Mind map I concept. Mind maps change your life! Or not

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“Mental map... Esoteric again?” - I thought when I first read this title more than six months ago. Then I got into it and tried to draw my plans for the week in this format. It turned out surprisingly easy and interesting.
Here I could write that since then I began to use cards constantly, but this is not so. I forgot about them. And I remembered only in August, when I was planning a vacation trip. That's what came out of it.

What are mind maps

Several months passed after the first meeting with the cards. I planned my time: the Pomodoro timer was ringing, the Eisenhower Matrix was working, the calendar was replenished with tasks and colored in different colors. But I had the feeling that there was some other cool method, but I couldn’t remember it.

And suddenly, having accidentally stumbled upon a review of services for mind maps, I realized what tool I was missing. The puzzle came together and away we go - a map for going to the store, for planning life goals, for work. Maps, maps, maps... They were blue and multi-colored, in mindmaps and on album sheets. Now the euphoria has subsided, and I use them more soberly. I'll tell you how and when.

Mind maps and me

These gizmos are effective where you need to sketch out a general vision of the situation and detail it step by step. With the help of maps, my colleagues compose semantic cores, design a site map, conduct market research, generate ideas, prepare for presentations, organize events, plan a budget and simply make a to-do list for the week.

Where can I use the cards?

1. Working with information (presentations, speeches)

What am I doing
Using cards I collect information and sort it. What I know about the subject: properties, disadvantages, features, use - all this easily fits into the mind map scheme.

What should you do
Replace a boring lecture with a simple presentation and you will capture the audience's attention. Replace interesting presentation– you will also gain the respect of your listeners.

2. Learning and remembering

What am I doing
The same as in the previous paragraph: I highlight the main issue, put it into sections. A huge plus of cards is that you can complete the drawings of branches if a new thought suddenly comes to mind. That's why I always draw with reserve. I’m not very friendly with services yet; I prefer a snow-white sheet of paper and colored markers.

What should you do
Create notes for lectures or books, write various texts (coursework, dissertations, articles), analyze the text. Can be used detailed maps(1 card - 1 question), you can write down the basic schemes.
By the way, most of you have seen something like mind maps in textbooks - these are flowcharts of the main questions of the course.

3. Brainstorming.

What am I doing
I come up with ideas (what to give for a holiday), solve problems (where to find time to study) - this is how cards help with brainstorming. I can draw cards alone or with colleagues, in any case it is effective.

What should you do
Maps for brainstorming are drawn as usual. In the center is the problem, large branches are solutions, small branches are features or consequences. If you need to generate ideas, then there will be a topic in the center, and the ideas themselves are large branches.

4. Decision making.

What am I doing
I am a logician to the core. Intuitive decisions are not my strong point. And here I have differences with Tony Buzan, the founder of the mind mapping method. It is believed that drawing and the use of symbols stimulate creative thinking, which means that the brain is tuned to search for an effective and non-standard way out of the situation (I don’t argue with that). And at such moments, intuition turns on and we make a decision based on it (here’s the catch).
Therefore, I simply write the problem in the center of the sheet, with branches of the 2nd level I designate everything possible solutions, and the 3rd level branches are the consequences of these decisions.

What should you do
You write down the problem and turn it around from all sides, at the same time writing down everything that comes to mind. We organized our thoughts and saw the solution. Those who find it easier to handle facts and figures write them on branches. And whoever relies on intuition will bet on the associativity of the cards.

5. Planning.

Plan work and personal projects, budget or time.

What am I doing
First, I wrote down on the map all the books I want to read. Then I singled out from the book the form in which I would learn the material (synopsis, summary). And I created a similar goal on SmartProgress.
And then a big drawback of the cards emerged - it is difficult to tie them to deadlines. On a Gantt chart, for example, it is clearly visible which event should take place and when, and the temporal relationship of events is visible. And on the mind map you can only sign the deadline by which the task must be completed. In SmartProgress you can set intermediate deadlines, there are deadline reminders. So these two tools work well together.

What should you do
In the center of the sheet, indicate a goal, for example, “to celebrate a wedding anniversary.” And then write down the associations. Choosing a venue, list of guests, menu, budget, program - these are the key lines of your mind map. From each large ray, several more small rays depart, specifying who and in what way you will invite, what elements of the program will be, and who is responsible for them.

Why is this particular form advantageous?

Any incoming information must first be formed into an image. Then it will be remembered much easier and for a longer period. The role of cards is to organize, systematize, and visually present information. It doesn’t matter whether you are planning an anniversary or organizing team work on a project, all the main data can be contained in one large sheet.

The larger the volume of the cerebral cortex is connected to the perception of information, the better it is remembered. The brain does not think linearly, but associatively, so for most people, mind maps are a suitable tool for planning or working with large amounts of data.

Pros and cons of mind maps

I have already written about the shortcomings - there is no interconnection with deadlines.

And now about the advantages.

The brain first focuses on the key areas of the project. This helps you prioritize.
All main and auxiliary stages of the project are clearly visible. Contradictions, interference, and overlaps are also noticeable.
It is convenient to mark the paths already taken.
It’s easy to expand the project by adding new branches.
You can place heterogeneous elements on maps: megabytes coexist with the number of people.

What if you use mind mapping to plan goals? In combination with SmartProgress It turns out quite effectively. The main directions are determined on the map, and discipline occurs using the service.

How to build maps

Principles of drawing maps

In the center of the sheet or a little higher, draw a central image (idea, goal, problem). Draw from it first-level branches (sub-ideas), with associations or key concepts that slightly reveal the central image. From the branches of the 1st level, take the branches of the 2nd level. If necessary, add 3rd level branches.

12 Tips for Drawing Maps

1. Include imaginative, creative thinking and associative skills. It helps the brain with different sides approach a problem and look for an unusual but effective solution.
2. Use different colors of branches to separate directions of work. If this is a map with tasks for employees, mark the branches with a specific color for each project participant. There should be no more than 8 colors so as not to get confused. The highest speed of perception is for red, yellow and orange flowers. The lowest is in brown, blue and green.
3. The number of branches of 2 and subsequent levels should not be more than 5-7.
4. The map reflects the style of thinking, so do not try to standardize it.
5. Exaggerated examples are better remembered. Therefore, feel free to draw unusual pictures.
6. Freehand drawing stimulates thinking. Despite the various convenient services, do not neglect white paper and markers.
7. Make images vivid and memorable so that they evoke emotions. This will help the brain work in the right direction.
8. Build the structure according to hierarchy: important concepts are closer to the center, details are further away. You can number the branches if necessary.
9. Less words, more drawings. If there are several words, then write them down in one line so that the eye does not make unnecessary movements.
10. Come up with your own symbols. Lightning is fast, eye is control, light bulb is important.
11. Draw the first level lines thicker to see the importance of actions. The length of the line is equal to the length of the word. Vary the size of the letters to emphasize the importance of the branch.
12. Delimit branches by drawing them into blocks, connecting them with arrows to show the relationship.

Services for mind maps

If you don’t like to draw by hand (and very wrongly!), then choose paid or free programs for drawing maps on your computer. They differ in design, methods of exporting images, the ability to connect To-do List, and compatibility with platforms.
I use the online service MindMeister. It is combined with Meistertask (scheduler). Plus, you can connect paid PRO packages. The data is stored on the cloud, so I can load maps from any laptop. Bright, lots of possibilities for creativity, intuitive to use. There are templates, I don’t know who cares, but that’s enough for me for now.

Psychologists believe that it is best to draw by hand, activating creative thinking as much as possible, then you will think and solve problems much more effectively. And the modern rhythm of life suggests using any service you like. Well, it's up to you. But mind maps are a really cool tool, I recommend them.

Good afternoon, dear readers and guests of the blog!
Today I want to talk to you about one interesting technique that will help you analyze any information better and more efficiently: a mental map - you will learn examples of some of them from this article.

This technique is not so complicated, and its applicability knows no bounds. After all, we all sometimes find ourselves in a situation where we urgently need to understand some matter, material, or maybe even our own lives? In this case, you should definitely get acquainted with mind mapping!

A short outline of the article:

What is a mind map?
How are mind maps created?
What to pay attention to when mind mapping
Types of programs for creating mental maps
Application of mental maps in life.

What kind of animal is this?

Mind maps(mind mapping, main mapping) – convenient way structuring information, where main topic is located in the center of the sheet, and the concepts associated with it are located around in the form tree diagram.

Psychology, mnemonics and neurolinguistics are successfully combined here. In this article you will see examples of such cards.

One of my cards, monthly plan:

This technique was first proposed by Tony Buzan, a British psychologist. He explains the high effectiveness of mental maps by the peculiarity of human psychology to perceive information entirely and nonlinearly, as if scanning.

That’s why the usual kilometers of text in ordinary notes become tiresome and boring so quickly, you yourself know.

How it's done?

As stated above, a mental map is a three-dimensional tree-like system. At the very beginning of use, you need to decide topic- a word or a small definition that will set the direction for all the ensuing data.

“Following up” is said for a reason: you need to ask various currents subsequent information, drawing more and more branches.

A huge advantage of using mental maps is that, in fact, there cannot be any unnecessary information! All the details that would be omitted in a regular table or outline will find their place on the smaller branches of our system, and the details of these details will find their place on even smaller branches!

In this regard, the use of mental maps is very convenient when you need to understand your own thoughts and desires.

You can record anything, all associations and emerging thoughts, without any problems structuring the information into main and secondary ones: the whole picture will form by itself.

A few details to pay attention to:

1. Bright colors

Human psychology is designed in such a way that first we perceive colors, lines, general structure, and then we go into the symbols, which are the letters that make up the text. Therefore, it is useful to highlight outstanding moments with bright pens, markers, pencils, etc.

2. Special styles

Based on the same principle of psychology, it would be nice if, when using a map, each branch is designed in some special style, different from other branches. In this case, there will be less chance of confusing information, since the data will not be associated with each other on subconscious level.

3. Notation system

A chain of thoughts in the mind can arise very quickly, and just as quickly be replaced by another. Therefore, in order to eliminate the risk of incompletely filling out the mental map, I recommend that you come up with and put into use your own symbol system in advance: to save time.

4. Illustrations and images

Don't limit yourself to text alone. Additional visual materials will make the information included in the map even easier to understand.

5. Additional notes

The whole effect can be lost if you go overboard with the text. To deepen the material, you can use footnotes on special small pieces of paper-bookmarks, where the mentioned topic will be explained in a little more detail than the map allows.

6. Unambiguity

Clearly present the material at the map levels, otherwise the mental map will not fulfill its main task: it will not help you analyze information more successfully.

Computer programs

You don't have to draw up the entire map by hand, because there are special programs, helping to perform mind mapping in digital mode.

Here are some of them:

iMindMap - this is the program I used before, it’s very easy to use, it produces beautiful and impressive maps. I am familiar with it, and will tell you more about it in the future.

But it has a significant disadvantage - it’s more expensive, it’s worth buying if you’re going to use it all the time, I switched to paper ones, and in the examples are my old cards...

Coggle – simple interface and plenty of functions. Allows you to create high-quality mental maps for a short time. You can upload files by simply dragging and dropping from your desktop.

Allows collaboration on one map. There is an undo function, as well as detailed history changes.

Xmind is a popular cross-platform program that comes in paid and free versions. In addition to mind mapping, it supports Ishikawa diagrams. Quite useful for time management.

Mapul is a paid program that operates on a monthly subscription basis. Excellent for its original design. Good for creating handwritten maps, the settings include Russian.

MindMeister is a simple program without a confusing interface. There is an application for Android and iOS. Generally paid, but there is a free trial version. Allows collaboration in real time.

WiseMapping is a program that allows you to work on maps online, without downloading to your computer. Supports both collaborative and personal work. Allows you to export the finished product to another format, insert it into websites, presentations, etc.

Application of mind maps

Mental maps can be useful in a variety of areas of our lives:

1. Learning new material

Both in schools, universities and various courses, and during self-education. It makes sense to abandon the usual linear notes and switch to mental maps.

Perceive with mind maps new information it gets easier. This happens due to accentuated cause-and-effect relationships, so the process of mastering the material goes faster.

In addition, this can save time, since when writing long notes, you spend time both writing and then re-reading not very important material.

And since in sections of information you format all topics and subtopics as multi-level system, you won’t have to spend a long time searching and deciphering the material.

Therefore, mind mapping is a worthy alternative.

2. Analysis of life situations

When it is difficult to understand what to do, what choices to make and what actions to take, mind mapping also comes to the rescue.

By sequentially arranging information along the shelves-branches, you can unexpectedly see the situation with new sides, sort out the details and discover exits and opportunities that are invisible at first glance.

3. Self-knowledge

It is difficult to decide on a profession, study profile, and generally live in modern world, if you yourself don’t know what you can and what you want.

Mind maps allow you to carefully analyze your emotions, feelings and tastes, helping to identify sometimes unexpected reasons for the current state of affairs.

4. Self-development

With the help of mental maps it is quite convenient to monitor your own progress and progress towards your goals. It also helps you organize your time and distribution of efforts, not allowing little things to escape your attention, ignoring which often leads to losses.

5. Planning

I quite often draw up a plan in the form of a map, for example, almost every article on a blog begins with drawing up an outline for the article; you can learn more about this.

Well, you can see the drawn up plan for the month in the example above, the plan for December is shown there, albeit in 2014...

But we strive for success, right? Never give up and let the mind cards be yours faithful assistants even in the most confusing situations!

I think it's time to end here, all the best!

“If you don’t rack your brains, you’ll rack your brains”

There are dozens, and maybe hundreds of methods for “pumping up” your brain, because it is fraught with many possibilities, access to which is often limited to us. “Eat dark chocolate”, “Hang sticky notes throughout the house”, “Start with the most important things” and many other tips can be found on the Internet, the essence of which boils down to one thing - to push our brain to work quickly, to launch it to its full potential, or even “to deceive.” And everything to get maximum benefit - do a lot of things, remember more information, overcome laziness, and so on. Man has always tried to squeeze out the maximum of his capabilities.

In the 80s of the twentieth century, another such method was invented - Mind Mapping technology or the use of mental maps. And as practice shows, the method is far from the worst, and deserves attention.

In this article we will consider the following questions:

For those who like to listen more than read - my interesting (I hope) report on GetDev:

What is a mind map?

What kind of technology is this?

“In this world, to stand still, you have to run.”

The use of mental maps is a technique for visualizing thinking, with the help of which you can process certain information better and more efficiently. Mind maps have many different names:

The technology is widely used for many purposes:

Fixation information. Mental maps - convenient form recording data, allowing it to be presented in a succinct form even with a large volume.
Memorization information. When you write something down in a convenient mild form, this is automatically stored in the head.
Easy access to information. Data recorded in the form of mental maps is easy to recall even after just one glance.
Analysis information. The mental map is built in such a way that it allows you to see previously unnoticed connections between its parts, small unaccounted for details, which can be very valuable when making decisions. Also, with its help, you can look at all the information as a whole, comprehensively, which generally helps to understand the topic and better understand this data.

Mental maps help you easily process information, which makes them very useful in many areas of our lives:

Why use it?

“A thought repeated twice is remembered well.
A thought repeated twice is remembered well.”

Mental maps help when working with any data, improve the brain’s ability to perceive information, but why?

The first reason lies in the construction of the map itself - it is depicted in a radial form, the key image is in the center, and further branches diverge from it. This simplifies the flow of information to the brain- after all, we also see the world around us as a whole - the central image and the details around it.

The second reason also lies in the processing of information by our brain - visualization in general. We remember words with pictures 6 times better than just words.

When constructing a mental map various abilities of our thinking are activated. When composing branches and keywords we use hierarchies, for pictures - visualizations and associative thinking, in general, spatial-imaginative thinking is used. All this activates memory and allows you to remember both the structure of the data and its important aspects, so the use of mental maps improves the retention of information by about 32%.

Since we use various thinking abilities to build mental maps, such as creativity, logic, imagination, All of them develop and improve in the process.

Because mind maps show the big picture, it allows establish all connections between objects, even if they were not so obvious initially. In turn, this leads to the appearance new point of view for information, as well as new ideas and thoughts. The structure and logic of data become more “transparent”, easier to understand and remember.

Another compelling argument in favor of using mental maps is that This technique is very easy to learn, and with its help you can remember information immediately, in large quantities and very effectively. In this case, there is little to write, which saves a lot of time.

How are they different from regular entries?

“Clarity gives focus”

Linear recording is the main form of recording information that we use at school, university, work, and in many institutions. It is used in instructions, books, posters and everything else. Therefore, using this form seems logical, convenient and correct.

But maybe it's just a matter of habit? There are some differences between line notes and mind maps that may make it worthwhile to change your habits.

All structure vertical text information is entirely sufficient hard to see, and to view everything you may need additional actions, such as turning or scrolling a page. And the maps are built on a circular principle, and with one glance you can take in everything that is depicted.
Linear list"psychologically" not finished, it can be continued, which prevents us from perceiving it holistically. The finished map has all the elements in place, it is thought out, composed and cohesive.
Our brain is not in the best possible way remembers monotonous notes, in contrast to a variety of pictures, colorful branches and colorfully designed keywords.

In ordinary records there is enough difficult to single out the most main idea , it gets lost in numerous lists, highlighted and underlined words. On a mental map, the main object of study is always in the center, and it is from this that secondary branches and additional information diverge.

Since when constructing a mental map we use visualizations, we use right hemisphere brain, responsible for aesthetics and thinking about the problem in general. It is because of this that we can think about what is shown on the map from different angles. For linear recordings this is minimal use of the right hemisphere of the brain.

Linear records time consuming, because a person does not write by hand very quickly. We have to shorten the words; they are not always written clearly, and this is to the detriment of the quality of the recordings.

Are mind maps popular?

Who invented mental maps?

Analogs of various connection diagrams have been used since quite early times, but the creator modern techniques mental maps, as we know it now, is Tony Buzan - an English psychologist, author and co-author of more than 80 books, the most famous of which are “Super Thinking” and “Teach Yourself to Think”. The first book describing the technique of mental maps was published in 1974 - “Work with your head.”

“When I was in my second year at university, I once went into the library and asked if they had any books on the theory of the brain and its practical capabilities. The librarian, without hesitation, directed me to the medical literature department!
When I explained that I was not going to perform operations on the brain, but only to use it correctly, they politely answered that they apparently did not have such books in their library.
I came out in complete amazement.
Like my other classmates, I was in a state familiar to the average student: the growing awareness that as I grew study load your brain is increasingly losing ground in the face of high demands on thinking, creativity, memory, the ability to solve problems, analyze and “compose” during written works. Like others, I have increasingly encountered the phenomenon where the return on academic work falls, despite the efforts made, and at times it seems to be zero. The paradox was that, as it seemed to me, the more I took notes and studied, the worse the result was!
The logical consequence of both possible strategies of action in that situation was, as it seemed to me, a dead end. If I put in less effort, the mass will fall into the category of unassimilated important information, and, as a result, failure in the exam. Had I continued with even greater persistence—taking notes in more detail and spending more and more time on it—the result would have been the same downward spiral of success.
The key to true success, I finally reasoned, should be sought in the answer to the question of how rationally I use my intellect in general and my thinking abilities in particular - this realization led me to the library.
When I left it that day, it suddenly occurred to me that the problem I had encountered in not finding the necessary literature might have come in handy. Since such books have not yet been written, I have stepped into protected territory, where there is genuine scope for an inquisitive mind.”

Are they used in the world?

Over time, the feasibility of a particular technique is always determined by the number of people who use it. More than 40 years have passed since the publication of the first description of the technique, but nevertheless, the technique of mental maps lives, develops, and, most importantly, is used. Let's turn to Google Trends:

Overall, mind mapping is a consistently used query over the past 11 years. Countries with the largest number Such requests suddenly turned out to be Indonesia and Thailand. The statistics in Russia are completely different. Only in 2011 did this technique begin to gain interest in our country:

Why don't people use them everywhere?

Like everything in our world, the mental mapping technique also has disadvantages:

Complex, complex states of affairs are simplified, and many details are extremely generalized. Created appearance of order where there is none. Sometimes this is useful, but sometimes it only creates the illusion of control over the situation, the illusion of a common understanding of the problem and the absence of complex hidden relationships.

Since pictures are used when constructing maps, associative thinking is activated. But associations- dynamic things change and transform over time, and what evoked one association in us six months ago does not evoke exactly the same one now. Such pictures direct the flow of thoughts when reading the card in a completely different direction than originally planned. “False” associations ultimately slow down the understanding of the data on the map.

A mental map is a reflection of someone's thinking, either one person or a group of such people, so cards most often purely individual. If the card is given to another person to read, it may happen that he either does not understand some of the details, or, even worse, perceives them incorrectly.
When processing large or complex data when building a map, it may work out complex picture, with multiple divisions, with huge quantities connections, branches and keywords. The effectiveness of such a mental map decreases significantly.

These are some of the reasons why the technique of mental maps has not yet supplanted linear recordings. But there are also imaginary disadvantages that lie in the way of using this technique:

Ignorance about technology. The popularity of mental maps has not yet reached such a scale that everyone knows about them.
Opinion "I can not draw". Many people think that this is a serious obstacle to mapping, but in fact such a skill is not required. Moreover, there is a simple exercise that helps prove that everyone can draw a minimum set of characters. Try:

The belief that this is child's play and a true professional has no use for it. In fact, every self-respecting professional has his own set of different tools to achieve goals: visualization, planning, time management and others. And the fact that many people around the world use mental maps is an indicator of the effectiveness of this tool.
Mind maps take longer than linear recordings. At first, during the first stages of using this technique, this will indeed be the case - as when learning any new task. But in further maps will click like nuts, much faster than regular notes.
Belief “I think linearly” and “I’ve been using linear notes all my life, and it’s fine.” Yes, linear notes have become an integral part of our lives since the age of seven, and then it is much more convenient and habitual to use them, even in our reflections. But isn't this just a habit? And if other methods are more effective, then why not try them?
Opinion “Mental maps cannot be used for everyday tasks" On the contrary, this technique is used for all areas of life where decision-making, any lists, or analysis of something are required. This includes almost any area of our daily life.

How to create a mind map?

“Every artist was at first an amateur”

To build mental maps, it is enough to follow certain simple principles. Let’s try, as an example, to create a mental map for this entire article.

To start, you need a clean, horizontally rotated area, such as a sheet of paper, a board, a tablet, a phone, or a workspace in graphic editors. The more data you process, the larger the workspace you will need. I will be making my example using an online mind map editor.

In the center of the workspace, describe an image of a problem, task, or area of knowledge. In our case, this is an article about mental maps.

Remember to use pictures and symbols wherever possible. This will make the card brighter and more colorful, and as a result, more memorable.

From the central image we will draw thick structural branches, the main subsections of our article. It is recommended to use different colors for key branches and words, and also to design them colorfully. Since I love minimalism, I’ll deviate a little from the rules.

But nothing prevents me from decorating the main subsections with appropriate pictures. We will also add branches of the next level. It must be remembered that there should only be one word on one branch. This allows us not to overload the map, and in the process of coming up with this one word, we can highlight the essence of the material.

The size and thickness of the letters on the branches vary depending on the distance from the central image. The further you go, the less. If there is a relationship between the details on the map, do not forget to show it. Let's supplement our example with other branches and connections.

So we have a finished mental map. Not the most colorful due to my love of minimalism, but very informative.

“If you don’t rack your brains, you’ll rack your brains”

What is a mind map?

What kind of technology is this?

“In this world, to stand still, you have to run.”

The use of mental maps is a technique for visualizing thinking, with the help of which you can process certain information better and more efficiently. Mind maps have many different names:

The technology is widely used for many purposes:

Fixation information. Mental maps are a convenient form of recording data that allows you to present it in a succinct form even with a large volume.
Memorization information. When you write something down in a convenient, easy form, it automatically sticks in your head.
Easy access to information. Data recorded in the form of mental maps is easy to recall even after just one glance.
Analysis information. The mental map is built in such a way that it allows you to see previously unnoticed connections between its parts, small unaccounted for details, which can be very valuable when making decisions. Also, with its help, you can look at all the information as a whole, comprehensively, which generally helps to understand the topic and better understand this data.

Mental maps help you easily process information, which makes them very useful in many areas of our lives:

Why use it?

“A thought repeated twice is remembered well.
A thought repeated twice is remembered well.”

Mental maps help when working with any data, improve the brain’s ability to perceive information, but why?

The second reason also lies in the processing of information by our brain - visualization generally improves perception. We remember words with pictures 6 times better than just words.

When constructing a mental map various abilities of our thinking are activated. When compiling branches and keywords, we use hierarchies, for pictures - visualization and associative thinking, in general, spatial-figurative thinking is used. All this activates memory and allows you to remember both the structure of the data and its important aspects, so the use of mental maps improves the retention of information by about 32%.

Since we use various thinking abilities to build mental maps, such as creativity, logic, imagination, All of them develop and improve in the process.

How are they different from regular entries?

“Clarity gives focus”

But maybe it's just a matter of habit? There are some differences between line notes and mind maps that may make it worthwhile to change your habits.

All structure vertical text information is entirely sufficient hard to see, and to view everything may require additional actions, such as turning or scrolling the page. And the maps are built on a circular principle, and with one glance you can take in everything that is depicted.
Linear list"psychologically" not finished, it can be continued, which prevents us from perceiving it holistically. The finished map has all the elements in place, it is thought out, composed and cohesive.
Our brains are not the best at remembering monotonous notes, in contrast to a variety of pictures, colorful branches and colorfully designed keywords.

In ordinary records there is enough difficult to single out the most main idea, it gets lost in numerous lists, highlighted and underlined words. On a mental map, the main object of study is always in the center, and it is from this that secondary branches and additional information diverge.

Since we use visualizations when constructing a mental map, the right hemisphere of the brain is used, which is responsible for aesthetics and thinking about the problem as a whole. It is because of this that we can think about what is shown on the map from different angles. For linear recordings this is minimal use of the right hemisphere of the brain.

Linear records time consuming, because a person does not write by hand very quickly. We have to shorten the words; they are not always written clearly, and this is to the detriment of the quality of the recordings.

Are mind maps popular?

Who invented mental maps?

Analogues of various connection diagrams have been used since quite early times, but the creator of the modern method of mental maps, such as we know it now, is Tony Buzan - an English psychologist, author and co-author of more than 80 books, the most famous of which are “Superthinking” and “Teach think about yourself." The first book describing the technique of mental maps was published in 1974 - “Work with your head.”

“When I was in my second year at university, I once went into the library and asked if they had any books on the theory of the brain and its practical capabilities. The librarian, without hesitation, directed me to the medical literature department!
When I explained that I was not going to perform operations on the brain, but only to use it correctly, they politely answered that they apparently did not have such books in their library.
I came out in complete amazement.
Like the rest of my classmates, I was in a state familiar to the average student: the growing awareness that as your academic workload increases, your brain increasingly succumbs to the high demands on thinking, creativity, memory, problem-solving, analysis, and “ compose” during written work. Like others, I was increasingly faced with the phenomenon in which the return on academic work falls, despite the efforts made, and at times seems to be zero. The paradox was that, it seemed to me, the more I took notes and studied, the more the result was worse!
The logical consequence of both possible strategies of action in that situation was, as it seemed to me, a dead end. If I put in less effort, a lot of important information will fall into the category of not being learned, and, as a result, I will fail the exam. Had I continued with even greater persistence—taking notes in more detail and spending more and more time on it—the result would have been the same downward spiral of success.
The key to true success, I finally reasoned, should be sought in the answer to the question of how rationally I use my intellect in general and my thinking abilities in particular - this realization led me to the library.
When I left it that day, it suddenly occurred to me that the problem I had encountered in not finding the necessary literature might have come in handy. Since such books have not yet been written, I have stepped into protected territory, where there is genuine scope for an inquisitive mind.”

Are they used in the world?

Overall, mind mapping is a consistently used query over the past 11 years. The countries with the largest number of such requests suddenly turned out to be Indonesia and Thailand. The statistics in Russia are completely different. Only in 2011 did this technique begin to gain interest in our country:

Why don't people use them everywhere?

Like everything in our world, the mental mapping technique also has disadvantages:

Complex, complex states of affairs are simplified, and many details are extremely generalized. Created appearance of order where there is none. Sometimes this is useful, but sometimes it only creates the illusion of control over the situation, the illusion of a common understanding of the problem and the absence of complex hidden relationships.

Since pictures are used when constructing maps, associative thinking is activated. But associations- dynamic things change and transform over time, and what evoked one association in us six months ago does not evoke exactly the same one now. Such pictures direct the flow of thoughts when reading the card in a completely different direction than originally planned. “False” associations ultimately slow down the understanding of the data on the map.

A mental map is a reflection of someone's thinking, either one person or a group of such people, so cards most often purely individual. If the card is given to another person to read, it may happen that he either does not understand some of the details, or, even worse, perceives them incorrectly.
When processing large or complex data when building a map, it may work out complex picture, with multiple divisions, with a huge number of connections, branches and keywords. The effectiveness of such a mental map decreases significantly.

These are some of the reasons why the technique of mental maps has not yet supplanted linear recordings. But there are also imaginary disadvantages that lie in the way of using this technique:

Ignorance about technology. The popularity of mental maps has not yet reached such a scale that everyone knows about them.
Opinion "I can not draw". Many people think that this is a serious obstacle to mapping, but in fact such a skill is not required. Moreover, there is a simple exercise that helps prove that everyone can draw a minimum set of characters. Try:

The belief that this is child's play and a true professional has no use for it. In fact, every self-respecting professional has his own set of different tools to achieve goals: visualization, planning, time management and others. And the fact that many people around the world use mental maps is an indicator of the effectiveness of this tool.
Mind maps take longer than linear recordings. At first, during the first stages of using this technique, this will indeed be the case - as when learning any new task. But in the future, the cards will click like nuts, much faster than regular notes.
Belief “I think linearly” and “I’ve been using linear notes all my life, and it’s fine.” Yes, linear notes have become an integral part of our lives since the age of seven, and then it is much more convenient and habitual to use them, even in our reflections. But isn't this just a habit? And if other methods are more effective, then why not try them?
Opinion “Mental maps cannot be used for everyday tasks" On the contrary, this technique is used for all areas of life where decision-making, any lists, or analysis of something are required. This includes almost any area of our daily life.

How to create a mind map?

“Every artist was at first an amateur”

To build mental maps, it is enough to follow certain simple principles. Let’s try, as an example, to create a mental map for this entire article.

In the center of the workspace, describe an image of a problem, task, or area of knowledge. In our case, this is an article about mental maps.

Remember to use pictures and symbols wherever possible. This will make the card brighter and more colorful, and as a result, more memorable.

So we have a finished mental map. Not the most colorful due to my love of minimalism, but very informative.

Hello, my dear readers!

Today I would like to talk about mental maps. Don't know what it is? Then you are at the right place.

So, mental maps are a special way of systematizing knowledge using diagrams.

The main feature of this method is that it simultaneously brings into play both hemispheres of the brain, thanks to which a person can use his potential to 100%.

How to make them? Compiling these maps can be done either manually on sheets of paper in A3 or A4 format, or using special computer programs.

What are mental maps for?

To present a large amount of information in a condensed form.
With their help, you can present your product, company, and services in the most visual and complete manner.
In order to understand a new topic well. You've probably encountered situations where a new, unfamiliar topic eluded your understanding.
To generate ideas. Describe your goal and everything you need to achieve it, and the map will help you find the most optimal method problem solving
In self-study. You can significantly speed up the process of learning new material if you record the main thoughts in a mental map.

Basic principles

In mental maps, thoughts are displayed in the form of peculiar “trees” of biochemical impulses, and the map itself has a radial structure. The following principles underlie the creation of mental maps:

A mental map should activate memory and perception.
Ensuring maximum readability, which makes thinking more conscious.
Analysis of the map you have drawn up allows you to understand the “structure” of your thinking.

Creation rules:

The central picture (idea, task) should be larger than the others and located in the center.
When creating, use more than 3 different colors.
Vary the font depending on the importance of the words to achieve a certain hierarchy.
Use arrows to connect pictures (thoughts).

How to choose a computer program for constructing a mental map?

Pay attention to the benefits of applications. Every software has its advantages and disadvantages, which should be taken into account when choosing.

What you need to know:

Map makers are classified from those that are easy to use to those whose interface is impossible to understand without special courses.
Some programs are free to use, others must be purchased for money, and others are only available online.
The PDF format is mainly used to save maps.
Some products allow you to draw arrows between categories, while others do not (this is a very important aspect for mind maps).

When choosing an application, take the time to read user reviews. Evaluate the capabilities of the product; creating a map in a demo version will help you with this (if the program is paid). Also, thanks to this, you can find out how advisable it is to upgrade to a paid version, which provides more features.

In addition, read reviews to know which applications are used to solve certain problems. Thus, some programs may be great for tracking the development of a project, but at the same time be completely useless for collaborating with users.

Today there are more than 200 applications for creating mental maps. There is no point in talking about everyone at once. I will tell you only about the most popular and effective of them.

The most common free map maker. It has a simple, intuitive control system, a set of basic functions for building mental maps, and the ability to save the map in different formats.

Before using it, you need to install Java. The main disadvantages are the low quality of graphic elements and the inability to attach files to branches.

The Personal Brain

Excellent free program. It has a simple interface in Russian. Fully utilizes spatial thinking and allows you to view the map in any plane. Files of any format, links, and folders can be attached to the project.

The disadvantages include the lack of your own library of graphic elements and the inability to see all parts of the map in one place.

The most popular and functional application among paid products. Allows you to attach any folders, links, files. It has a lot of capabilities and tools.

The abundance of functions is both an advantage and a disadvantage of this map maker, since it will take a long time to master them. The lack of a localization complicates the work.

ConceptDraw MindMap

Very popular in Russia paid application, which is the brainchild of Ukrainian developers. It differs from its competitors in simple navigation and a powerful graphics module that allows you to draw lines and add images from the library.

But, at the same time, this program will not allow you to supplement your map with tables and diagrams or make a presentation.

An online program that allows you to attach files to branches, export, import maps from FreeMind, MindManager and save them on the server.

However, the size of the graphic symbols is very small, and the shape and color of the lines cannot be varied. The limited version is free to use, but the full version costs $15 every year.

This online application is completely free to use. It makes it possible for several users to work on creating a map at once and perform an integrated search using Flickr, Yahoo, and Google images. Before you start working, you need to register.

That's all, dear friends! If you want to quickly master all the “wisdom” of constructing maps, then I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the course “ Master of Mind Maps».

Share your knowledge and experience with your friends on social media. networks - give them a link to this article. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog newsletter, see you soon!

Sincerely! Abdullin Ruslan