A Simpler Way to Organize Information, Connect Ideas, Improve Memory, and Think More Clearly
What is a Mind Map?
Mind mapping is a different way to take notes.
With standard note-taking, you write information line-by-line, starting at the top of a page and working down.
With Mind Maps, you don’t start at the top of the page, but in the center.
And instead of working down, you expand out in all directions like a spider web.
Below is an example of how a mind map looks:
Looking above, you have the main thought or idea in the center, which is referred to as the main topic.
From there, it branches out with subtopics.
Each subtopic branches out further into lower- and lower-level topics.
This is the basic format of a mind map.
Mind Map Examples
To illustrate with a real-life example, let’s look at the classification of animals.
If you remember from grade school, scientists have grouped animals into 6 main categories:
1. Mammals
2. Fish
3. Amphibians
4. Birds
5. Insects
6. Reptiles.
They are grouped this way because of their characteristics.
- Characteristics of ‘Mammals’ include they are warm-blooded, have fur or hair, and their babies drink milk from their mother.
- Characteristics of ‘Birds’ are that they have feathers, a beak or bill, and their bones are hollow.
So, a mind map of the animal class would look as follows:
Looking at the above mind map, you can see we put Animal Class in the center, as that is the main topic we are noting.
Around the topic, we wrote the 6 main classes as subtopics: Mammals, Fish, Amphibians, Birds, Insects, Reptiles.
Within each subtopic, we listed the details that make up the class as lower-level topics. So for mammals, it’s Fur, Milk from Mother, Warm Blooded.
This is a plain illustration of a mind map, used merely to help you understand the concept.
As you will learn, one of the main benefits of mind maps is that they are visual. As such, there is a lot you can do to make them visual.
Looking above, you’ll notice each animal class is highlighted in a different color. Mammals are brown, reptiles are green, and birds are purple.
Using colors this way helps differentiate information within subtopics.
That is, if you see a description in purple, you immediately know it refers to birds and not insects or amphibians.
The same applies to reptiles, if you see an item in green, you know it relates to that class and not mammals or fish.
This is one of the many benefits of mind maps.
Though, there are even more benefits of mind maps.
Benefits of Mind Mapping
1. Works with the Brain
The way your brain works, thoughts and memories aren’t floating aimlessly in your brain.
They are connected to each other like the roots of redwood trees.
As you can see with the above examples, this is what you do with mind maps.
With the technique, you connect ideas to other ideas, essentially mimicking how your brain likes to take in and store information.
2. Organizes Information Better
If you look at the animal class mind map again, you can see the information is well organized.
We have the six animal groups listed as subtopics around the center, and within each group, we have listed their characteristics as subsets.
This way, related information stays together, while unrelated information stays apart.
If we look at Hollow Bones, for example, you know it’s a characteristic of ‘Birds’ because there is a line connecting to it. You know not to confuse it with ‘Reptiles’ or ‘Amphibians,’ because there is no connection.
This is very useful when you have lots of facts you want to keep straight, or when you have complex information you need to break down into smaller parts.
3. Makes Information Visual
As previously mentioned, mind maps are visual.
Looking at the above diagram one more time, you will notice it is a drawing your brain sees as opposed to text it reads.
You can visually see how the information comes together and where the connections lie.
This is important because your brain processes information more easily if it is in visual form.
For example, if I give you instructions for a task, you will learn it faster and remember it better if I show you what to do rather than merely tell you.
Or if I give you a set of stock prices, you’ll more readily see whether they are trending up or down if displayed in the form of a graph as opposed to a simple list.
Since mind maps are visual, they make it easier to learn, understand, and remember information.
4. Stimulates Creativity
Creativity involves exploring unrelated ideas and working through them as they come up in your head.
Mind maps help you do that.
Let’s say you are writing a paper for English class. As you are developing the arguments for your first point, inspiration might strike about the second.
Instead of waiting until the first point is finished, you can create a separate branch and begin analyzing your ideas about the second.
When you are done, you can go back to the first or jump to the third or fourth points if that is where your thoughts lead you.
Mind maps give you the flexibility to explore your thoughts as they arise, which stimulates creativity.
5. Is More Fun
The most important feature of mind maps is that they are fun.
Traditional forms of note-taking are dull and boring. You simply write and write, and nothing more.
The result is information that is flat and lifeless.
Mind maps let you interact with the material, making it more enjoyable to connect with what you are trying to better learn, understand, or remember.
How to Make a Mind Map in 3 Easy Steps
Making a mind map is surprisingly simple.
Step 1 – Start with the Main Topic
As you learned, the main topic is the subject or thought you want to study or explore.
If you are studying the Revolutionary War, then the main topic will be Revolutionary War.
If you are exploring product pricing, then that will be your main topic.
Put this in the center of the page.
Step 2 – Develop the Subtopics
The subtopics will be the important points you want to note about the main topic.
Think in terms of what it is you want or need to learn, understand, or remember about the main topic.
Place these around the main topic, connecting them to the center with a line or branch.
Step 3 – Note the Details
Details are anything that describe, explain, support, or argue a point.
This can include facts, dates, data, descriptions, and instructions.
Note these in the lower levels.
That’s all there is to it!
It’s that simple.
Making a Mind Map
To illustrate, say you're in science class learning about ‘Atoms.’
As you may know, atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have no charge, and electrons have a negative charge.
Inside an atom, the number of protons defines the chemical element, the number of neutrons defines its isotope, and the number of electrons defines the magnetic properties.
Protons and neutrons are in the nucleus of the atom, while the electrons spin around it.
1. Since the subject is Atoms, this will be the main topic. So we put that in the center.
2. From the center, draw 3 branches for the subtopics. Label one branch Proton, another branch Neutron, and the last branch Electron.
3. Within each subtopic, create sub-branches to list the lower-level topics.
In the proton branch, create sub-branches that list chemical element, nucleus, and positive charge.
In the neutron branch, create sub-branches to list isotope, nucleus, and neutral charge. For electron, do the same with its properties. Once you do that, you will have a mind map like this.
To Summarize, this is How to Make a Mind Map
1. You take a topic and put it in the center.
2. Around the topic, you add subtopics.
3. Around the subtopics, you list lower-level topics.
There is no limit to the number of lower-level topics or branches you create. For example, if you wanted to discuss what an isotope is, you can create branches under Isotope with related details.
Reading the paragraph earlier about atoms is a bit confusing. The mind map, on the other hand, is clear. It is easy to see which properties belong to which particle, and even easier to not confuse one with the other.
Now that you know the basic steps of mind mapping, let’s go deeper to learn the many ways to break up and organize information into subtopics.
How to Organize Subtopics in Mind Maps
In the above example of mind mapping the atom, it was easy to figure out what to use as subtopics – proton, neutron, and electron - as these are the basic units of an atom.
However, organizing information into sub- and lower-level topics is not always this straightforward.
Information comes to us in so many ways, and so it can be organized in so many ways. Therefore, there are so many ways you can organize the branches in a mind map. In fact, the combinations are infinite.
For example, if you are studying 20th-century European history, you can set up branches by time period, leaders, or events.
Beauty and Challenge of Mind Maps
It’s beautiful because it works with how each person understands the information. At the same time, it’s challenging because you have to choose connections that describe what is truly being communicated.
You can’t just make random connections (although random connections are still better than no connections).
And that’s what this section will address - the different ways to organize, categorize, and structure information within a mind map.
Mind Mapping Subtopics - History
Again, for history, you might create subtopics by timeline, leaders, or events. Using the Revolutionary War as an example:
- To organize by timeline, you would put Revolutionary War in the center of the page as the main topic, and then around it, add subtopics for each year of the war - 1776, 1777, 1778 …
- To organize by leaders, you might add subtopics for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin.
- Major events include the signing of the Declaration of Independence or the battle of Lexington and Concord.
Or you might choose a combination of these.
Mind Mapping Subtopics - Science
With science, time periods or leaders are not as relevant, so you’ll look at other ways to break up and organize your map:
- To note a process like the water cycle, you can organize a mind map by each step in the process.
- With layers or levels, like the Earth’s atmosphere or crust, each layer can have its own branch.
- Or, as in our previous example, if you’re studying parts, like the parts of an atom, each part can be a subtopic.
Mind Mapping Subtopics - Instructions
If your goal is instead to note instructions:
- One option is to set subtopics based on steps, such as Step 1, Step 2, Step 3.
- Another option is by activity or job function.
- Or you might organize subtopics by departments or due dates.
These are some suggestions on how to organize subtopics in a mind map.
It’s like investing, there is no one strategy to be successful. You can use many different strategies.
It’s all about how you see the information or what makes the most sense to you.
Now let’s move on to the key ingredient to the mind map recipe - keywords.
They are a unique feature to mind maps, and can drastically reduce the words you use to take notes, and therefore the time needed to take and review them.
How to Pick Keywords
Keywords are words or sets of words that summarize information into a short phrase.
If you remember our mind map of the atom, we didn’t write out long descriptions in the branches like:
- Atoms are made of subatomic particles like protons
- The number of protons in an atom defines the chemical element
- Or protons reside in the nucleus.
Instead we wrote Proton and connected it to the main topic Atom.
Then we wrote chemical element and nucleus and connected it to the subtopic of Proton.
These are examples of keywords.
They take key information in sentences and paragraphs and summarize it using fewer words.
The majority of your thinking and notes can be condensed with keywords
That is, although most of what you read and hear is necessary to understand a subject, it is not necessary when summarizing or recalling it.
This is another benefit of mind maps, they make it easier to use keywords.
So, you don’t have to use a lot of words to describe connections, relationships, or differences as they are established with lines or branches connecting them.
In our example, since the term ‘nucleus’ stems from ‘proton,’ that’s enough to describe the feature or relationship.
Also, since ‘nucleus’ stems from proton, and not electron, we know not to confuse it with the electron’s description. Descriptions for electron stem from a different branch.
Mind maps avoid much of the irrelevant language used in traditional note-taking
This makes it not only faster to take notes but also easier to understand them.
So when mind mapping, focus on using keywords.
A good keyword is one that sums up or hones in on an idea the best.
In the beginning, there is a big temptation to use complete phrases, but always look for ways to shorten them into a single or at most a few words.
Mind Mapping Uses
Now, most people think mind maps are a tool only for note-taking or studying.
Though mind maps are more than a note-taking tool; they are a thinking tool.
They can support your thinking in pretty much any area, including writing, planning, researching, presenting, and organizing, .
Anything really.
Let’s take a quick look at how you might use mind maps in some of these areas.
Mind Mapping for Writing
1. Start by putting the topic of your piece in the middle.
2. Then list the points you want to discuss or address as the subtopics or first level branches.
3. From there, record the arguments you will use to support each point in the lower-level topics or branches.
This is a great way to plan out your writing so you’re not wasting time wondering what to write.
Mind Mapping for Decision Making
1. Begin with the decision in the center.
2. List the various options around the center.
3. Then, in lower levels, write down all the positives and negatives of each option.
This gives a handy bird’s-eye view of your options and the benefits and drawbacks of each one.
Mind Mapping for Project Management
1. First, write the project name in the center.
2. Next, note all the major parts of the project around the center.
3. Then, list all the activities that need to be completed to finish each part.
With this, you get a detailed overview of the project and all the individual parts needed to complete it.
Conclusion
As you can see from these mind mapping examples, mind maps are a highly robust tool that can be used with a variety of subjects and in a variety of ways.
As mentioned, this is just a quick look at some ways mind maps can be used.
There are a lot more things mind maps can do, ways they can do them, and things you need to consider when doing them.
Unfortunately, there is no way for me to elaborate on all this in a single article.
You can learn about all these wonderful uses in my international bestselling mind mapping book:
