How To Mind Map

Mind Mapping is a simple but often underused tool that can help people complete a variety of tasks, quickly and easily. 

Developed by psychologist and author Tony Buzan in the 1970's as a way of improving learning, Mind Mapping is now used globally - from the boardroom to the classroom - as a way of improving performance, efficiency and personal effectiveness. 

If you are not familiar with a Mind Map, it might look like messy scrawls on a piece of paper.  But to someone who Mind Maps, it actually creates order out of thoughts that can sometimes be chaotic. 

The main point is not how a Mind Map looks, but what it does for you. 

Mind Mapping is a tool that engages both your left and right brain hemispheres.  As a result you actually complete activities effectively and with better quality. 

All you need is blank unlined paper and coloured pens and you're ready to go.  Here are  a few basic rules to follow when Mind Mapping.

1. Turn your paper sideways or landscape.

2. Draw a picture in the centre of the page to capture the topic you are going to Mind Map.  Use at least three colours for the central image. Make it large enough to indicate that it's the topic.

3. Next draw thick, curvy branches radiating outwards from the central image.  These thick branches are called Basic Ordering Ideas, or BOIs.  Think of BOIs as chapter headers.  Ensure that your BOIs are connected to the central image.

4. Write your key word on the branch.  Ensure that the length of the branch is the same length as the branch word above it.

5.  Connect thinner branches from the end of the branch.  These thinner branches act as your second level of thought that are triggered by the main branch or BOI.  Use the same colour for branches radiating from a specific BOI. 

6.  Continue adding further levels of data on subsequent thinner branches as more thoughts come to you.

7. Use images and colour throughout your map.  Where possible use an image instead of a word.

8.  Capture all thoughts, even if it initially seems unrelated to what you are doing. 

9.  Draw arrows or dotted lines to link themes on different branches to indicate that the information is connected.

If you are a beginner at Mind Mapping, it may take some time getting used to the process.   Keep at it,  you'll soon find that the benefits are well worth it!