A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps structuring information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas.
Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.
In a mind map, as opposed to traditional note taking or a linear text, information is structured in a way that resembles much more closely how your brain actually works. Since it is an activity that is both analytical and artistic, it engages your brain in a much, much richer way, helping in all its cognitive functions. And, best of all, it is fun!
So, how does a mind map look like? Better than explaining is showing you an example.
This is a mind map about – conveniently enough – mind mapping itself. It presents, in a visual way, the core elements and techniques on how to draw mind maps. Yes, I know this may look a little too messy initially, but bear with me: once you break the ingrained habit of linear note taking, you won’t look back.
Benefits and Uses
I think I already gave away the benefits of mind mapping and why mind maps work. Basically, mind mapping avoids dull, linear thinking, jogging your creativity and making note taking fun again.
But what can we use mind maps for?
- Note taking
- Brainstorming (individually or in groups)
- Problem solving
- Studying and memorization
- Planning
- Researching and consolidating information from multiple sources
- Presenting information
- Gaining insight on complex subjects
- Jogging your creativity
It is hard to make justice to the number of uses mind maps can have – the truth is that they can help clarify your thinking in pretty much anything, in many different contexts: personal, family, educational or business. Planning you day or planning your life, summarizing a book, launching a project, planning and creating presentations, writing blog posts -well, you get the idea – anything, really.
How to Draw a Mind Map
Drawing a mind map is as simple as 1-2-3:
- Start in the middle of a blank page, writing or drawing the idea you intend to develop. I would suggest that you use the page in landscape orientation.
- Develop the related subtopics around this central topic, connecting each of them to the center with a line.
- Repeat the same process for the subtopics, generating lower-level subtopics as you see fit, connecting each of those to the corresponding subtopic.
Some more recommendations:
- Use colors, drawings and symbols copiously. Be as visual as you can, and your brain will thank you. I’ve met many people who don’t even try, with the excuse they’re "not artists". Don’t let that keep you from trying it out!.
- Keep the topics labels as short as possible, keeping them to a single word – or, better yet, to only a picture. Especially in your first mind maps, the temptation to write a complete phrase is enormous, but always look for opportunities to shorten it to a single word or figure – your mind map will be much more effective that way.
- Vary text size, color and alignment. Vary the thickness and length of the lines. Provide as many visual cues as you can to emphasize important points. Every little bit helps engaging your brain.
Final Thoughts
Mind mapping is an absolutely fascinating and rich topic – this post only scratches the surface. If you want more reference material now, Wikipedia is always a good starting point.
Mind mapping is a passion for me, and it is one of the strongest drivers behind this blog. I plan to explore it in much more depth – publishing mind maps, providing tips, talking about computer mind mapping, and much more. Just make sure to keep visiting (or better yet, subscribe).
In the meantime, please give mind mapping a chance – try it out. Follow there handy tips and see the results for yourself. Don’t worry too much about doing it the "right" way – just make it fun.
To inspire you, one more great mind map from Buzan Centre Australia on Creative Intelligence.
Never heard of it but it looks interesting, i checked ubuntu has some software for that, busy checking it out.
Hi, esvl. You’re probably talking about Freemind, which is a cross-platform, free mind mapping software that can run on Linux. I plan to review it here soon.
I´ve been using this tool since when my friend Luciano presented it to me, about one or two years ago. It´s incredible what it can do to organize my thoughts, in order to visualize a lot of ideas and concepts globally and integrally. Thank you, Luciano! My academical and professional works are really improving their quality.
Thanks, Giuliano. I appreciate your testimonial and feel really glad you could get so much from mind mapping in the last few years.
hi!
I used before one tool called MindManager (I am not sure about the name). Anyway, I used to use this tool to organize the ideas of IT Projects.
I did not know the theory behind it… not even the strength of it.
Do you know any freeware (windows) for it?
cheers
daniel
Cinalli, please check my response to esvl’s comment above. Freemind is a free Java application and runs wherever Java runs – Windows, Linux or Mac.
It is not as good as MindManager – but you get what you pay for!
Mind Maps can be used for a large range of things, for example:
http://internetducttape.com/20.....omplexity/
Luciano,
This is a nice piece on mind mapping – well chosen illustrations.
Anyone wanting to know about available software should be aware that there over a hundred applications doing this sort of thing, so look around before comitting the time to learning one only to find another more appealing later.
FreeMind is good, and it’s free as has already been pointed out, but there are web-based free ones as well. Here are some: bubbl.us, bubble-mind.com, comapping.com, glinkr.net, kayuda.com, mapul.com, mind42.com, mindomo.com, mindmeister.com, webofweb.net
Then there are diagramming tools like gliffy.com, cumulatelabs.com/cumulatedraw/ and flowchart.com that handle mindmaps quite well, and many other desktop mind mapping applications.
Regards
Vic
http://www.mind-mapping.org
The master list of mind mapping &
information management software
Hello All!
I just want to share my last experience with Mind Mapping.
I am new into it.
But, yesterday, I was going home by subway thinking about a specific system I would like to build. It is relatively complex but the purpose is to help a friend’s family.
Then, I took my credit card bill and started to write the logic… using mind mapping…
Yesterday I could complete 70% of the logic… and today, coming to my job I finished and everything looks so clear.
I can say I am a new big fan of it.
cinalli
Hi,
I’m in the process of writing a piece for my study and I would like to put your drawings on mind mapping in because they make so clear how it works.
Please let me know if it is oke.
Have a nice day!
Simone
@Simone: The mind maps used in this post are originally from Buzan Centre Australia (credited in the post). Yes, they’re beautiful, but, OUCH, I just noticed they’re also copyrighted. I will get in touch with them for permission to use. You should also do the same.
I’ve heard of mind mapping and wanted to get started with it a long time ago, but I’m a procrastinator. I recently started a blog on self improvement and memory improvement and I came across this blog.
After reading this post, I really want to get into mind mapping. I love writing, and I’m reading a book right now that’s about the craft of fiction and I’d love to do a mind map of it. It’s easy to be reluctant, though, because it feels like you need some kind of structure, but this post inspired me to just do it and see what happens.
Thanks!
Another purile statement of the obvious with lots of “awesome# type comments from sycophants hoping that others will respond by saying nice things about them in return.
Get a real job sponger.
@ John Orrett,
The great thing about the Internet is that they aren’t beaming sites directly into our brains yet. You have the ability to navigate to sites that you like and ignore sites that you don’t. Nobody is writing things that everyone is going to like, but obviously there exists a group of people for whom Luciano’s blog is informative and enjoyable. What would be “puerile” (is that what you meant?) would be sitting around all day reading sites you don’t like and complaining about them.
If trolling is your goal, then might I suggest you be a little more creative about it? Perhaps you could organize your objections a little better, or demonstrate your profoundly elevated insight into this topic.
There are actually some great techniques for how to do this – I would recommend that you check out this article: http://litemind.com/what-is-mind-mapping/ – you may find the information there useful.
Skairam: Genial answer. Applause.
John: please, bark elsewhere.
skairam
Great response. It always amazes me that some people spend time trolling and complaining about other people trying to grow and contribute. This is especially fascinating when their contributions add zero to the conversation. They live in glass houses and yet throw stones! Maybe they should do a mind map of their own thought process and motivation.
I’ve been using mind maps for 5+ years now. Love them. They help me catalog, document, create with words yet they allow me to stay towards the Right Side of the Brain (aka R-Mode).
Thanks for the great post.
“We don’t need no hateration, holleration, in this dancery. … We just want ya’ll to have a good time. No more drama in your life. … If you got beef, your problem; not mine. Leave all that BS outside. … Let’s have fun tonight; no fights.” — “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige
Great post, Luciano! I prefer brainstorming with straight lists like I did in my post about what people might like to do if they only had one year to live at http://shanelyang.com/2008/08/.....r-to-live/ Mind-mapping always seemed too spread out in all directions for my taste, but I’m gonna give it a whirl. ; )
Shanel,
Maybe the linear list versus the mind map approach has to do with left-brain versus right-brain activities? Just wondering? I’m mostly right brain so it seems real natural to mind map. As to the spread out nature of maps, I actually find a great map can be used to present concepts much more densely than in linear fashion and one that the viewer doesn’t notice the density. This is especially true if you are doing presentations. So my preference is 95% toward Mind Maps and away from Powerpoint or Mac products like Keynote.
I once had a large program health assessment map that contained over 800 concepts and root causes and was able to map that on a tabloid (11×17) sized piece of paper. Walking people through it was a breeze. No one was mind mappers and no one complained.
Mind map tools that allow expand and collapse of topic branches helps. Mind Manager does this (mindjet.com) and I think FreeMind does (but it has been awhile since I used FreeMind). I’m sure there are other products that do this as well.
The map (if you use the right tools) also allows for showing relationships better than in linear fashion. Maybe I’ll post a comment on your blog post showing my first cut at what I want to accomplish before I die. Originally had 118 goals on that map.
Thanks – it is always interesting to see how other people work. there are no right and wrong ways. Only ways that work for us as individuals.
Cheers
Eric
MindMeister is also a good mind mapping tool I used to plan out my blog and even my therapy sessions with my psychologist! Mindmapping is such an amazing tool for visual thinkers.
Hello, everyone.
For what is worth: I’ve used freemind (http://freemind.sourceforge.ne...../Main_Page) for some time and have found it very usable. However, not many months ago I found a program called Xmind (http://www.xmind.net/), which –in my opinion– is a better alternative than the former one when approaching the mind-mapping techniques for the first time.
Xmind is chiefly free (there is a non-free version, which adds some advanced features, but I believe those are not of essential value). It is multi-platform (based on the eclipse platform), easy to learn, easy to use, and allows the public sharing of mind-maps in their server. Finally, it is able to import the maps made with freemind, as well as those made with mindmanager.
Luciano: do you have (and if so, are you willing to share) an electronic version of the artistic maps shown in your post?
John Orrett: it seems to me you are a victim, not an aggressor: [http://www.cracked.com/blog/really-mad-science-5-scientific-explanations-for-the-angry-dickhead/]. Please take a look at #1 (web rage).
Thank you so much for the recommendation, Bruno! I was not aware XMind was free, will definitely give it a try.
Sorry, I don’t have electronic versions of these mind maps. In fact, these mind maps are not even mine. I took them from the Buzan Centre Australia page.
Thanks for the “web rage” page. Very informing.
(I just shared it my Twitter friends…)
After using XMind for a couple of hours, I must say that I’m very impressed. I’m pretty sure I won’t be coming back to Freemind soon.
Thanks Bruno for your great recommendation! Any readers interested in a mindmapping application that’s powerful, pretty, open-source and multi-platform should definitely give it a try.
I’ve started to try out mind mapping recently, and I find that it could be useful for brainstorming or remembering the general concepts of a topic. But as far as school subjects go, how would you incorporate the level of detail you need to fully understand a topic into a mind map? Perhaps I’m just used to copying down wordy sentences in linear note-taking, but what about the complex concepts you can’t sum up with just one phrase and a picture? Is this the magic of mind mapping? Is mind mapping designed to make you to use one word headings and short phrases, forcing you to remember complex concepts without writing it all out? I’m still trying to figure out this mysterious new tool!
I like to think of each mind map node as an “index entry” like the ones at the end of a book.
For me, the big realization with mind maps is that you don’t need to add every bit of content to it in order to make it “complete”.
The trick is not to make the mind map comprehensive, but to add enough for you to recall the actual information. That way, the complex content won’t be in the mind map, but on your brain. The mind map will act as an index to find the information that’s in your brain.
Does that make sense?
In my opinion, whereas it is true that a mind map is sort of an index to a body of knowledge already in the mind (hence the very name: “mind map” is but an analogy), there is also an alternative approach –what I would call a creative one–.
In the creative use of mind maps, the second phase according to Luciano (develop) is of paramount importance, and usually (at least in my case) takes the form of a brainstorm: at first, the map serves a note-taking purpose, registering every single idea that crosses my mind; the only forbidden thing during this period is to criticize the emerging ideas. Then a refinement takes place, a time during which the contemplation of the unstructured nodes renders some patterns. Those patterns are information as well, and repeating this process gives rise to more complex relationships.
Finally, it is a frequent need for me to turn the map into a text document. I use the nodes closest to the center as sections, the next nodes as chapters, then the following ones as subchapters, and so on. This is the point at which every node deserving it receives special attention, and becomes a lengthy text.
I hope this is useful for you.
Thank you Luciano and Bruno, for the clarification. From what you both described, it sounds like mind maps can be used as a way to organize your thoughts on a subject – which would be useful as I feel rather scatterbrained when I’m absorbing new information.
I will try approaching mind maps as “index entries” by brainstorming concepts then refining them. Adding lengthy text at the end, also sounds appealing as I’m not ready to give up conventional note-taking just yet, but I’ll try to keep as much info on my brain as possible because I want to be able to pull it out of my head at any time. The suggestions here have made a lot of sense and seems like they will combine into a very effective study routine.
As a random thought here, I think it would be very interesting to see a how-to video of someone creating a mind map – to be able to see the methods and hear someone explain the thought process behind their mind map would be invaluable. Haha, not that I need more explaining or anything, you guys have explained it very well! Just an idea for a supplemental resource. Thanks again for taking the time to clarify and offer advice!
@hpd – You can find an article about methods and thought processes behind a specific mind map here:
http://www.informationtamers.c.....a_mind_map
Not a video, but it does cover the ground you mentioned.
Hope it helps.
Roy
What a great discussion — you guys are great!
Bruno and Roy:
Thanks for helping making the the mind mapping community so lively! It’s the 2nd anniversary of this post today, and it’s great to have you guys around ready to jump in!
hpd:
Please report back here your findings — I’d love to hear about them!
Can single coloured, simple mind maps be effective?
I’ve drawn simple mind map and I didn’t feel that it did what it should do!
Saif:
In my experience, it is you who must assert whether your map is effective, or not.
Colour is but one of the many means you can use to convey the wanted effect: to represent concepts, and the relationships between them.
I, for once, practically use no colour in my maps! I feel more comfortable using a set of shapes, arrows, line styles and letter sizes to represent what I need on the map.
Take a look at the following “mind map”:
+——-+ +——+
| Earth |—-+ +—-| Wind |
+——-+ | | +——+
| |
+———-+
| Elements |
+———-+
| |
+——-+ | | +——+
| Water |—-+ +—-| Fire |
+——-+ +——+
Would you say it is “ineffective” just because it is so… primitive? The point at stake is the nature of mind maps as creation and communication tools.
I hope my answer is useful for you. Best regards.
Useful indeed:) Thanks for the reply, I think that mind mapping should come naturally without forcing them.
Needless to say, the “mind map” I used as an example in the previous post looks quite ugly.
This is the way I expected it to look: http://bit.ly/7LduU
Thank you so much for making this point, as this is a very common issue among many mind mapping newcomers.
Many people see beautiful, elaborate mind maps and — instead of getting inspired by them — actually get turned down, thinking “Oh, I’ll never be able to mind map!”.
As you said, mind maps are creation and communications tools, and they need to be only as elaborate as necessary to get the job done.
Hi,
How would I mind map a book with lots of topics like biology or physics or a subject I know little or nothing about. I am using freemind and mindmanager.
@Markos Here’s a hint that I’ve found works well with people who have never mind mapped before, but are faced with complex subject:
Get a few pads of Post-it tags, say 8cm x 8cm
Start reading the text book, and look for ideas or concepts that seem to you to be key points, or important. Put the name of the concept at the top of a Post-it tag, and summarize what you think is important below that.
Once you have a few of these, stick them on the wall or a door, grouping the ones that are related to one another together, and separating out unrelated ones.
After a while you’ll have several, or even many, clusters of Post-it tags on the wall (in fact this technique is sometimes called ‘clustering’). The topic you’re reading about will start to take on more form in your mind than merely reading and taking notes, because to do this, you have to think where a new tag fits in the ones you’ve made so far, and therefore how the concepts are related.
As this continues, some clusters will get large. Focus on one of those for a moment, write the name of the main topic of this cluster on a new Post-it tag, and look for a way to break the cluster down in further clusters around that new tag.
Then you’ll have the material for a mind map partially organized and can start preparing it ‘off the wall’.
There are many styles of mind map, and a pure Buzan-type mind map may not work so well when learning a complex subject like biology at an advanced level. I would use a spider diagram (what I refer to in my wiki as a common mind map) instead. These can use large nodes with a block of text, not the single-word ones that Mr. Buzan encourages. (Your taste may differ.)
Chances are, once you’ve done clustering a few times, you’ll move straight on to doing more or less the same process directly on a mind map.
Then, if you are learning a complex subject, your understanding is going to change as your read, so I would suggest using mind mapping software rather than hand-drawn maps, or you’ll be forever re-drawing. Hand drawn maps and Buzan-stle mind maps are great for simpler topics, or for thinking something through that you have in your head already.
Roy
Editor – WikIT
The mind mapping wiki
http://www.informationtamers.c.....l:AllPages
That’s great advice, Roy. Thanks for jumping in and helping!
You have a very solid mind mapping wiki, too — kudos for that!
Thanks for those tips. Would it be similar to brainstorm using computer software like MindManager and just type away the keywords (it puts them in separate bubbles and lets you move them around and organize them) instead of using post-it notes (which is a great idea)
I originally started by taking regular notes, hand writing them then typing them later but the subject was to difficult and I was unable to retain information as easily as I used to, by repetition.
I also should add, if its a good idea to mind map articles that I read or at least articles that are interesting to me. Usually if information is extremely interesting to me I can remember what I read ie computer related news, but if its not interesting yet I want to keep that information close by as it may come in handy down the line.
I to like your wiki page, I was reading a few of the sections and have bookmarked the page for future reference.
@Marcos I rarely mind map articles, but I often rip them out, scan them, and keep the scanned pages in a mind map that I use for reference information. I use my own software – Topicscape – for this because this kind of mind map can quickly become very large. It’s designed for large-scale information organization using a mind mapping style with one or two additions.
Thanks for your appreciation of the wiki. I hope it’s useful to you.
Roy
Editor – WikIT
The mind mapping wiki
http://www.informationtamers.c.....l:AllPages
Roy,
That was one of the packages I had looked at, I felt it was a overkill for what I wanted to do. I have downloaded the trial to take a look, and it would be useful for organizing large groups of notes. I had a hard time choosing a package,none of them integrated with OneNote, which I use quite a bit.
I do have another question, I thought I was done. I have downloaded a completed mind map from a book “Made to Stick” I believe I downloaded it from this site. After I looked through it I was more confused than before, the map says the book is about 300 pages and all the words combined wouldn’t fill up 2 pages. I guess I am confused as to what information is important, I am not a speed reader so I cant look at a page and tell you what it is about. I have a difficult time picking main points from a book, cause they seem important, I try asking questions like what do I want to get from this book, but I start writing everything down. and the becomes counter productive.
What things can I do, lets say this is for a book that is not biology or physics. I get overwhelmed easily with books I know little about and write everything down and at the end I don’t know what it is about.
Thanks for your help if you can help. I will keep looking at your package, it does seem useful, I just need to find a use for it in my life.
@marco
You’re comparing chalk and cheese
) You asked about physics and biology books. These are packed with facts which will need to go on a mind map if it’s to help you remember the subject.
“Made to Stick” is a book about ideas, so the resulting mind map is entirely different.
One of the book’s messages is to help people remember things by telling stories. As I say in my review at http://www.informationtamers.c.....on-it.html the authors follow their own prescription and the book is packed with anecdotes and illustrative tales – you wouldn’t map those (though I do summarize some in notes attached to the map nodes). As I also mention, it describes academic studies that support the points they make – you wouldn’t map those. It has many exercises for the reader to do – you wouldn’t map those.
The mind map I put in line was the one I made to remind myself of the key points in the book. These are really important but are actually quite simple, so the mind map is not large. I should add that being simple doesn’t mean the ideas are obvious. What is obvious is what the key points are – the authors state them up front and the book is clearly organized around them.
I’ve had several people write and thank me for that mind map and say ‘now I don’t need to read the book’. I always respond with “No, please read it” because the stories and studies quoted make the points in a powerful way that the reader is likely to be convinced by, in a way a ‘reminders’ mind map can never achieve.
I’m confident, despite your feeling of uncertainty about deciding what’s important, that you would be able to map that book and pick out the key points. But none of that applies to physics and biology books.
I can’t tell you how you should decide what is important, other than that obviously it needs thought and an unceasing attempt to comprehend what you’re reading. Mind mapping is not a subtitute for comprehension but it is an aid. You mention speed reading – that’s the last way I would attempt to comprehend and think a wrtten passage through, so don’t worry that you’re not a speed reader. It’s a valuable skill but in different circumstances.
The key phrases in your most recent comment is “I … write everything down and at the end I don’t know what it is about”.
It sounds to me as if you are focused more on note taking than understanding – the note taking is getting in the way.
So my Post-it notes suggestion may not be right for you – or at least as I made it. Maybe for a while you could add a step. Read with a highlighter in hand, and don’t make notes at that stage – highlight what seems important and keep the flow of the reading going. That may help if note making or mind mapping while reading distract you from comprehension – it’s a common problem.
Then you can come back to the highlighted material and make Post-it notes from it, and cluster from there – or even summarize the higlighted items straight into a mind map if you can by then (having read the entire textbook) decide on the context of each item straight away.
If it’s not your own copy of the book, I realize this isn’t going to be practical!
Roy
Editor – WikIT
The mind mapping wiki
http://www.informationtamers.c.....l:AllPages
Apologies to Markos – I see I spelled his name wrongly twice.
Its ok… it still sounds the same when you say it.
Thank you for the above information, I did not realize the other book was just an outline of sorts. I don’t think mind mapping is for comprehension, it is for helping to remember. I appreciate the words above, you gave me alot to think about.
I am glad I found this site, I would have sat there with a book that I know I can comprehend but no idea how to go about it, your a good person.
Hi All,
Its really great to see all these posts. I want to introduce mind maps to training programs. I have some questions -
1. Can a mind map work created by me work for other people as well or do I have to force people to create their own minds maps for effective retention of content?
2. People read it from notes or use mind maps, the first time users will feel no difference? how can i motivate them to use mind map?
Regards
Kapil
Hi Kapil,
1. In that regard, a mind map works just like regular notes. Do notes that you take work for other people? I’d say it depends. If your mind map implies a lot of knowledge from the reader, it may not. Also, is the map’s organization “universal” or based on your own understanding?
You should also note that a mind map that’s created by the same person that’ll read it is always more effective, as the process of creating it is usually where most of the learning happens.
2. The best way to motivate them to do mind mapping is letting them experience the benefits. Show them how to use mind maps together. As soon as they make one and feel the difference for regular notes, they’ll be hooked (that’s my experience, at least).
Thanks Luciano! The perspective I am asking for this was that – Can be used by elearning companies to develop their courses? Will mindmap be helpful in elearning courses? If yes, then how – Is it by letting user create his/her own mind map or by giving user a ready made mind map? If it is by letting person develop his own mind map then we will have to first give knowledge on how to create mind map. For the user – They have come to course to learn something about a specific subject and they will have to go through a training on effective use of mind map
How to overcome this challenge?
Regards
Kapil
Hi Kapil,
I firmly believe that mind mapping can be used even by people that are not extensively “trained” in it.
Once, I had a teacher that loved mind mapping. All he needed was one class to sell the idea: he was so enthusiastic and made the benefits so obvious that people felt dumb not using it. From that point on, many of those students started to mind map on their own, and the teacher always included a mind map as an “extra” at the end of his study materials.
Bear in mind that he never forced anyone to use mind maps: he just made sure everyone was aware of the technique and gave some incentives to the ones that decided to use it. It worked out pretty well!.
Hope this helps!