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The idea of a mind map is not a foreign concept. In fact, most of us were probably introduced to it at one point in time, either in our early days at school or for work. However,
What exactly is a mind map?
In simple terms, a mind map is a visual representation of information. It is a technique used to capture the information in your head onto a visual diagram in front of you.
A simple and efficient tool, mind maps are useful for brainstorming and problem solving.
It helps you organize your thoughts and link different ideas together. As a tool that was invented to capture our brain’s thought process, the mind map uses a central concept to branch off ideas related to it.
It Mirrors the Brain’s Thought Process
When we think of an idea, our mind starts to link things related to it automatically and immediately.
That includes what we perceive from our senses such as images, tastes, touch, and so on. It may even link it to relevant memories or past experiences which would then branch off to more connected ideas.
Our brain naturally starts to form a multitude of ideas centralising on the one subject. That process and system is exactly what mind maps are mirroring. If we approach our thinking the way our brains naturally do, it makes sense that we can retain information longer thus, improving our memory.
Not only that, as the information on mind maps are usually paired with specific linking colours, keywords, and images, it also encourages creativity and personality. Since it is dependent on the mapper’s personal understanding of the world, the way the mind maps exist makes the information memorable and interesting.
To Expand the Centralised Idea Creatively
Using mind maps also differ greatly from the linear thinking styles we are used to where things are more binary.
It is a system that encourages you to follow the flow of your natural occurring thought process and teaches you to link different ideas while sorting them out categorically.
At times, it may even help you identify the relationship between two vastly different ideas just by connecting the dots. Depending on what the mind map is for, it can be implied that overall, using this tool generally improves productivity. It is also a concise way to organize information as most mind maps exist on a single page.
The idea is that on a glance, the central concept and the information around it would make immediate sense.
By following the branches, one should be able to connect the ideas to one another and identify their relationships. This allows huge amounts of information to be conveyed through only short phrases and visualizations.
Making it a Part of Your Lifestyle
So it’s clear that mind maps are more than useful and by applying it to our daily lives, we can even use it to make sense of our thoughts and surroundings.
Don’t feel restricted to use mind maps only for school or work. In fact, it can be quite helpful when you want to figure things out about yourself. In short, mind maps are great!
So here's a challenge for you to see it for yourself.
Try creating a mind map about your personality and connect the dots on why you are the way you are.
Start the branches with personality traits and then go back to your childhood, past experiences, and the relationships around you to see what may have instilled these traits in you.
Basically, we want you to reverse engineer your personality and see how it reflects your behaviour! Who knows, you might discover surprising things and even get to know yourself on a deeper level.
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What does your mind map look like? Share it with us @mosseryco on Instagram or share your mind map ideas with us in the comments section below!
Thank you to @elliholi for her mind maps!
