What is a Mind Map?

Basically, a mind map is a visual representation of thoughts and ideas in a distinct combination of imagery, color, as well as visual-spatial representation. This technique maps out the ideas in your thoughts by using certain words that trigger your memory to remember certain associations that sparks more ideas. Mind maps can be drawn by hand or by the help of certain software online or offline. Below is an example of a mind map; notice the centrality of the main idea:

Guidelines to creating mind maps

Creating mind maps spark certain areas within your brain and enhance your thinking capabilities, your creativity, and even cognizance. Therefore, the more you practice, the better you get at it. Here are steps to follow when creating a mind map that is easy to understand.

1. Choose a method/software

2. Begin with a central idea

3. Add branches to the main concept

4. Add keywords and explore topics

5. Use color codes

6. Add visual signifiers

1. Choose a method/software

Creating a mind map depends with the creator’s preference, as long as it makes sense. You can choose to create one by hand using boxes, tree branches etc. You can also choose to represent your mind map with online software such as Lucidchart and Ayoa that have readily available templates and gives you the flexibility of making your own. Your choice only depends on how familiar you are with a certain software as well as many other dynamics that depends on your preferences.

2. Begin with a central idea

Despite the choice of method, all mind maps must begin from a central idea – a topic that stems out the rest of the ideas. The central idea represent the topic that you want to explore. For efficiency, the central idea should be at the center of the mind map and should be drawn with a much larger box, to show your mind where to focus all the thoughts. Personalize and internalize the central idea and the purpose of your mind map in order to strengthen the connection you have with the content in your mind map.

3. Add branches to the main concept

With the main purpose of the mind map at hand, you can now add branches to the main topics to illustrate the subtopics. At this point, you are already arranging information in your mind according to topics and subtopics.

4. Add keywords and explore topics

Explore each subtopic in-depth until you run out of ideas to write. It does not matter the length of one single subtopic and the number of sub-branches. As you finish on one subtopic, subtly take the next but ensuring that each concept is aligned with your initial goals and the most important things are closer to the main topic. As you add more branches, remember to include key ideas in each branch as you go along. Remember to keep the keywords as short as possible.

Use color codes

Color-coding is a trick used to magnify the brain’s capability to group certain information and to look for more in the same field. It encourages your whole brain to think as it focuses on cortical skills rather than numerical or logical. Color-coding involves using the same color for ideas branching from a single subtopic. It helps your brain shift from topic to topic without being confused or worked out.

5. Add visual signifiers

Using image signifiers works more magic than using words. This is majorly since images tend to communicate more words than words themselves while they are also easy to memorize. The brain processes images instantly, making pictures and visual signifiers to be an important stimuli in recalling information within your mind map. Including pictures in your mind map not only makes your mind map striking but it also aid in your memory.

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