Mind mapping is a fun way to brainstorm ideas, digest information, or organize your thoughts and goals. I'm no stranger to mind mapping; I've created them frequently over the years. It’s fun, effective, and utilizes the natural processes of the brain.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The basic premise is to use pictures, words, colors, and nonlinear forms to create, remember, organize, or present information. By using visuals and symbols, more of the brain is accessed. When more brain power is applied, things can be processed, presented, or remembered more easily. It's also a great tool to set the foundation for visualization.
The late Tony Buzan, coined the term and technique, Mind Mapping, in the 1960s. Buzan is a specialist in innovation, memory, thinking process, and creativity.
Mind mapping was introduced to me by Professor Brenda McKinney. In 2010, I took her class, Poverty and the Brain, and every single assignment was created using mind maps. At first, it seemed really weird and quite frankly, too fun, to be creating assignments using mind maps, but in the end, it allowed me to process and remember the information much better than notes or essays would have.
Even now, nine years later, I can pick up my mind map assignments and understand and apply the information in my work and life. With one quick glance at only one paper, information comes flooding into my brain. It would have taken 5-6 pages of notes or essay writing to digest and process the same information.
Mind maps are invaluable!
In my personal life, I use them frequently for emotional processing, creating to-do lists, organizing information, and taking notes. I also teach this method to my middle school students. A number of my students have told me that they use them similarly in their lives. It’s also been beneficial to apply mind mapping to help students process emotional and relational stresses at school.
The quickest way for me to create a mind map is to grab colored markers or pencils and some paper. However, there are now many great software or computer drawing options, if you prefer. I also tend to use more words than pictures; however, it's a good practice to include at least a few pictures every time because pictures facilitate brain processing much faster than words do.
And if you’d like to learn more, a great article to read is “How to Use Mind Maps to Unleash Your Brain’s Creativity and Potential” by LifeHacker."
I will forever be thankful to Professor McKinney for introducing me to this amazing form of information processing. It is integral to my emotional and mental health and something I will continue to teach my students and children for many years.
To learn more about Heartmanity coaching programs, contact us at support@heartmanity.com.