Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping is a useful technique that improves the way you take notes, and supports and enhances your creative problem solving. By using Mind Maps, you can quickly identify and understand the structure of a subject and the way that pieces of information fit together, as well as recording the raw facts contained in normal notes. More than this, Mind Maps provide a structure which encourages creative problem solving, and they hold information in a format that your mind finds easy to remember and quick to review.

Mind mapping is designed to use both sides of your brain—mind mapping involves your right and left brain thinking. The colors and picture drawing are the creative side, the note taking is the analytical side. By involving both sides of your brain you get better retention, more free-flowing ideas and maintain concentration.

Mind mapping been around for a very long time, some trace it back to Leonardo da Vinci, but it wasn’t until the late 1970’s when Tony Buzan, “discovered and labeled the technique” and gave the structure for which a mind map can be created. Buzan claimed the idea was inspired by Alfred Korzybski’s general semantics as popularized in science fiction novels, such as those of Robert A. Heinlein and A. E. van Vogt. He argues that ‘traditional’ outlines rely on the reader to scan left to right and top to bottom, whilst what actually happens is that the brain will scan the entire page in a non-linear fashion. He also uses popular assumptions about the cerebral hemispheres in order to promote the exclusive use of mind mapping over other forms of note making.

Mind maps have many applications in personal, family, educational, and business situations, including note taking, brainstorming (wherein ideas are inserted into the map around the center node, without the implicit prioritization that comes from hierarchy or sequential arrangements, and wherein grouping and organizing is reserved for later stages), summarizing, revising and general clarifying of thoughts.

The old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. When you can only insert one word per branch, sometimes a picture may qualify your word. Besides which, it’s fun and makes the mind map interesting to look at (especially if it’s a resource for studying). The brain likes images.

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