Map Out Your Mind

Mind mapping is one of the very best methods to optimise ones learning capacity, and also generate new ideas and inspiration

It also helps to show an understanding of how the elements of complex structures are connected whether it is starting a business, planning an occasion of looking at your life with the aim of improving elements of it.

Mind mapping is so effective because the brain works in many different ways and also different people think in different ways. Your thinking and reasoning follow a structure that is personal to you, however 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.

There are several fundamental principles that this is based on, but a few of the most critical are;

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 easier 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 article through hundreds of hours of studying and repetition - and surely fail. 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.

Association

Your consciousness always analyses how things are connected to each other. And when that is done, the mind creates an image to symbolise 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 to, 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.

If you are interested in exploring mind maps more, Striding Out has a team of coaches that will be able to take you through the process and guide you into creating your own system for tackling a task or situation.

This article was written by accredited coach Chris Davies-Anipole.