The Importance of Mind Mapping!
Mind mapping is one of the very best methods to optimize ones learning capacities and
understanding of how the elements of complex structures are connected.
- And why is that?
The brain works in different ways. Different people think in different ways. However, while
your thinking and reasoning follow a structure that is personal to you, you still use a number of
techniques that apply to most people.
There are certain "programs" loaded in your consciousness. These programs are your
"natural thinking software". You get them included with your mind when you enter this world.
But most people stop there...
Compare it with your computer: When you buy a new PC or Mac, you get an operating
system included (Windows or Mac OS).
These software programs are ok, but not optimal. They are not perfect. The operating
system only serves as the foundation. And if you want to be able to handle more complex
tasks, you need more.
- What will you do then?
When you suddenly notice that your software is not enough for your needs, you run down to
your local computer store and get a new piece of software or an upgrade. If you feel
comfortable with Windows 95, you might just want to upgrade to Windows 2000. If you want to
organize your schedule and keep track of your tasks, you need to install a personal
information manager.
- And guess what…your brain works in exactly the same way!
You are born with special "brain-programs" to be able to learn and memorize everything you
experience during your lifetime. You have one "brain-program" to remember special
occasions, one program that remembers pictures, one that remembers structures, etc, etc.
The fantastic thing about mind mapping is that it uses these existing "brain-programs" and
refines them! Mind mapping simply optimizes the power that you already have in your mind.
My point is this: The brain works according to certain basic principles, and you can use mind
maps to take advantage of them to improve your creativity and memory.
There are several fundamental principles, but I believe these are the most critical ones for
mindmapping:
Pictures
What you see, you will remember! You have an enormous capacity to remember
pictures and images. The brain constantly takes "photos" of your life and stores these
in a gigantic photo album inside your head, and you can actually retrieve them at any
given moment. This is very critical for mind mapping, since it is much easier to remember a picture than it is to remember long lines of pure text.
Headlines
It is far more easy to remember single words, short phrases and striking headlines,
than to remember pure text. This is quite self explanatory - you could try to quote this
entire chapter through hundreds of hours of studying - and surely fail anyway. Or you
could simply write down a headline for each important point, and still remember 95%
of the important information… it's up to you.
Connection
Your consciousness always analyzes how things are connected to each other. And
when that is done, the mind creates an image to symbolize the structure. A lot of the
brain's work is based on association and it automatically links different subjects
together to create a system. It is important to let your brain work the way it wants and
help it, instead of forcing it to take a certain direction. Your brain will be much happier,
and when it appreciates your help it rewards you with knowledge and the power to
remember… :-)
As you can see, these few headlines shows the advantages of using mind maps and how
mind mapping works hand in hand with your natural "brain programs".
- So when should I use mind mapping, you might ask me now.
Well my friend, the answer is: whenever you want to get things done faster, more
effectively, and with better end results. Here are a few examples:
1. When you want to speed up your learning
If you want to be able to absorb knowledge faster, this is the tool to use. Personally, I have managed to reduce the time it takes me to learn by about 70% since I began using mind mapping, without compromising the amount of information.
2. When developing new ideas
I always use mind mapping to aid me when I need to develop ideas quickly. It
becomes so easy to come up with new ideas and to understand the big picture, and it
really speeds up the process.
3. When you want to work with other people
When you suspect that your colleagues might not be following you, or if you just want
an easy way to illustrate a complex idea, mind mapping helps. For example, if you
want to present a new concept to your company - create a mind map and ask your
colleagues to do the same. Then compare. You will often find that effective new
solutions appear with surprisingly little work.
4. When you need to understand a complicated system or structure
It can sometimes be hard to see the big picture when there are thousands of factors to
keep in mind. But with a mind map, you already have everything structured, and you
don't risk being distracted by the individual components. This makes it easy for you to
get an overview of the entire project.
5. And thousands of other situations...
...that I can think of - just use your imagination. There are virtually unlimited
possibilities when it comes to using mind mapping to make complex tasks easier to
handle. And best of all - it's not hard to learn.
You may be interested in this conference: "Your Mind is the Workshop of Your Success
."
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