Does mind mapping work for you?

Posted on: November 7th, 2018 in Mindset by Pat Mesiti | No Comments

Have you ever explored mind mapping? Mind mapping is essentially a visual way to organise your thoughts and ideas. A mind map is drawn around a central idea with arrows radiating out leading to branch off ideas. They almost look like a spider’s web or a bursting sun.

A mindmap charts connections to new ideas and concepts. All the break-out ideas are connected directly to the central concept, and other ideas then branch out from those major ideas. Mind maps can be drawn by hand during meetings or sometimes they are produced as high quality graphics to document strategies.

The English psychologist Tony Buzan introduced the world to mindmaps in his 1970s BBC TV show, ‘Use Your Head’, however historians say people have been using circular or radial mindmaps for up to 900 years.

What was different about Buzan’s mindmap of the 1970s is that it focused on a single central key concept, and the ideas around how to develop the concept flowed out from the centre.

Can mindmapping enhance creativity?

I have to admit that I’m not a mindmapper. I am a habitual list maker. I have many things to do every day and so am inclined to make endless lists, but lately I’ve been wondering if I could enhance my creativity of drawing mind maps. When working on a new book, I plot my book in a linear fashion. I begin with chapter one, underneath goes chapter two, etc. But what if I created a mindmap when planning my next book? How would that impact on the shape of my book? Mindmaps are said to better mimic our brains way of thinking. We don’t think in a linear fashion, but our ideas flow outward. On a mindmap, you can put down your thoughts in any order. You don’t have to decide on priorities because the map is circular not linear.

Mind mapping asks you to:

  1. Generate new ideas,
  2. Visualise concepts,
  3. Organise your thoughts,
  4. Take notes,
  5. Solve problems,
  6. Make decisions
  7. Revise and clarify your strategy.

Mindmapping is the ultimate brainstorming activity

What if I began planning a book by writing down the key idea on the centre of a piece of paper, with the related ideas flowing outward? I could use symbols, pictures, colours, lines, even images I’d cut from magazines and newspapers. My mindmap would be creative, colourful and organised. Do you think I’d write the same book if I linear planned it or would mindmapping produce a more creative end result? I guess I won’t know until I try it.

Mind maps have been compared to city maps. The central idea is like the Central Business District and the roads and suburbs are secondary thoughts. Standout thoughts are like important landmarks.

Mind mapping mirrors the brains side-ways thinking patterns and also uses visual images, in order to unlock our creativity. There is even free software on line you can use to create mindmaps on your computer.

Mindmaps outline your thinking process

Some people say the beauty of mindmaps is that they help you explain your thoughts and your thinking process to others. If you show someone your mindmap they get an overview of how you see the topic, with all relevant and connected information. The map also encourages other people to work with you and to come up with new ideas, build new connections and keep mapping.

Here are some directions on how to mind map.

  1. Write down your central idea. You may choose to draw an image, but I say make it simple. Rather than a long waffly sentence, begin with a word or key concept.
  2. Next create sub-ideas that stem from the main thought and radiate out. Again make it simple, perhaps go for only a single word. You might want to use different colours. For example I might be making a mindmap to explain how I can turn my novel into a movie. I could look at raising the money myself to produce it, going to production companies, entering competitions that encourage budding film makers.
  3. Next I need to create sub-branches that stem from the main branches. I might look at the ways to raise money, start listing production houses that accept pitches, look for writing competitions that are linked to the film industry. Again include images and sketches, this might help spark your creativity and thinking.

Mind mapping is a form of learning

Another advantage of mind mapping is that you come to better understand the information you are dealing with. You get new insights and retain more of the facts and figures. Mindmapping also generates new ideas by association.

Next time you are working on a project give it a try. You might have to write an essay or you might be organising a second-hands good stall for a charity. Instead of writing down a linear list – mindmap. Start with the central idea and then list the who, what, where, when, how and why around your central idea. Map it out then journey far and wide in your mind as you map your thoughts. Good luck!

ABOUT PAT MESITI

Pat Mesiti is a best-selling author, coach and educator in the area of personal development. Having built some of Australia’s largest people-driven organisations, Pat understands the power of harnessing human potential. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s great business minds and has sold over millions of copies of his books and materials.

 

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