in only a few brief steps.

Here are several quick guidelines to help you get started drawing your very first mind map:

For more information about how to draw mind map step-by-step, please see Drawing a Mind Map from Start to Finish.

What are the Rules for Mind Mapping?

The content in this section is built upon the mind mapping software examples presented in the next section.

You will gain significant value by downloading these images and referring to them as you work through the mind mapping rules listed below.

These mind mapping software screenshots will likewise provide you with a visual representation of the critical points of emphasis discussed below.

To improve your memory and recall of the mind map you are creating, it’s essential to use some creative tools that will help stimulate deeper conscious awareness and free association.

Please keep in mind that it’s not necessary to follow all the guidelines listed below. However, it can be incredibly helpful if you check all of them off your list. That’s because following each guideline will help improve your memory and recall of the information you are mind mapping.

Okay, here are several mind mapping rules you should keep in mind when creating your mind maps.

For information on how to study using mind maps, please have read of mind mapping study skills.

Drawing mind maps in this way help stimulate our imaginations, form stronger visual associations while improving memory and recall of the information we are learning.

Below is a mind map that was drawn by Paul Foreman. It presents the above-mentioned mind mapping rules in a visually beautiful and practical way.

Drawing mind maps in this way allow for greater flexibility and freedom. It provides your brain with avenues for creative self-expression.

To see more of Paul Foreman’s collection of creative and inspirational mind maps, please visit his Mind Map Inspiration website.

Paul also has a beautiful Drawing Tips for Mind Mapping ebook where he teaches how to create mind maps from scratch.

For further insight into Paul’s drawing and mind mapping techniques, have a read of How I Drew My Mind Maps ebook. There Paul discusses how he draws his mind maps using a simple and easy to follow process of steps.

Creating a Mind Map Using Mind Mapping Software

These days there are a wide array of mind mapping software applications available on the market. Whether you’re on a PC, a MAC, using Android, iOS, or Linux, there is a mind mapping application available for every platform.

Below I have represented the mind mapping rules (discussed above) using 3 leading mind mapping software applications.

As you will see below, each mind mapping application represents these rules in a slightly different way. I have also provided a short explanation of each software applications unique features below each image.

These images will provide you with a good point-of-reference of what each software application is capable of. However, do keep in mind that each software has many other additional features that I do not explore in this article.

iMindMap

iMindMap is a cartoon-like mind mapping software applications that most closely resembles the hand-drawn mind maps created by Paul Foreman. The design of this software is also very heavily influenced by Tony Buzan’s rules for mind mapping.

The software is relatively simple to use, allowing each user the ability to draw and extend branches with their mouse or a digital pen.

Content is added to each branch via the keyboard once that branch (line) has been selected. Colors, fonts, images, symbols, and discrete notes can also be added to each branch as required.

The software is quite pleasing to the eyes from a graphical perspective and is probably most suited to young children and those who are starting out with mind mapping.

In recent years, iMindMap has been adding a ton of new features and capabilities to each version of their software. It began as a straightforward mind mapping tool. However, today it has a plethora of features for students, business professionals, or those looking for a robust information management tool. Definitely one of the better options on the market today.

MindManager

MindManager is a feature-rich mind mapping application that structures content and information in a very systematic and organized way.

MindManager’s primary market seems to be business professionals. Their approach to mind mapping is very elegant and straightforward.

It doesn’t look as flashy from a graphical perspective when compared to iMindMap. However, it has a vast array of features for managing information, projects, goals and more.

MindManager provides the user the ability to organize, arrange and categorize information in a variety of ways. It also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office and Outlook.

MindManager allows you to attach discrete notes to every branch, to insert symbols, images, web-pages, file shortcuts, folder links, and more. It also has a Gannt Chart and Flowchart feature.

MindManager also comes with an integrated web browser and permits users to save their mind map creations in an interactive pdf format that can be shared with others who don’t have access to the software application.

I have personally used MindManager extensively since 2008 to plan my blog posts, set goals, organize my time, manage the information I am learning, brainstorm ideas, and much more. My life would no doubt be very cluttered without it. 🙂

NovaMind

NovaMind seamlessly blends the features found within iMindMap and MindManager and improves on them in several respects.

Within NovaMind you can position the branches exactly where you want them on the map. Moreover, you can create different branch styles as you can see in the example above.

NovaMind also gives users the option to use a variety of layouts and to attach graphics and text to their mind maps. They have a fantastic graphics libraries, all of which help the user produce beautiful mind maps.

NovaMind is excellent for teaching and learning, as it provides a number of unique and helpful features like the Suggesterator which suggests new ideas related to what you already have on your mind map.

There is also the BranchStorm capability which helps you blast ideas out very quickly. The user can also print out mind maps without text on the branches to assist with note-taking, memorization, and revision.

NovaMind also has specialist features for screenwriting, presentations, and project management, as well as a long list of import and export options.

NovaMind hasn’t received as many updates or upgrades as iMindMap and MindManager over the years. However, it’s still a fantastic option for those on a budget who are looking for a reliable mind mapping software solution.

Finally, I would also recommend taking a look at Xmind. They offer a free and paid version of their mind mapping software application.

Concluding Thoughts

I hope that this introduction to mind maps has helped answer some of the questions you might have had about mind mapping and the various software applications that are available on the market today.

Mind mapping is growing in popularity every year and gaining an ever greater foothold within niche specific industries where information management is of critical importance.

As a result, it will continue to grow, evolve, and adapt to our ever-changing information management needs.

Time to Assimilate these Concepts

Did you gain value from this article? Is it important that you know and understand this topic? Would you like to optimize how you think about this topic? Would you like a method for applying these ideas to your life?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I’m confident you will gain tremendous value from using the accompanying IQ Matrix for coaching or self-coaching purposes. This mind map provides you with a quick visual overview of the article you just read. The branches, interlinking ideas, and images model how the brain thinks and processes information. It’s kind of like implanting a thought into your brain – an upgrade of sorts that optimizes how you think about these concepts and ideas. 🙂

Recommended IQ Matrix Bundles

If you’re intrigued by the idea of using mind maps for self-improvement then I would like to invite you to become an IQ Matrix Member.

If, on the other hand, you want access to an ever-growing library of 100s of visual tools and resources, then check out our Premium Membership Packages. These packages provide you with the ultimate visual reference library for all your personal development needs.

Free Articles and Resources

Here are a number of highly recommended free articles and online resources that will further help expand your understanding of mind mapping:

Mind Mapping Software Applications

Here are several mind mapping software applications you might like to check out.

These applications are either free, or they come with a free trial period. Some of these applications are cloud-based, and ideal for collaboration.

Many of them are also cross-platform applications that can be used on a Mac or PC. Xmind, Mindomo, and FreeMind have Linux versions. You will also find iOS and Android versions of some of these apps. Visit each website link for more information.

How to mind map
The complete guide

Mind mapping is a highly used technique in business, education, and personal growth. Once you learn how to mind map, you will plan and organize things faster, develop your creativity, and understand and memorize information easier.

These are just a few benefits of this highly effective technique, and to get all of them, it is important to use it correctly. Therefore, you’ll get a complete guide with all the tips and tricks here.

There are two ways to build efficient mind maps. Firstly, you can use a template, which offers all the necessary guidelines.

Secondly, learn how to create a mind map from scratch to organize your thoughts and generate new ideas.

How to make a mind map in 4 simple steps

Tips on how to mind map like a pro

The mind maps imitate the way our brain thinks: bouncing ideas. This is why this technique makes it easier for you to understand and memorize the information faster and to be more creative.

This way, it’s easier to create new connections between concepts and add branches. To get the most out of your mind maps, follow these simple tips:

■ When you add branches, write a single word or a short phrase. The mind map should be simple and intuitive, containing keywords that help you create new connections between them. Don’t write a thousand words in your topics. The point is to avoid plain text, and have meaningful key words in your topics.

■ You can either write a single word in your central topic or add a suggestive image. A picture is worth a thousand words, they said. The image stimulates your imagination and you may find new ideas faster. Choose a representative central image that illustrates the single word written inside the topic.

■ After you added an eye-catching central image and created more topics, add images to the rest of the map as well. Being a visual representation, the images, icons, and videos are very welcomed in your mind map.

■ Play with both colors and images. Avoid making a black and white map. Mind mapping is a great way to boost your creativity. Use different colors to differentiate the level of the map, or the categories. Customize the color of the topics, lines, and background.

■ Use different sizes for each level of the mind map to differentiate the levels. This way it will be easier to read.

■ Share your mind map with others and build it together in real-time. More minds are better than one. After you create it, add the central image and invite your team, colleagues, or friends and let your creativity flow!

You can see all these tips applied in a step-by-step tutorial about how to create your mind maps like a pro:

What Is a Mind Map and How Do You Create One?

What is a mind map, and how does it help our brain organize ideas? A mind map is a highly effective tool used by creatives, marketers, and project managers to inspire their teams. In addition to sparking employees’ creative juices, mind maps organize “timelines, dependencies, and responsibilities.”

It may sound like a farfetched business tool, but chances are you’ve used mind maps before throughout your life. Whether it’s a so-called «spider diagram» at school, or planning out an essay in college, mind maps are very common — so much so, that they even date back to the philosophers of ancient Greece and Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance. While we all learn differently, many of us are much more attuned to visual learning, and mind maps use this to help us retain information more effectively. A 2002 study found that mind mapping improved the long-term memory of factual information in medical students by 10%, while another from the Mind Mapping Software Blog found that mind mapping can boost productivity by up to 23%.

Keep reading to discover what a mind map is, why it’s important, and how to use them to improve projects.

What is a mind map?

A mind map is an illustration with a keyword or phrase in the middle, lines connecting from the middle to a main idea, and even more lines connecting from main ideas to details. Building out from the center, mind maps are often said to look like sunbursts or even spiderwebs. Mind maps can have more than three levels (middle, main ideas, and details), but most stick with this model.

Human brains don’t organize all the information we know in one strict hierarchical tree. Instead, associations radiating out (or in) from different connection points help our minds navigate a vast information pool to make decisions quickly. When written down, these associations create a visual tool known as a mind map, a powerful communication and creativity tool used by many marketing project management teams.

How to make a mind map

You may already be familiar with this tool if you’ve ever: gone to public school, been tasked with writing an academic essay, or been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Here’s how to create a mind map in five simple steps:

Once you have the first draft finished, add each main idea as a phase to your project management software. Create related tasks with due dates and assign them to team members. Add in any questions or related ideas to individual task’s notes.

Mind mapping examples

Effective brainstorming is all about starting with a clear purpose. In the following mind mapping examples, we’ll go over a couple of ways this tool can be used and the specific categories each team used to get the job done.

1. Hello Digital Marketing

Creative agencies can use mind maps to develop a holistic business strategy that aligns marketing with customer service, productivity, and other key departments. In this mind mapping example, Hello Digital lays out three topics connected vertically, with their main ideas and details branching out to the right of the illustration. Here are the components the marketing agency uses in the productivity section:

Thinking of their marketing, customer service, and productivity as pieces of one big puzzle and mind mapping it out accordingly allows Hello Digital to connect action with impact that everyone can understand at a glance.

2. Inside Out: the Film

Independent filmmakers use mind maps to brainstorm “scenes, characters, ideas” as well as financing, production logistics, and target audiences. In this mind map example, the author builds their protagonist using one topic (the character’s name) and multiple main ideas, including:

The author says that the ideas formed here are easy to add into project management tools, which turn these inspirations into bite-size, accomplishable tasks.

What are the benefits of mind maps?

In project management, creative brainstorming is key to solving problems, coming up with clear roadmaps, and generating unique outcomes, all of which are easy to do with mind mapping.

Other mind map benefits for creative project management include:

What are the challenges of mind maps?

Mind maps are one of the most effective ways to encourage your marketing team’s best ideas, but they can be challenging to use at first. When learning how to mind map, it’s important to remember that this tool can be used for everything from big picture business goals down to individual tasks within a subproject. Before your team begins to brainstorm, agree on the mind map’s scope. If this isn’t clarified from the beginning, the mind map could be far too broad, narrow, or confusing for those who have to follow it later.

How to inspire your creative team to use mind maps

If your team is feeling rundown or uninspired, give their creativity a boost using the B.U.I.L.D. model. The B.U.I.L.D. model is an acronym that stands for: Being bored, Unwinding with a drink, Inspiring with color (i.e. using the psychology of colors and visual inspiration boards), Listening to music, and Drawing on paper. Doing these five actions in a row will help teams get out of their funk and develop better ideas for their mind map.

Next steps: Put your mind map to work with Wrike

Now that you know how to improve creativity, communicate better, and come up with a foolproof project plan through mind mapping, it’s time to decide how you’ll organize it all with your team. Try Wrike’s two-week free trial and input all your ideas in one neat, organized chart so the whole company can visualize the project, tasks, and outcomes they’re collectively working toward.

How to Make Mind Maps: Visualize Your Ideas for Better Brainstorming

Legend has it that in the summer of 1994, as the production of Toy Story was wrapping up, four Pixar creatives went to lunch to brainstorm ideas for new projects. Sketching on napkins, they teased out ideas for what would become Wall-E; Monsters, Inc.; A Bug’s Life; and Finding Nemo.

It’s inspiring that such massively successful blockbusters started on napkins, but that’s the first step for any good idea, right? Getting ideas out of your head and putting it into the world in some tangible way is how you turn them into reality.

Most people don’t sketch the next great animated movie characters on napkins, but we all need a way to tease out our ideas, think through concepts, and put them into a usable format. That’s essential for creativity, in our personal lives and in business. Lists, outlines, and notes can help, but they don’t always lend themselves to radical innovation, learning, or problem-solving.

There’s a better way: mind maps.

What Are Mind Maps?

Mind maps are a visual way to organize your thoughts around one topic using words, colors, images and numbers to highlight ideas and draw connections. Invented by Tony Buzan in the 1960s, mind mapping is much more than drawing: It’s a framework to help you fully think through ideas, and show how topics and ideas are connected and allowing with more flexibility than an outline or list affords.

Mind mapping can be a solo or team activity, and they can be used for all types of tasks: learning, thinking through ideas, strategic planning, mapping out processes or organizing overwhelming amounts of information. I’ve even come across mind maps made to plan weddings or organize Thanksgiving dinner.

Roy Grubb, Managing Director at G&A Management Consultants Ltd and creator of the Visual Thinking Center, told me mind maps are of two types: «Maps where the benefit is mainly in the process of making the map, the thinking process, the memory jogging, the stimulation of new ideas and associations; and maps where the benefit is the map as a reference and communication point.»

Why Use Mind Maps Instead of Lists or Outlines?

You don’t have to make a mind map—you could just jot a note down on that napkin, or use an outlining app to list the things you’re thinking about. So why mind maps?

«Lists always get long, and they assign importance in terms of where the item is on the list,» explained MeisterLabs co-founder Michael Hollauf. «If something is further down, it’s inherently less important. If you have topics that are on a similar level, it’s hard to show that in a list. Mind maps can reorganize really easily if you decide something belongs to something else.»

In other words, instead of capturing information linearly by default, mind maps can show—and help you discover—connections between different topics, the way your mind works.

List or outlines can be great for small tasks, but Grubb told me fresh ideas are more likely to pop up when creating a mind map because of the free format. «When I’m planning a project, a mind map helps me capture my ideas without having to lay out steps in a linear fashion. I find that a linear list, or even an outline, hems me in and stops me thinking freely.»

How to make a mind map

Mind maps are pretty simple to create, and you can build them on a whiteboard, sketch them on a piece of paper, or use a mind mapping app to create them. These basic steps apply in any medium:

1. Start in the Middle With a Central Idea

This can be a word or an image/picture that represents the central topic you’re going to map.

2. Create Branches to Represent Sub-topics

These should be limited to words or short phrases. Keep a good amount of space between your ideas to leave room to add on later.

3. Add Details to Your Mind Map

You can vary colors, word cases, font styles, and even the thickness of your branch lines to separate or group different topics or ideas. Or, you can add photos, notes, and more to add more detail to your map.

4. Make Connections

You can draw lines or arrows between ideas in the map that you want to connect.

Keep expanding for as long as you need to. You might feel done with your map after one sitting, but it could also be something you keep and adjust or add to over time.

Other Mind Mapping Tips

If you’re a beginner

For mind mapping beginners, it can be helpful to have a pro guide your first few maps.

«Look for someone who often uses mind maps and ask their opinion,» Grubb told me. «This can help to remove blocks to mastering the technique in the early days.»

If you’re not artistically inclined

Don’t worry if you’re not an artist; that’s not the point of a mind map.

«One of the things we hear often is ‘I can’t draw,’» says Raphaela Brandner, marketing manager at MeisterLabs, creators of mind-mapping tool MindMeister. «It’s not about making it beautiful, it’s about making it memorable.»

You don’t need to make a masterpiece: «They’re thinking tools, not works of art,» Grubb says.

If you’re mapping with your team

When mapping with others, it helps to set some ground rules first. «What we do here is we come to some fort of agreement for how the map is going to be used,» Brandner says. «We say we’ll ‘add comments here’ or ‘use these icons for this.’»

With technical teams, Grubb opts for mind mapping software on a laptop with the map projected onto a screen. For teams who are new to mind maps, he maps on large sheets of paper or a whiteboard.

«It helps to be in front of the map, talking as I add to it while the ideas bounce back and forth,» he says. «I can explain what I’m doing as we go along, and at the end, capture images of the maps on a phone before erasing them.»

As the meeting progresses, Grubb gets people more involved: «I look for opportunities to hand over the marker so that everyone has ownership of the mind map.»

If you’re working remotely

Mind mapping tools make it easy for distributed teams make maps together.

«When working with others who may be in distant offices, online mind mapping services, like MindMeister or Mindmup, are indispensable,» Grubb says. «Several people can work on a map simultaneously and they can chat online or in the app. Both MindMeister and Mindmup have project planning capabilities, allowing dates and resources to be added to individual items.»

Other mind mapping tools include Mindjet, Coggle, XMind, FreeMind and MindNode.

When to Use Mind Maps

Mind maps are often used in schools, so people tend to associate them mainly with learning and studying. But there are a ton of business applications for mind maps, too.

«Many students are shown how to make mind maps to help with learning but never take the skill on into their business careers,» Grubb says. «Those that do find they have a tool that is good for much more than just understanding school work.»

Grubb told me he sees businesses using mind maps for ideation, product design, website design, project planning, management, report writing, and planning software testing.

Here are just a few business-focused tasks mind maps can help with:

When Absorbing What You Read

Reading is an important way to grow as a professional, but with busy schedules, it can be hard to digest a book or resource enough to apply it to your work.

Mind maps can help you truly absorb what you read. For example, Grubb used a MindMap to summarize the book Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. First, he read the book and highlighted words and phrases that caught his attention. When he was done reading, he went back and made a mind map from the highlighted sections and was able to use that mind map to successfully guide his next project.

Learn how to read more, faster, with our guide to reading 50 books each year.

When Preparing for a Speech or Presentation

Students turn to mind maps—especially hand-written maps—when studying because they help with memorization.

«That tactile experience works a lot better for memorizing,» Brandner says. «That’s what I did in school. Once you have mind map and you’re about to go into the exam, you redraw the mind map by hand to get it into your brain.»

You could use a similar process to prepare for a speech or presentation. You’ll feel more confident about the content and might not have to rely on notes as much during the presentation.

Need a presentation app? Check out our roundup of the 20 best PowerPoint alternatives

When Managing a Project

Some project managers use mind maps to take notes in meetings. Instead of pages of linear notes, you can put the meeting topic in the middle and create branches for each major sub-topic discussed.

«When I do this, it’s amazing to me how I see things differently,» writes business analyst and marketer Tim Walker. «I pay more attention during the meeting, and I leave with a much better idea of what I could do next to move the work forward.»

Making mind maps can also help prioritize project tasks.

«When you map things radially, you take away the rank order and chronology that’s inherent in an outline or Gantt chart,» Walker writes. «Instead of prematurely worrying about which part of your project comes first in sequence, or which part deserves the most resources, you can focus on getting the right issues surfaced in a way that promotes dialogue, understanding, and problem-solving»

Learn how to effectively manage projects—and find the tools you need to help you out—with Zapier’s Ultimate Guide to Project Management.

When Trying to Generate New Ideas

Use mind maps to combat writer’s’ block, think up new product ideas, or generate possible solutions to a problem you’re facing.

«Generating a starting point for innovation can be one of the most productive uses of mapping,» Grubb writes. «Ideas can tumble out of control. Writing them in a list easily kills the inspiration, but organizing them in a mind map not only gives the freedom to wander ‘all over the map,’ but encourages grouping, thus often bringing ideas together that give birth to new thoughts.»

For more ways to spark new ideas, check out GV’s design sprints which help Google’s teams turn moonshots into reality.

Automate Your Mind Maps

Your mind maps can be put to even more use if you connect your content in them with your favorite apps. With Zapier, an app automation tool, you can send tasks or topics from MindManager Enterprise to many other apps, such as Google Docs, Trello, Asana, and Evernote.

Mind Mapping, или как заставить свой мозг работать лучше

“Если не ломать мозгов — наломаешь дров”

Существуют десятки, а может и сотни методов по “прокачке” своего мозга, ведь он таит в себе многие возможности, доступ к которым нам зачастую ограничен. “Ешьте горький шоколад”, “Вешайте стикеры по всему дому”, “Начинайте с самых важных дел” и многие другие советы можно отыскать в интернете, суть которых сводится к одному — подтолкнуть наш мозг к быстрой работе, запустить его на полную катушку или даже “обмануть”. И все для получения максимальной выгоды — выполнить много дел, запомнить побольше информации, победить лень и прочее. Человек всегда пытался выжать максимум своих возможностей.

Что такое ментальная карта?

Что это за технология?

“В этом мире, чтобы стоять на месте, нужно бежать”

Использование ментальных карт — техника визуализации мышления, с помощью которой можно лучше и эффективнее обработать некоторую информацию. У ментальных карт есть много разных названий:

Технология широко применяется для многих целей:

Ментальные карты помогают легко оперировать с информацией, что делает их очень полезными во многих областях нашей жизни:

Зачем ее применять?

“Хорошо запоминается мысль, повторенная дважды.
Хорошо запоминается мысль, повторенная дважды”

Ментальные карты помогают при работе с какими-либо данными, улучшают способности мозга по восприятию информации, но почему?

Первая причина кроется в самом построении карты — она изображается в радиальном виде, ключевой образ находится в центре, и от него расходятся дальнейшие ветви. Это упрощает подачу информации в мозг — ведь мы тоже видим окружающий нас мир в целом — центральный образ и детали вокруг него.

Вторая причина тоже кроется в обработке информации нашим мозгом — визуализация в целом улучшает восприятие. Слова с картинками мы запоминаем в 6 раз лучше, чем просто слова.

При построении ментальной карты активизируются различные способности нашего мышления. При составлении ветвей и ключевых слов мы используем иерархии, для картинок — визуализации и ассоциативное мышление, в целом используется пространственно-образное мышление. Все это активизирует память и позволяет запомнить как структуру данных, так и их важные аспекты, поэтому использование ментальных карт улучшает запоминание информации примерно на 32%.

Так как мы используем различные способности мышления для построения ментальных карт, такие как творчество, логика, воображение, все они развиваются и улучшаются в процессе.

Поскольку ментальные карты отображают всю картину в целом, это позволяет установить все взаимосвязи между объектами, даже если изначально они были не так очевидны. В свою очередь, это приводит к появлению новой точки зрения на информацию, а также новых идей и мыслей. Структура и логика данных становятся более “прозрачными”, легкими для понимания и запоминания.

Еще одним неоспоримым аргументом в пользу использования ментальных карт является то, что научиться этой технике очень легко, а запомнить информацию с ее помощью можно сразу, в большом количестве и весьма эффективно. Писать при этом приходится мало, что значительно экономит время.

В чем отличия от обычных записей?

Линейная запись — основная форма записи информации, которой мы пользуемся в школе, университете, работе, и во многих многих учреждениях. Она используется в инструкциях, книгах, плакатах и вообще везде. Поэтому использование такой формы кажется логичным, удобным и правильным.

Но может быть дело лишь в привычке? Между линейными записями и ментальными картами есть некоторые отличия, из-за которых, возможно, стоит изменить свои привычки.

Популярны ли ментальные карты?

Кто придумал ментальные карты?

Аналоги различных диаграмм связей использовались с достаточно ранних времен, но создателем современной методики ментальных карт, такой, какой мы ее знаем сейчас, является Тони Бьюзен — английский психолог, автор и соавтор более 80 книг, самые известными из которых считаются “Супермышление” и “Научите себя думать”. Первая книга, описывающая технику ментальных карт, вышла в 1974 году — “Работай головой”.

Вот как автор описывает события, подтолкнувшие к разработке этой техники:

“В свое время на втором курсе университета я как-то зашел в библиотеку и спросил, нет ли у них книг по теории мозга и о его практических возможностях. Библиотекарь, не раздумывая направила меня в отдел медицинской литературы!

Когда я пояснил, что не собираюсь делать операций на мозге, а лишь правильно использовать его, мне вежливо ответили, что подобных книг у них в библиотеке, по-видимому, нет.

Я вышел в полном изумлении.

Как и другие мои сокурсники, я пребывал в состоянии, известном любому среднестатистическому студенту: растущее осознание того, что по мере роста учебной нагрузки твой мозг все более сдает позиции перед высокими требованиями к мышлению, творческому подходу, памяти, умению решать задачи, анализировать и «сочинять» в ходе письменных работ. Как и другие, я все чаще сталкивался с тем феноменом, когда отдача от учебной работы падает, несмотря на прилагаемые усилия, а временами и вовсе кажется нулевой.Парадокс заключался в том, что, как мне казалось, чем больше я конспектировал и учил, тем хуже был результат!

Логическим следствием обеих возможных в той ситуации стратегий действия являлся, как представлялось мне, тупик. Стань я прилагать меньше усилий, в разряд не усвоенной попадает масса важной информации, и, как следствие, провал на экзамене. Продолжи я с еще большим упорством, — конспектируя более подробно и тратя на это все больше времени, — результатом явилась бы все та же обращенная вниз спираль успеха.

Ключ к подлинному успеху, рассудил я наконец, следует искать в ответе на вопрос, насколько рационально я использую свой интеллект вообще и мыслительные способности в частности, — осознание этого и привело меня в библиотеку.

Когда я вышел из нее в тот день, мне вдруг пришло в голову, что проблема, с которой я столкнулся, не найдя нужной литературы, быть может, пришлась кстати. Поскольку таких книг еще не написано, я ступил на заповедную территорию, где есть подлинный простор для пытливого ума.”

Используют ли их в мире?

Со временем, целесообразность той или иной методики всегда определяется количеством людей, которые ей пользуются. Со времен выхода первого описания методики прошло уже более 40 лет, но тем не менее техника ментальных карт живет, развивается, и, что главное, используется. Обратимся к Google Trends:

В целом, mind mapping — стабильно использующийся запрос за последние 11 лет. Странами с наибольшим количеством таких запросов внезапно оказались Индонезия и Таиланд. Совсем другая статистика в России. Только в 2011 году эта методика начала пользоваться интересом в нашей стране:

Почему люди не используют их повсеместно?

Как создать ментальную карту?

“Всякий художник был поначалу любителем”

Для построения ментальных карт достаточно следовать определенным несложным принципам. Попробуем для примера составить ментальную карту для всей это статьи.

Для начала нужно чистая горизонтально повернутая область, например лист, доска, планшет, телефон, или рабочая область в графических редакторах. Чем больше данных вы будете обрабатывать, тем большая рабочая область вам понадобится. Я буду делать свой пример с помощью онлайн-редактора ментальных карт.

В центре рабочего пространства опишите образ проблемы, задачи или области знания. В нашем случае — это статья про ментальные карты.

Не забывайте использовать рисунки и символы там, где это возможно. Это сделает карту более яркой и красочной, и как следствие — более запоминающейся.

От центрального образа проложим толстые структурные ветви, главные подразделы нашей статьи. Рекомендуется использовать разные цвета для ключевых ветвей и слов, а также красочно оформлять их. Поскольку я люблю минимализм, немного отойду от правил.

Но ничего не мешает мне оформить главные подразделы соответствующими картинками. Также допишем ветви следующего уровня. Необходимо помнить, что на одной ветви должно быть только одно слово. Это позволяет не перегружать карту, а в процессе придумывания этого одного слова, мы может выделить суть материала.

Размер и толщина букв на ветвях варьируются в зависимости от удаленности от центрального образа. Чем дальше — тем меньше. Если между деталями на карте есть взаимосвязь — не забудьте показать ее. Дополним наш пример остальными ветвями и связями.

Вот и получилась готовая ментальная карта. Не самая красочная из-за моей любви к минимализму, но весьма информативная.

Есть ли программы для создания ментальных карт?

Что почитать по этой теме?

Конечно же, лучше всего узнать о методике ментальных карт из первоисточника, поэтому лучшие книги для прочтения — это “Супермышление” и “Работай головой” Тони Бьюзена, а так же его остальные книги.

Еще одна познавательная книга — “Визуализируй это! Как использовать графику, стикеры и интеллект-карты для командной работы” Дэвида Сиббета.