Learn With Mind Maps Michelle Mapman

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Le arn With MindMaps

How To Enhance Your Me mory, Take Be tte r

Note s, Boost Your Cre ativity, And Gain An Edge

In Work Or School — Easily.

By Michelle Mapman

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FREE BONUS

Thank y ou for purchasing Learn With Mindm aps.

As a thank y ou, y ou can get a FREE y ear’s activation key for Concept Draw. Concept Draw is a lead m indm apping software that ordinarily costs $199.

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To get y our key , j ust go right here and follow the instructions: http://learningwithmindmaps.com/

You’ll be able to get started very quickly .

And it’s a good thing, because m indm apping is a VERY fantastic skill to have.

Why You Should Read This Book

From a very early age, we have been taught WHAT we need to learn -- but never HOW to learn it.

And while we m ay have done OK with that, the truth is -- y ou can unlock y our brain to do MUCH MORE than y ou probably think possible.

But to becom e a successful learner, y ou need som e basic training. And that's where this book com es in.

See, this book will show y ou how to rewire the way y our brain works.

When y ou go through the following pages and im plem ent it, y ou can - and will - drastically im prove y our thinking in school, work, and life.

You'll be able to use the secrets of Leonardo DaVinci and Albert Einstein (who used m ind m aps) to learn m ore m eaningfully , efficiently , and effectively .

You'll be able to speed up y our learning. You'll be significantly m ore creative. You'll know how to think out of the box.

You'll learn to visually organize and integrate inform ation so that y ou can think m ore clearly and powerfully .

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You'll know how to take better, faster, and m ore efficient notes. You'll im prove y our writing, study ing, brainstorm ing, and presenting skills.

You'll increase y our m em ory stam ina, being able to rem em ber far m ore things than y ou thought y ou could before.

You'll be able to break down the "inform ation overload" com ing at y ou and start to break down com plex inform ation -- assim ilating it, and then retaining it.

All of this will give you a cutting edge in school and in the workplace.

And it's exactly what y ou'll get from this book.

It doesn't m atter if y ou're a student, teacher, professional, business owner, or an author --ANYONE who wants change the way they plan and think for the better will get a lot of benefit from this book.

And, to m ake sure y ou fully understand every thing, we have taken each concept and drilled it down into a step-by -step m anner. Every step of the way com es with an illustrated diagram so that y ou fully understand how to do every thing.

So go through… read this book, im plem ent it, and watch things start to m aj orly change for y ou. And don't forget to take advantage of our FREE BONUS at the end -- a full 1 y ear trial of ConceptDraw. Just sign up to our bonus page with y our receipt # and y ou'll get autom atic access. Now, let’s get going…

Please note the inform ation contained within this docum ent is for educational purposes only . Every attem pt has been m ade to provide accurate, up to date and reliable com plete inform ation no warranties of any kind are expressed or im plied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in rendering legal, financial or professional advice.

By reading any docum ent, the reader agrees that under no circum stances are we responsible for 6

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any losses, direct or indirect, which are incurred as a result of use of the inform ation contained within this docum ent, including – but not lim ited to errors, om issions, or inaccuracies.

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Chapter 1: What is Mind Mapping?

You m ay have heard a lot about m indm apping, but y ou m ight not y et know why m ind m aps are absolutely FANTASTIC to use in y our every day life.

Sim ply put – they can increase y our m em ory, help y ou study, let y ou retain books better, and really j ust start to im prove every single area of y our life.

Let’s go over exactly what a m indm ap is, first, and then we’ll go over how y ou can use one to im prove y our life.

See, m ind m apping is when an idea, word, or concept is explored through a diagram . For exam ple, m ay be som eone wants to go through and explore a book that they j ust read. They would put the nam e of the book in the center of the m ind m ap and the supporting ideas and concepts are added through lines, circles, squares, im ages or shapes.

Inform ation is highlighted by the use of color and other creative uses of the different elem ents used in the m ind m ap.

They can either be done by hand or by using software but the ultim ate goal is to flesh out a central idea or concept visually .

Many of us have used m ind m aps in som e form or fashion without realizing we were doing it. If y ou’ve ever been in a class or workshop where the person leading it drew a central concept on the board then connected related concepts to it using lines, then y ou’ve experienced a m ind m ap. Most likely it was a very sim ple form but it was one nonetheless.

Mind m aps have been in existence for m any decades and were born out of other sim ilar concepts that have been around m uch longer.

History of Mind Maps

A m ind m ap is a ty pe of spider diagram .

A spider diagram is an extension of a Venn or Euler diagram which is a diagram that shows all of the possible relationships between a specific set of obj ects.

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Venn diagram s have been around since the late 1800’s and were first used by John Venn. They are diagram s that use circles to analy ze different probability propositions. They are used m ost com m only in the fields of probability, logic, statistics, linguistics and com puter science. Euler diagram s also use circles to analy ze the relationship between a set of obj ects. The first use of Euler diagram s is ty pically associated with Leonhard Euler who lived during the 1700’s. Venn diagram s are very closely associated with Euler diagram s also referred to as Eulerian circles.

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Figure 1-2 Venn Diagram

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Figure 1-3 Euler Diagram Figure 1-1 and 1-2 are exam ples of Venn diagram s. Figure 1-1 is a very sim plistic Venn diagram with two different sets. It can be used to analy ze the points where two different obj ects have shared sim ilarities. Figure 1-2 is a m ore com plex Venn diagram with three different sets which are used to analy ze how the three different sets intersect with each other.

Figure 1-3 is a Euler diagram . You can see how they both involve circles but in slightly different way s. While a Venn diagram highlights all possibilities that are present between the different sets being explored, Euler diagram s highlight a subset of the possibilities that are present between the different sets. With Euler diagram s, certain possibilities m ay not be highlighted at all. The spider diagram is an expansion of the Venn and Euler diagram s that adds existential points to them using branches to link the different sets together. Spider diagram s expand on the black and white com parisons of Venn and Euler diagram s and adds an “or” com ponent. For exam ple, if a Venn diagram is analy zing the sim ilarities between dogs and horses, the spider diagram would address those sim ilarities between dogs and horses and add in cats to the m ix. It essentially provides the opportunity for y ou to address m ore com plex probability theories like those found in “if…then” situations.

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Figure 1-4 Spider Diagram A m ind m ap looks m uch m ore like a spider diagram than a Venn or Euler diagram but rather than having m ultiple sets or obj ects being analy zed, it has one single obj ect that is being fleshed out m ore fully through the branches.

The term m ind m ap was first popularized in the 1970’s by Tony Buzan a psy chology author and television personality with a television series that aired on BBC TV called Use Your Head . Through this series and the com panion book series, Buzan introduced and popularized the term m ind m ap. The idea was inspired, in large part, by the concept of general sem antics which was developed by Alfred Korzy bski. The principles of general sem antics explain that hum an beings

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are lim ited in what they know by their own experiences and personal instincts. That is a very oversim plified explanation of general sem antics as I understand it. Through general sem antics, Korzy bski suggests that we approach life with an attitude of “I don’t know. Let’s see.” This m eans giving y ourself the ability to consider that y ou don’t autom atically know every thing. It also m eans that y ou open y our m ind to possibilities that lie outside of y our sphere of experience. General sem antics suggests that because of our language and our pre-disposed notions we experience world through a filter that alters our ability to truly face reality. There are som e tools that are suggested to help som eone practice general sem antics.

1. Sit in silence

By taking the tim e to sit in silence and truly consider what’s happening in the world, a person can look past those barriers that cause us to view the world through our own perspective. It isn’t that m uch different than intentional m editation where y ou are focused on receiving the true reality of the world.

2. E-prim e

E-prim e is short for English Prim e. E-prim e is a prescriptive version of the English language without all form s of the verb “to be”. It was proposed by Dr. David Bourland, Jr. as an addition to general sem antics after the death of Korzy bski. Dr. Bourland studied under Korzy bski and suggested E-prim e as a way to enforce the teachings of general sem antics. He com piled and published three volum es of essay s to support E-prim e. To Be or Not: An E-Prime Anthology, More E-Prime: To Be or Not II: 1994 and E-Prime III: a third anthology: 1997.

These are j ust two of the m ore sim ple tools used to enforce the teachings of general sem antics which is a teaching largely used in different areas of education that involve com m unication like j ournalism . Buzan worked as an educational consultant and wrote several books on various aspects of the brain as it relates to m em ory. He created m ind m apping as a way to better reflect how the m ind works to receive and process inform ation. His theory was based on the idea that when readers scan a page they do it in a non-linear fashion that isn’t reflected in the traditional way that inform ation is shared in the written form especially through outlines.

Forms of Visualization

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visually outline inform ation as it relates to a specific concept. There are other form s of visualization that are routinely used to take a concept from the idea phase into the execution phase.

Concept Maps

Concept m aps are diagram s that show the relationship between concepts. It’s a graphical tool used to organize knowledge.

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Figure 1-5 Concept Map As shown in Figure 1-5 a concept m ap analy zes m ultiple concepts ty pically using boxes or circles that are connected using arrows that have been labeled with linking phrases in a downward structure. Unlike a m ind m ap, a concept m ap isn’t based on

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a central idea. It involves m ultiple ideas that are analy zed as they relate to other ideas.

Modelling Graphs

Graphs that are created with the idea of indicating a relationship between different obj ects are considered m odelling graphs. These are ty pically fairly straight forward and the relationship is indicated with black lines. They differ from m ind m aps because m ind m aps do indicate relationship but as it is analy zed within the m ental context of the person creating the m ind m ap. While there is a procedure for creating a m ind m ap, the way it looks will vary depending on what’s being analy zed and who’s doing it.

Figure 1-6 Modelling Graph or Graphical Model

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Concept m aps and m odelling graphs both analy ze concepts and inform ation but unlike m ind m aps, they have a very specific construct and purpose that lim its the way the analy sis will take place. Mind m aps are created to follow the flow of the brain of the person creating it. So while it does have a structure, m uch like that of the concept m aps and m odeling graphs, its structure is m ore flexible. Mind m apping can be a very powerful tool to create structure and organization around a central them e. While the m ost obvious use for a m ind m ap would be in the brainstorm ing process, I’m going to go into further detail and show y ou how they can be used for m any other practical applications.

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Chapter 2: Why Should I Use Mind Mapping?

Now that y ou have som e insight into what m ind m aps are and where they com e from , y ou m ay be wondering why y ou should use one. There are m any reasons that I will get into shortly. But first I have a few questions for y ou.

1. Have y ou ever had an idea that y ou wanted to explore but got stuck in the process? 2. Do y ou ever wish y our m em ory was better?

3. Have y ou ever wished y ou were m ore organized?

4. Is y our desk at hom e/work a m ess of papers that y ou have to sift through every tim e y ou need som ething?

If y ou answered y es to any of these questions, then y ou can benefit from using a m ind m ap. If y ou answered no to all of these questions, y ou can still benefit from m ind m aps. The great thing about m ind m aps is that they are designed to be user friendly and work in a wide variety of situations.

Improves memory

Do you feel like your memory was great as a kid but got

progressively less effective as you aged?

I think m ost of us feel this way at one point or another in our lives. But age is not entirely the cause. The reason y ou were able to rem em ber so well as a kid is largely because y ou didn’t have a lot of inform ation to retain. Your brain was a virtual clean slate so the inform ation that y ou received was able to be fully processed and retained. As y ou age the am ount of inform ation y ou receive increases exponentially. You go from only having to focus on play to having to focus on school which gets progressively m ore com plex as y ou go from elem entary school to college. Then once y ou finish college, y ou have to focus on y our j ob, y our fam ily and y our daily responsibilities. Toss in there our need for socialization and activity and y ou add friends and hobbies to that list. When y ou really take a m om ent to think (It’s ok, y ou can do that here), y ou have a lot of inform ation in y our m ind at any given m om ent and all of it is im portant to y ou for som e reason or another.

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No wonder we becom e m ore forgetful as we age. We go from a very singular focus to a m ulti focused lifesty le and fill our brains with a lot of facts and inform ation that can be j um bled together depending on how we receive and process it. So give y ourself a break. You’re probably not as forgetful as y ou think. You are j ust being bom barded with inform ation and not allowing y ourself the tim e to process it properly. But now that y ou are aware that inform ation overload could be the reason why y our m em ory isn’t as good as it used to be, y ou m ay be wondering how to fix it.

1. Focus and concentrate

One of the biggest reasons why we lose our ability to rem em ber things is because we’re not actively focusing on the inform ation when we receive it. How m any tim es have y ou been told som ething while y ou were doing som ething else? When y ou tried to think back to rem em ber, y our m ind seem s to go blank and y ou blam e it on y our bad m em ory before m oving on to the next thing. It’s not y our m em ory that’s bad. It’s y our level of concentration and focus. I can’t help but blam e som e of this on the increased popularity of m ulti-tasking. Yes it is som etim es im portant to j uggle m ultiple tasks at once but there are m any people who have m ade m ulti-tasking a way of life. This is highly inefficient because y ou are essentially splitting y our attention between m ultiple things as a habit. Multi-tasking is valuable when y ou’re doing things that don’t require a lot of in depth thought. For exam ple if y ou need to do a large m ailing, it’s very possible to stuff envelopes while y ou have a conversation with som eone else. Stuffing envelopes doesn’t require m uch advanced thought and once y ou get into a rhy thm , it becom es an autom atic process. The challenge com es when y ou are having a conversation while reading. Both tasks require som e level of advanced thought and focus. If y ou try to do them sim ultaneously under the guise of m ulti-tasking, y ou m ay look up and realize that y ou didn’t retain any inform ation from either the conversation or the passage y ou were reading. When y ou m ulti-task, y our productivity drops by 40%. Your brain is actually unable to truly process doing two or m ore things at one tim e. Rather, it switches back and forth between the different tasks y ou’re tackling. So rather than being m ore efficient, y ou are really j ust splitting y our brain waves. We

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have to take the tim e to truly focus on the inform ation that we need to receive and process. But this doesn’t m ean that y ou have to take several m inutes to do this. Oftentim es it only takes a few seconds to stop, receive the inform ation and process it. Then y ou can m ove on to som ething else. But in this case when y ou need to recall the inform ation, y ou’ll find it m uch easier.

2. Use association and grouping

When y ou have to rem em ber som ething, especially when it’s som ething new and unfam iliar, one of the easiest way s is to associate it with som ething y ou already know. You can associate it with a specific word or an experience. Any thing y ou can use that will connect the concept in y our brain will m ake it easier to recall later. Once we’ve retained a specific piece of inform ation, it becom es a part of our internal knowledge bank. If we’re able to tie new inform ation to our knowledge bank, it’s easier to rem em ber. Henry Markram at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne conducted a study of the neurons in the brain that process and retain inform ation. He discovered that although the brain is m alleable and can grow and change as we do, the inform ation we receive is organized m ore structurally like in lego blocks. He found and coined the “com m on neighbor rule”: the chance that any two neurons are linked, and the strength of the bridge between them, is directly proportional to number of neighbors they share. Essentially, if the inform ation y ou receive is sim ilar to inform ation y ou already know, it will be strengthened in y our knowledge base and be retained m ore effectively than inform ation that is com pletely foreign to y ou. So by associating or grouping new inform ation with old knowledge, y ou increase y our likelihood of rem em bering it.

3. Use m ore than one of y our senses

We have five senses; sight, sound, touch, taste and feel. The m ore senses we engage at any given m om ent the m ore m em orable that m om ent becom es. This is why actions speak louder than words. When som eone tells y ou som ething, they ’re only engaging y our sense of sound. When som eone does som ething to or for y ou,

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they ’re engaging y our sense of sight, touch and feeling as well as sound. They m ay even be engaging y our sense of taste depending on the situation. Have y ou ever heard the popular say ing “People will forget what y ou say but they will never forget how y ou m ade them feel”. This is because feeling is a powerful experiential based sense.

When y ou want to rem em ber som ething, look for way s to stim ulate m ore than one of y our senses. For exam ple, if y ou have a passage of text to m em orize, try reading it aloud. Then try reading it while picturing the words in y our m ind. By engaging both y our sense of sound and sense of sight, y ou increase y our chances of rem em bering the inform ation m ore quickly. The next tim e y ou try to recite the passage y ou will probably find it easier to recall. Another technique that involves utilizing m ultiple senses are m nem onic devices.

Mnem onic devices are sim ple tools and clues that can be used to rem em ber things. You can use visual cues. For exam ple, if y ou m eet a wom an nam ed Daisy who has a daisy in her hair, y ou can rem em ber the flower and the wom an with the picture of the daisy. You can also use sentences or acrony m s with the first letter of each word being the first letter of som ething y ou want to rem em ber. For exam ple, ROY G. BIV which is the acrony m nam e used to rem em ber the colors in the rainbow. Red, Orange, Yellow, G reen,

Blue , Indigo, Violet. Or there’s Eve r y G o o d Bo y Do e s Fine to

rem em ber the m usic notes of a treble clef. Another popular m nem onic device is rhy m e or song. One of the way s that y oung kids are taught the alphabet is through the Alphabet Song which is sim ply a sing song version of the letters of the alphabet. But I can bet that m any of y ou have to sing the alphabet song to rem em ber specific letters even after y ou’re out of pre-school.

4. Focus on basic ideas and concepts

If y ou have to rem em ber inform ation that is com plex and m ulti-lay ered, it’s best to focus on the basic ideas rather than try ing to rem em ber the m ore com plex concepts right away. Most tim es

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really com plicated inform ation is sim ply m ultiple basic concepts lay ered over one another. So if y ou’re able to identify and rem em ber the basic concepts, y ou can then use association to figure out how those basic ideas work together to becom e the m ore com plex inform ation. Som etim es the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a tim e. Taking large, com plex bits of data and breaking it into sm aller pieces will definitely m ake it easier to digest. 5. Relax and take y our tim e

Try ing to rem em ber som ething when y ou’re under stress is never going to be truly effective. You m ight succeed at m em orizing it in the m om ent but any long term use of that knowledge is going to be virtually nonexistent. Yes, there are som e people that can excel in high stress situations but when y our body is at a heightened state of phy sical and m ental arousal, what y ou tend to rem em ber after it has returned to norm al is the feeling and the experience, not necessarily the inform ation.

Im proving m em ory is a skill that can be taught and fine-tuned. For those of y ou who have j ust decided that y ou have a bad m em ory, y ou probably don’t. You j ust don’t use y our good m em ory very effectively. If y ou take the tim e to im prove y our m em ory, y ou’ll realize that y our brain capacity is m uch greater than y ou initially thought.

Enhances creativity

The ability to be creative is a skill that every one possesses whether y ou believe it or not. Being creative is sim ply the ability to com e up with ideas. Even if y ou don’t have ideas all the tim e, y ou do have them . Creativity can be com ing up with a slight change to m ake to a pre-existing concept or it can m ean com ing up with an idea wholly from scratch. Many people assum e that creative people are only those that pursue artistic endeavors like painting, writing, sculpting, designing, but that’s not the case. The sam e ty pe of creativity it takes to create a beautiful sculpture is the sam e ty pe that it takes to build a com puter. The artistic people j ust express their creativity in an often colorful way. Granted those people tend to have higher levels of creativity but it’s often because they actively nurtured that spark throughout the y ears. Any skill y ou discover needs to be nurtured and practiced in order for it to

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becom e stronger. If y ou’ve ever watched two children play, y ou will see creativity in m otion. You rarely see one child stop and say, “I’m not very creative so y ou com e up with the gam e.” Yes there will inevitably be one child that will control the direction of the gam e and how it’s play ed but in order for the other child to participate, creative thinking m ust take place.

Mind m apping is an effective way to enhance creativity. In order to fully flesh out a m ind m ap as it relates to a particular concept, y ou will have to think creatively . 1. Organize y our thoughts

Often we have ideas that pop in our heads but we m ay not act on them because they m ay j ust seem like random thoughts. Som etim es a fleeting thought can turn into the next great invention if y ou’re able to flesh it out properly. Mind m aps m ake it possible for y ou to work through a sim ple concept and turn it into som ething that can be executed.

2. Broaden y our ideas

It’s possible that y our idea isn’t a great one or isn’t going to be possible to execute but it doesn’t m ean that the idea is useless. You can extend the idea by considering different elem ents and breaking it down into sm aller parts. A m ind m ap can be very valuable in helping y ou extend ideas and m ake them feasible for execution.

3. Whole brain thinking

While m ost of us are considered either right brain oriented or left brain oriented, it’s beneficial to be able to utilize the attributes of both sides of the brain. Because m ind m aps include pictures, words, colors and shapes, it appeals to both sides of the brain and can stim ulate them in tandem . This can go a long way towards expanding any creative notions y ou m ay have and turning them into tangible obj ects.

Creativity is som ething we can all benefit from whether y ou want to write the next great Am erican novel or be the best Accountant at y our firm . Creative thinking gives us the ability to consider options outside of the status quo and that’s definitely a skill worth fine tuning.

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More compatible with brain - balances brain

As I said in the previous section about creativity, m ind m aps include so m any different features that it does a great j ob of stim ulating both sides of the brain. People have been m ost com m only referred to as either right brain oriented or left brain oriented which is usually how we describe which part of their personality is dom inant. The right brain deals with cognitive skills and holistic thought. Right brained people tend to be m ore im aginative, intuitive, artistic and em otional. The right brain also controls the left side of the body so right brained people are very likely to be left handed. On the flip side, the left brain deals with analy tic thought. Left brained people tend to be m ore logical, practical, scientific and rational. The left brain also controls the right side of the body so left brained people are very likely to be right handed.

However, it is possible for people to be able to access both sides of their brain and use them interchangeably. It m ay take som e work to think outside of the realm of what’s com fortable. It’s very beneficial to be able to access and take advantage of the side of y our brain that y ou don’t norm ally access.

Using m ind m aps can go a long way towards m aking it easier for y ou to think both logically and thoughtfully which can benefit y ou in both y our professional and personal life. The structure of the m ind m ap with its different shapes and colors appeal to y our creative nature while the structure of it appeals to y our logical side. Just by the virtue of the way it is created, m ind m aps do a lot towards getting us to use our whole brain.

Brainstorming

Brainstorm ing is a very valuable tool when it com es to creating and fleshing out ideas. Most often brainstorm ing sessions are done by a group of people and are a great way to create a pool of ideas to work from . They ’re also great for solving specific problem s or answering specific questions. A m ind m ap can be drawn while in a group brainstorm session and can really help with getting down ideas in a rapid fire m anner. When a group is brainstorm ing, the ideas can com e really quickly and being able to write them down using key words and linking them together with lines and arrows in shapes. It can even begin to feel a little like a gam e if y ou use different colored m arkers to create the m ap.

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When y ou’re having a solo brainstorm ing session, it can be tough to generate ideas in the sam e way since it’s all com ing from one person. However, a m ind m ap can help to facilitate that thought process and inspire the creation of m ultiple ideas. There are different ty pes of brainstorm ing sessions that can be done using m ind m apping.

1. Team idea m apping

A group com es together to work on a particular concept. Each m em ber of the group com es up with som e ideas individually then each person’s ideas are shared for the group to discuss them collectively. A m ind m ap can be drawn illustrating how each idea relates to the central concept. The m ap will present a visual representation of what the entire group is thinking and can be used to quickly identify ideas that are m ost appropriate.

2. Individual brainstorm ing

As stated above, an individual brainstorm ing session can be done using a m ind m ap as a way to inspire creative thinking in the m om ent. Som e other form s of individual brainstorm ing are free writing and word association but m ind m apping can be a com bination of the two. It also m akes it easier for the individual to share the brainstorm ing results with other individuals afterwards.

3. Question brainstorm ing

Rather than focusing on solutions, som etim es it can be j ust as effective to focus on questions. Doing a brainstorm ing session centered on the questions that can be raised is a great way to determ ine all of the potential problem s or challenges that m ay need to be solved and address them in advance. Using a m ind m ap to organize the questions can help to begin to create a fram ework for potential solutions because the m ap will show how each question can link to a singular issue. In a question brainstorm ing session, it’s entirely possible that there m ight be m ultiple m ind m aps.

Brainstorm ing is a valuable idea creation or ideation tool. It’s im portant to take the tim e to consider all of the possible options regardless of consequence or outcom e in

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som e situations. The great thing about brainstorm ing with a m ind m ap is that it helps to facilitate the creative process and get the m ental j uices flowing but the inform ation is presented in an organized fashion that can be considered and discussed later.

Emphasizes associations

Word associations are very valuable in im proving m em ory and recollection of facts. When we associate new inform ation with inform ation we already know, it m akes it easier to incorporate it into our knowledge bank. Word association is a big part of how m ind m aps are created. Because m ind m aps require y ou to use m eaningful key words, it’s im portant to be able to associate those words in a way that y ou can use after y ou’ve created the m ind m ap.

Plus it’s im portant to be able to consider all facets of an idea as well as any related ideas. It can be tough to realistically address related ideas and concepts when y ou’re im m ersed in one particular thought pool. Mind m aps can be very valuable in highlighting and em phasizing associated ideas in a way that is visually appealing. This is especially helpful when y ou’re stuck on som ething and need som e inspiration to push through a block or answer a particularly challenging question. Because m ind m aps are essentially inform ational pictures, j ust by looking at one and focusing on the area that y ou want to solve, y ou can be struck by inspiration. This isn’t alway s the case when y ou’re looking at a list or even a chart. Not only do m ind m aps feature im portant key words, they also feature colors and direct links between concepts.

The different visual cues in a m ind m ap are there to inspire thoughtful consideration while it’s being created as well as afterwards. So it stands to reason that even after a m ind m ap has been created it can still continue to inspire creative problem solving.

Simplifies complicated info

Mind m aps don’t m ake it possible for y ou to write long sentences explaining specific concepts. You are only allowed to use key words so essentially it forces y ou to cull things down to the sim plest factor possible. When y ou’re working with com plex topics, it’s easy to get caught up in the com plexity of the situation and spend a lot of tim e discussing that rather than really focusing on the root of the

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concept. Most com plex topics are sim ply a com bination of sim pler topics lay ered over one another.

For exam ple, earlier in this book I discussed one of the root ideas that inspired the creation of m ind m aps, general sem antics. Upon first consideration, general sem antics is a highly com plex concept that would be tough for m ost people to truly understand. However, if y ou break it down into the sim plest pieces, it’s essentially a study of how people receive and share inform ation. It’s also a study of how people perceive the inform ation they share and receive. Those are two sim ple concepts that m ost people can understand fairly quickly but when those concepts are lay ered over one another, it becom es m uch m ore com plex and potentially confusing. If I were to define general sem antics as it’s explained in Wikipedia, it’s m uch m ore com plicated.

“General semantics is a program begun in the 1920s that seeks to regulate the evaluative operations perform ed in the hum an brain.”

What?! If y ou’re not a scientist or a science professional, y ou probably don’t have any idea what general sem antics is after reading the above definition. But if y ou’d taken this concept and drawn a m ind m ap, it would have given y ou the ability to dissect this concept and m ake it easier to understand. Usually a com plex concept j ust needs to be carefully dissected with the goal of sim plify ing it. Mind m aps are created to take one concept and break it down into as m any pieces as are applicable which can lead to the sim plification or expansion of any idea.

Faster to take and review notes

Note taking can be a com plicated and overwhelm ing process, especially if y ou have to take a lot of notes at one tim e. One of the challenges of taking notes is reviewing them afterward. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spent tim e taking what I thought were am azingly detailed notes only to discover that I can’t m ake sense of them later. Using a m ind m ap to take notes m akes it m uch easier to review them later. In fact, there are som e great way s that any one can use a m ind m ap for note taking but I will address that in a later chapter. The m ain purpose here is to highlight the value of m ind m aps in note taking.

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This topic is pretty m uch a no brainer, right? Mind m aps can help with brainstorm ing, sim plify ing com plicated ideas and taking notes. It stands to reason that it im proves learning. However, there are som e m ore specific way s this can happen. I’ll discuss those in a later chapter and really dive into them .

At least one of these reasons should have resonated with y ou if not all of them . Mind m aps are very valuable tools that can go a long way towards im proving how y ou think and com m unicate. Not only can m ind m aps work in situations where y ou need to retain and organize inform ation, they can also work really well in business. Many of the tasks required to run a business require a lot of planning and processing. Mind m aps can be very helpful with this im portant aspect of owning and running a business. Any tim e y ou need to organize inform ation or m ap out im portant processes, a m ind m ap can really help with that.

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Chapter 3: Elements of a Mind Map

I hope y ou’re excited to get started creating m ind m aps of y our own. I’ve provided a couple of exam ples but if y ou’ve never done one, even the sim plest m ind m ap can be overwhelm ing. However, once y ou understand the fundam ental elem ents of a m ind m ap y ou’ll be creating them in no tim e.

1. Words

The m ind m ap will start with one word, which will be the central concept. Then it will be expanded using other words that relate to the central concept. Make sure these words are sim ple and don’t overwhelm the m ap. You have to focus on using as few words as possible. The point of the m ind m ap isn’t to write a paragraph. The point is to expand a topic in a way that is succinct and easy to understand at a glance.

2. Lines

Lines are the connectors of a m ind m ap. They also help to highlight the words that y ou are using to expand the central concept. When y ou write the connecting thoughts, y ou should put them on one line while connecting them to the central concept using another line.

3. Shapes

Shapes can be used with words or in place of them on the m ind m ap. They are tools that can be used to separate different ideas or group sim ilar ideas together. Look for way s to incorporate shapes into the m ind m ap when possible. 4. Sy m bols and Im ages

Because a m ind m ap is a visual tool, it’s im portant to incorporate sy m bols and im ages in with the words, shapes and lines. Be creative in how y ou represent different ideas and concepts.

5. Colors

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and highlight ideas and concepts that com e while y ou’re creating the m ind m ap. Mind m aps are supposed to be m ulti-colored creations so don’t shy away from using color.

When y ou’re creating y our m ind m ap y ou want to do it in a sty le that is m ost m eaningful to y ou. While it’s im portant to follow the set structure in order to m ake it an effective m ind m ap, it’s j ust as im portant to create it according to y our personal preferences. The purpose of the m ind m ap is to analy ze inform ation but if y ou don’t understand it when it’s finished then the analy sis won’t happen and the purpose will have been lost. The m ain thing to keep in m ind is to let the m ind m ap go where the creative energy takes it. Don’t try to force it into a specific shape. But it is im portant that y ou use the different shapes, colors, words and lines with a specific focus. You want to understand what each color, shape, sy m bol and im age m ean when y ou’re reading the m ap later so it’s im portant that the use is clear. Rem em ber that the ultim ate goal of a m ind m ap is to analy ze a concept thoroughly. Don’t m ake it so convoluted that the ultim ate purpose is lost in translation but don’t m ake it so black and white that the visual nature of the m ind m ap isn’t fully exploited.

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Chapter 4: How to Make a Basic Mind Map

Mind m aps are fairly easy to construct logistically. The m agic of m ind m aps lie in the use of them . So I’m going to give y ou the steps y ou would use to create a basic m ind m ap. When y ou’re starting out with m ind m aps and figuring out how to best use them , y ou should do it in the sim plest way possible. If y ou are very com puter savvy and can process new ideas while learning new software, there are som e m ind m apping software program s y ou could use. I’ll discuss som e of those in a later chapter. But if y ou prefer to put pen to paper, y ou can create y our m ind m ap by hand. Regardless of how y ou create the m ind m ap, there are som e basic steps to keep in m ind.

1. Start with a central concept

You want to m ake sure that y ou have a firm concept that y ou will be analy zing with the m ind m ap. Make sure the concept is broad enough that y ou can flesh out the m ind m ap in a way that is beneficial. However y ou want to m ake sure the concept is narrow enough not to cause y ou to end up with m ultiple m ind m aps. You want to dive into one topic and go as deep as y ou can go without it being m uddied with another topic.

2. Write down the different ideas related to the concept

Write down the words that com e to m ind as they relate to the central concept. Link those words to the central concept using lines and underline the words. Use single words and keep them down to the bare m inim um . Use upper and lower case letters to em phasize specific points. Most m ind m aps are about key words, not phrases or sentences so m ake the m ost of those key words. There are som e exceptions to this rule that I will discuss later but to start, work on focusing on key words. 3. Use im ages and sy m bols in place of words

Whenever possible, use im ages and sy m bols instead of words. It’s ok if y ou don’t draw. You can use very basic stick figure im ages or sim ple sy m bols. The point is for y ou to add a visual elem ent to the m ind m ap to com m unicate a point. 4. Use shapes to group sets of words or im ages

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relationship between them . For exam ple, if y ou’re exploring a specific area of the central topic y ou could put all of those words and im ages in squares. Then if y ou’re exploring another area, y ou could put all of those words and im ages in circles. If y ou’re feeling creative, y ou could use less standard shapes like stars but the m ain goal is to give y our m ind m ap an interesting look.

5. Incorporate colors to show relationships

It’s im portant that y ou use m ultiple colors in y our m ind m ap. You should use a m inim um of three colors but look for way s to use m ore. The colors should be used in addition to shapes, sy m bols and im ages not instead of. Be creative with y our use of color.

Once y ou’ve followed these steps, y ou’re on y our way to creating a basic m ind m ap. This will give y ou the opportunity to get m ore com fortable using m ind m aps in the m ost practical way. The m ost im portant thing to rem em ber is that y ou’re not j ust creating a pretty picture. You’re creating a visual exam ple of how y our m ind processes inform ation as it relates to the central concept.

Below are som e exam ples of basic m ind m aps.

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Figure 4-1 Mind Map about Vacation Plans The m ind m ap in Figure 4-1 is fairly sim plistic. It doesn’t use a lot of colors or shapes but it still does a great j ob of fully fleshing out the plan for a vacation. In this form , the m ind m ap is essentially a creative list. But rather than creating six separate lists, this m ind m ap incorporates them all into one docum ent that can be seen at a glance. If this m ind m ap is for a large fam ily vacation, it would be m uch easier to share it with m ultiple parties than several different lists.

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Figure 4-2 Mind Map about Mind Mapping The m ind m ap in Figure 4-2 is one about m ind m apping. It’s also very sim ple, using only one color, a couple of shapes, lines and words. However sim plistic it is, the use of short phrases m akes it still very easy to understand. Because a m ind m ap is a som ewhat com plex concept to consider, phrases m ay be m ore helpful in fully analy zing them but the phrases are still very short.

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Figure 4-3 Mind Map to Plan a Board Meeting The m ind m ap in Figure 4-3 doesn’t use any color. It focuses on using lines to outline the different parts of a m eeting need to be considered. It’s breaking down the different things that need to be considered in a m onthly board m eeting. This ty pe of m ind m ap is one way to begin introducing them in m ore corporate environm ents. Som etim es business people m ay shy away from things that are too bright and colorful or overly creative. By creating a basic m ind m ap this way, y ou will be able to take advantage of its benefits while not alienating the people y ou m ay have to share it with.

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Figure 4-4 Character Developm ent Mind Map The m ind m ap in Figure 4-4 was created to develop a character that the author is going to be

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writing about. While it’s m uch m ore colorful than the other basic m ind m aps, it also qualifies as a basic m ind m ap because color is the prevailing tool that is used. The different sections are represented by different color lines and different sizes and caps use in the words. It is possible to have a basic m ind m ap that is colorful but still not overwhelm ingly full of detail.

Basic m ind m aps work best when analy zing a topic with only a few areas the need to be analy zed. For exam ple, if y ou look at the vacation m ind m ap, y ou’ll notice that it relates to a very specific vacation. It’s not a general m ind m ap about vacations overall. This is a great m ind m ap to use when y ou’re planning som ething very specific. It helps y ou to work through all of the details as they relate to what y ou’re planning.

When y ou’re doing a basic m ind m ap, it’s best not to get to elaborate. Keep the colors down to three or less and keep the graphic elem ents m inim al. You m ay want to keep the font of y our words consistent and focus on using colors and shapes to group topics. However, if y ou want to get creative with one tool while creating the m ap don’t get creative with m any others. For exam ple in Figure 4-4, the creator used color and text form atting as the m ain areas to be creative with. So in the end, it’s still basic but m ore colorful. This is why basic m ind m aps are ideal for beginners. You can get used to the structure and how they work in a way that is easy to understand and create.

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Chapter 5: How to Make an Advanced Mind Map

In Chapter 4, I discussed how to m ake a basic m ind m ap that can be used to address m ore sim plistic topics and is also good practice for beginners. At som e point y ou will want to expand y our use of the m ind m ap and I wanted to introduce som e of the m ore com plex elem ents y ou would find in an advanced m ind m ap. Since m ind m aps can seem advanced and com plex for users who don’t have a lot of experience with them , I’m going to do a com parison to best highlight the differences.

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Figure 5-1 Basic Mind Map In Figure 5-1 (which is Figure 4-1 from Chapter 4), this is an exam ple of a basic m ind m ap. It is fairly sim ple in form at and concept. It’s been created to plan a vacation and consider the different areas of planning. While it m ay look fairly com plex, in the world of m ind m aps, it’s m uch m ore basic.

1. Color

Color is an im portant elem ent in m ind m aps but this one is alm ost com pletely devoid of color. The only color is in the central concept area and the rest of the m ap is in black text.

2. Lines

While this m ind m ap does m ake good use of lines to both connect and highlight the different topics, they ’re done in a way that is fairly sim ple to understand. The connecting lines are singular in nature and are the root of the m ind m ap, effectively illustrating the im portant points of the m ap.

3. Shapes

This m ind m ap has one shape, a circle that is used to highlight the m ain concept. 4. Words

This m ind m ap uses words in different form ats to differentiate between topic headings and sub headings. If y ou look, y ou’ll notice that the topic headings are in all caps while the sub headings are in initial caps.

Ultim ately this m ind m ap in Figure 5-1 has only four elem ents and they ’re all used fairly sparingly. The one elem ent that is used in different way s is words which m ake for a pretty basic m ind m ap. Now let’s look at an advanced m ind m ap.

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Figure 5-2 Advanced Mind Map Figure 5-2 is an exam ple of an advanced m ind m ap and y ou can easily see the difference between it and the one in Figure 5-1. But the thing to understand is why this one is m ore advanced and how the different elem ents are being used to analy ze the topic. If y ou notice this is another m ind m ap about m ind m aps. As y ou begin to gain a better understanding of how m ind m aps work I wanted it to do double duty. You’ll be able to com e back to these m ind m aps and use them as references for content as well as form at. But now let’s dive into this m ind m ap and discuss what m akes it advanced.

1. Color

This m ind m ap is m ore colorful than the one in Figure 5-1. It has about eleven different colors in it (possibly m ore if y ou consider different shades of one color a different color) but each color serves a purpose. Not only does it help to m ake the m ind m ap m ore interesting to look at, it highlights different elem ents of the m ap and underscores their im portance. Before y ou begin to really analy ze or read the m ind m ap, y our ey e will be drawn to the colored elem ents. This use of color affects how any given person will interact with the m ap based on what y our ey e is drawn to first.

2. Lines

The lines in this m ind m ap are m uch m ore com plex than in the basic one. Not only are they radiating out from the different topics, they are also used as links between topics and are curved to highlight different term s.

3. Shapes

This m ind m ap doesn’t use a lot of shapes but there are a few different ones that are m ixed in with the different im ages. There are also arrows incorporated into the m ind m ap which serve to further highlight specific topics covered.

4. Words

As with other m ind m aps, this one uses key words to identify different topics while supporting the im ages, lines and shapes used throughout. The words are consistently all caps.

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5. Im ages

Unlike the basic m ind m ap this one m akes use of different im ages to organize and em phasize different topics.

This advanced m ind m ap covers a lot m ore topics using the all of the sam e tools as the basic m ind m ap with one addition. However, it’s still fairly easy to understand what the m ap is com m unicating to the reader.

More advanced m ind m aps are necessary when y ou are analy zing concepts that are m ore com plex and m ay require instruction or additional insight. With the basic m ind m ap, it’s essentially a list m aker that m akes it possible for y ou to analy ze m ultiple lists at once. With an advanced m ind m ap, it’s m ore about dissecting a topic and using the links, im ages, colors and words to sim plify the topic.

Below are som e additional exam ples of advanced m ind m aps.

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Figure 5-3 Creativity Mind Map The m ind m ap in Figure 5-3 is a hand drawn one that m akes full use of color, shapes, im ages, words and lines. As a m ind m ap that analy zes the creativity and im agination, it’s definitely very im aginative. In spite of all of the inform ation and creativity included, it’s still clear and easy to read. It’s im portant to rem em ber that clarity is m ost im portant when creating a m ind m ap no m atter how creative it is.

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Figure 5-4 Stress Managem ent Mind Map The m ind m ap in Figure 5-4 provides tips on how to deal with stress. It has a LOT of detail and uses im ages, colors, shapes, lines and words to dissect stress and offer tips on how to m anage it. This kind of m ind m ap could easily overwhelm som eone new to the concept but as y ou get m ore com fortable with it, y ou’ll begin to see the value in this ty pe of m ap. It provides a lot of valuable inform ation at a glance. If y ou were to write all of this out using sentences, y ou would have a m ulti-page docum ent. In this form it can be very easily shared with a large group of people.

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Figure 5-5 Behavioral Program Mind Map The m ind m ap in Figure 5-5 breaks down a program designed to change a person’s behavior. Because this ty pe of program can be very com plex and involve m any different factors, this m ind m ap is guaranteed to be an advanced one. By using colors, shapes, sy m bols, im ages and words, it addresses the different program elem ents effectively. Much like the m ind m ap in Figure 5-4, if this one were written out using words it would be a m ulti-page docum ent. However, these ty pes of program s often need to be pitched to m ultiple people before they can be introduced. By using a m ind m ap, all of the inform ation is presented without being overwhelm ing. Plus it’s m uch easier to share this with m ultiple people.

If y ou look at the above m ind m aps, y ou’ll notice that they can be used for a wide variety of topics. Mind m aps aren’t j ust created for creative or educational pursuits. They can be used to craft new program s and to encourage people to deal with life changes differently. Any topic that y ou want to work through can be addressed using a m ind m ap. Plus, once y ou’ve created it, y ou can com e back to it and continue to build on it. In fact, that is encouraged especially in situations where the m ind m ap is being created by one person.

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Chapter 6: Types of Mind Maps

While m ind m aps can address a variety of topics and can take on a variety of form s, there are two form ats that will be used to create them . Either the m ind m ap will be hand drawn or it will be com puter generated. Depending on the way y our m ind processes inform ation best and the am ount of tim e y ou have, each form at has its advantages and disadvantages.

1. Hand drawn m ind m ap

Som e m ind m aps are drawn by hand in the m om ent. These often happen som ewhat on the fly in a class or workshop environm ent. They can also be drawn m ore thoughtfully and gradually. The m ind m ap in Figure 5-3 is an exam ple of a hand drawn m ind m ap. These definitely look m ore artistic than other m ind m aps but other than that there are som e advantages to creating them .

Advantages

1. Low cost

When y ou want to draw a m ind m ap by hand all y ou need is a piece of paper and a set of colored pencils or m arkers. Your hand and y our im agination are essentially all y ou need to get started once y ou have these tools.

ii. Unique

Any thing drawn by hand is autom atically an original creation that can’t be replicated by any one else. If this is im portant to y ou, then y ou m ay prefer drawing y our m ind m aps by hand.

iii. Portable

You can hand draw a m ind m ap any where at any tim e. As long as y ou have the basic tools and y our brain, y ou’re able to draw one.

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Your m ind m ap can look like any thing y ou want it to when y ou’re drawing it by hand. You can insert y our own level of sty le into the m ind m ap and there are no restrictions on how it will look.

Hand drawn m ind m aps are m ost attractive to the people who enj oy the m ore tactile approach that putting pen to paper allows. It can m ake y ou feel very productive to create a hand drawn m ind m ap and that feeling can be exhilarating and inspiring. However, not every one prefers to hand draw m ind m aps. There are som e disadvantages to creating m ind m aps by hand.

Disadvantages

1. Cannot be digitally stored or shared unless scanned

If y ou don’t own a scanner, it will be tough to share a hand drawn m ind m ap. You could m ake copies of it but if it’s in color, the copies m ay not have the sam e look as the original.

ii. Size is lim ited

It would be tough to create a really large hand drawn m ind m ap. While it’s not im possible, it is challenging and could take a really long tim e to create. iii. Tough to edit

Once y ou’ve created y our hand drawn m ind m ap, y ou can’t easily m ake changes to it without possibly altering the entire structure of it.

2. Com puter generated m ind m ap

For those people who want to create m ind m aps but don’t feel artistically inclined enough to draw one by hand, there are com puter program s that y ou can use to create them as well. There are a variety of different program s, both free and paid that I will share later. But first, let’s discuss the advantages and disadvantages of com puter generated m ind m aps.

Advantages

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1. Easy to arrange and re-arrange

You can create a com puter generated m ind m ap and it’s very easy to m ove things around as y ou see fit. This increased flexibility m akes com puter generated m ind m aps great for those people who m ay need to change things around at a later date but not want to create a new m ind m ap.

ii. Can include em bedded docum ents, im ages and other files

Som etim es y our m ind m ap m ay reference specific docum ents and it would be helpful to be able to em bed those docum ents in the m ap. Com puter generated m ind m aps m ake it possible to expand on them with links, docum ents and other inform ation that turns it into a database as well as a m ind m ap. iii. Shared collaboration

You m ay need to collaborate on a m ind m ap with others who can’t be in the sam e room as y ou and a com puter program is the only way the m ind m ap will be created. This can be very valuable for individuals who don’t have the luxury of an in person m eeting but still need to accom plish a shared task.

iv. Ability to share with relative ease

Since this m ind m ap is already on the com puter, it’s m uch easier to share it with others via em ail or a file sharing service.

v. Can be incorporated into other software program s

If y ou have a m ind m ap that y ou’d like to include within a presentation or larger docum ent, a com puter generated one can be fairly easily im ported into the docum ent.

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Because the m ind m ap is com puter generated, it can be a really unique way to present an idea or a series of ideas to a group using a proj ector or other presentation tool. Most people do presentations using program s like Powerpoint or Key note so a presentation using a m ind m ap would really stand out. Com puter generated m ind m aps are great for people who prefer working with a key board and a m ouse. They allow for som e flexibility in thought when creating them , which can be beneficial for those people whose brainstorm ing process can go through m ultiple lay ers. But there are som e disadvantages to com puter generated m ind m aps.

Disadvantages 1. Cost

While there are free m ind m apping software program s available, the m ore robust ones will cost a fee to use. This can be a challenge, especially for som eone who has a tight budget and can’t afford to invest in the software.

ii. Tough to personalize

Since y ou’re using a com puter to create the m ind m ap, it can be an added challenge to put y our personal touch on it.

iii. Software learning curve

As with all new software program s there is a learning curve with m ind m apping software program s. Som e people don’t do so well with learning how to use new software and m ay be discouraged from creating m ind m aps this way .

iv. Requires access to a com puter

You have to use a com puter to use m ind m apping software program s. It’s im possible to create one without a com puter and that can be a challenge for som e people. Any tim e som ething requires people be able to use a com puter, it brings up other questions about accessibility and who can truly afford it. Even if y ou can afford the

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software, if y ou can’t gain access to a com puter it’s not going to be possible to create the m ind m aps.

As y ou m ay have noticed the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages in both hand drawn and com puter generated m ind m aps. Ultim ately it com es down to preference and access. If y ou don’t have im m ediate access to a com puter with m ind m apping software on it then y ou don’t have a choice but to create them by hand. However, there are benefits to both. The m ost im portant thing to keep in m ind is that ultim ately, the benefits of creating m ind m aps in general are m uch stronger than the negatives. Regardless if y ou prefer to write it by hand, use a com puter program or do a com bination of both, y ou should start using m ind m aps.

As I m entioned before there are som e software program s that will help y ou create a m ind m ap using a com puter. Below are a few of the m ore popular ones.

Mind Map Software Programs

ConceptDraw

This is a great m ind m apping software that, as y ou know, is giving y ou a free y ear’s trial to use. This is m y personal favorite.

To get y our copy , j ust sign up at LearningWithMindmaps.com and I’ll get y ou all the details.

FreeMind

This is a free m ind m apping software program that can sim ply be downloaded and used. It’s what’s called open source software. When som ething is open source that m eans that it is free to use and the inform ation used to create and build it is also readily available.

This has pros and cons for users. The pros are that it’s free and has a lot of different inform ation out there about it. There are going to be m any different forum s and helpful inform ation shared about this software. The cons are that the features m ay be lim ited and upgrades could either happen a lot or not at all. When the developm ent com m unity finds an open source software that they like they tend to put a lot of effort into m aking the software perform well. While this can be a good thing, it can also be a bad thing because when a software is constantly being updated it requires that users of the software be diligent in keeping up with those updates. Most average software users aren’t naturally diligent about updates which can cause problem s in how it runs.

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Ultim ately, it’s great to have a free open in m ind m apping software and this can definitely lower the cost barriers to entry for new users.

Mindmeister

Mindm eister is a m ind m apping software that is online based. It’s not com pletely free to use but it does have a free trial then afterwards, it’s as inexpensive as $4.99 a m onth for individuals. This online based software is good because it also has a m obile app that can be used on m obile devices. You can sy nc y our online m ind m ap to y our m obile device and build on y our m ap while on the go. This is very valuable as m ore people have to m ake decisions while m oving.

iMindMap

Tony Buzan is the creator of the m ind m ap and he has also created a software called iMindMap. It has a desktop com puter version as well as online and m obile versions that m ake it very versatile. Plus, it has an option to create y our m ind m ap in 3D. It’s not free to use but there is a free trial before y ou have to pay a fee for it. The lowest cost version is the online/m obile version which starts at $20.99 a m onth. If y ou want to buy the software for personal or education use, it starts at $85 for one user.

This program could be considered expensive for a m ind m ap newbie but as y ou get m ore acclim ated to using them , it m ight be beneficial to m ake the investm ent. As the software that’s affiliated with the person that invented them iMindMap will definitely be very robust and com e with a lot of support.

Xmind

Xm ind is a free m ind m apping software that also has paid options. The free version allows y ou to create y our m ind m aps and share them online. If y ou want the ability to share y our m ind m ap via em ail or a file sharing service, y ou’ll have to upgrade it to the plus or pro versions which start at $79. There is a subscription service that costs $79 a m onth that gives y ou access to the pro features at a lower cost.

There are m any other m ind m apping software program s but these are som e of the m ore popular ones. In spite of the cost, it’s definitely a good idea to look for program s that are actively being used by m any people. This way y ou can rest assured that y our program will be consistently m aintained and updated regularly. While too m any updates can be disruptive, it’s im portant that the software isn’t allowed to becom e stagnant. Since operating sy stem s and com puters change regularly , software program s have to upgrade to keep up with them for good functionality .

Mind Map Formats

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While m ind m aps can be divided into two distinct categories when it com es to how they ’re created, they can be divided into three distinct categories when it com es to the form at and purpose of the m ap.

Reference or Knowledge Mind Map

Som e m ind m aps are created with the purpose of exploring a topic or organizing a specific group of inform ation. The idea of reference or knowledge m ind m aps is to be able to com e back to them later for inform ation. Essentially these m ind m aps are created to be used for future reference. Once created, these ty pes of m ind m aps can be used by different people for m any y ears. They can be created to cover certain topics, m anage lists, organize resources and facilitate learning. Brainstorming Mind Maps

When a group is working together to solve a problem , answer a question or prepare for different scenarios a m ind m ap is a great tool for identify ing those ideas. A m ind m ap can be drawn during the brainstorm ing session and act as a living reference while the group works. Since m ind m aps are created to be enhanced or changed at will, it can be an im portant tool to inspire creative thinking. One of the m ost im portant benefits of brainstorm ing is the creative energy that is encouraged from the participants. A m ind m ap is very effective at facilitating that creativity while rem aining organized.

Planning/Project Mind Maps

If y ou’re planning an event or special outing, a m ind m ap can be very helpful in working to cover all of the different details that need to be considered and fleshed out. The m ap would have the proj ect at the center and the different areas would tackle different parts of the proj ect. This kind of m ap could be used on an ongoing basis to track m ilestones, com m unicate goals and keep a planning schedule. By determ ining the ty pe of m ind m ap y ou will be using, it can help y ou m ake the best use of it. When y ou’re doing any ty pe of analy sis, y ou have to be clear about y our purpose when creating it. With m ind m aps, y ou m ust first determ ine whether it’s going to be hand drawn or com puter generated then whether it’s a reference, brainstorm ing or planning m ap. Often tim es the situation will help to dictate the ty pe of m ap being created but overall it helps to figure this out before y ou

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start it.

Learn With Mind Maps Michelle Mapman