background preloader

What is Mind Mapping? (and How to Get Started Immediately)

What is Mind Mapping? (and How to Get Started Immediately)
A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps structuring information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas. Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity. In a mind map, as opposed to traditional note taking or a linear text, information is structured in a way that resembles much more closely how your brain actually works. So, how does a mind map look like? (click for larger image) This is a mind map about – conveniently enough – mind mapping itself. Benefits and Uses I think I already gave away the benefits of mind mapping and why mind maps work. But what can we use mind maps for? Note takingBrainstorming (individually or in groups)Problem solvingStudying and memorizationPlanningResearching and consolidating information from multiple sourcesPresenting informationGaining insight on complex subjectsJogging your creativity How to Draw a Mind Map Some more recommendations:

Mind map Diagram to visually organize information A mind map is a diagram used to visually organize information into a hierarchy, showing relationships among pieces of the whole.[1] It is often created around a single concept, drawn as an image in the center of a blank page, to which associated representations of ideas such as images, words and parts of words are added. Major ideas are connected directly to the central concept, and other ideas branch out from those major ideas. Mind maps can also be drawn by hand, either as "notes" during a lecture, meeting or planning session, for example, or as higher quality pictures when more time is available. Buzan's specific approach, and the introduction of the term "mind map", started with a 1974 BBC TV series he hosted, called Use Your Head.[6] In this show, and companion book series, Buzan promoted his conception of radial tree, diagramming key words in a colorful, radiant, tree-like structure.[7] Differences from other visualizations [edit]

Improve Your Memory by Speaking Your Mind’s Language By learning the language your mind uses, you’ll be able to tap into your mind’s full potential and develop a remarkable memory. It’s easier than you think – and you’ll actually have fun doing it. Your Mind Thinks in Pictures Along its evolution, the brain has become amazingly effective in dealing with sensory data. It is by correctly interpreting the five senses that the mind understands the environment and takes decisions. Among the human senses, sight has become the most sophisticated and developed of all. Imagery is the real language of the mind. If I ask you to think about a horse, what comes to your mind? Visual Thinking and Memory To fully illustrate the astonishing effect that images have on your memory, let’s walk through a basic memorization technique called memory pegging. Before getting to the technique, let me give you a simple challenge: memorize a groceries list of ten items. baconeggswinebatteriesbubble gummilkenvelopesspinachcoffeetomato Learning Your Mind’s Basic Vocabulary

Expand Your Mind - Puzzles and Brain Teasers To expand your mind you need to learn new facts and develop new modes of thinking that will make the information that you already know more useful. Solving the following problems requires a combination of world knowledge, mathematics, common sense, logic, and science (chemistry, physics). This is not an IQ test. To expand your mind, do not look at the answers until after you have made an honest effort to figure out the problems. The Bear A bear walks south for one kilometer, then it walks west for one kilometer, then it walks north for one kilometer and ends up at the same point from which it started. The Chicken and Egg Problem A chicken farmer has figured out that a hen and a half can lay an egg and a half in a day and a half. The Chicken and Leg Problem A chicken farmer also has some cows for a total of 30 animals, and the animals have 74 legs in all. The Bacteriologist At what time was the container half full? How big was the container? Fibonacci's problem of the birds Moon Photographer

Mind Mapping - Tony Buzan What is a Mind Map? A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner. In so doing, it gives you the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of your brain. A Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. What do you need to make a Mind Map? Because Mind Maps are so easy to do and so natural, the ingredients for your “Mind Map Recipe” are very few: Blank unlined paperColoured pens and pencilsYour BrainYour imagination! When you use Mind Maps on a daily basis, you will find that your life becomes more productive, fulfilled, and successful on every level. 7 Steps to Making a Mind Map Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways. iMindMap – our recommended Mind Mapping software Learn more

Develop Perfect Memory With the Memory Palace Technique The Memory Palace is one of the most powerful memory techniques I know. It’s not only effective, but also fun to use — and not hard to learn at all. The Memory Palace has been used since ancient Rome, and is responsible for some quite incredible memory feats. Eight-time world memory champion Dominic O’Brien, for instance, was able to memorize 54 decks of cards in sequence (that’s 2808 cards), viewing each card only once. Of course, most of us are not in Dominic’s memory championship line of business (or in Hannibal’s line of business for that matter). The Memory Palace The Memory Palace technique is based on the fact that we’re extremely good at remembering places we know. 5 Steps to Use the Memory Palace Technique 1. First and foremost, you’ll need to pick a place that you’re very familiar with. A good first choice could be your own home, for example. Also, try to define a specific route in your palace instead of just visualize a static scene. Familiar streets in your city. 2. 3. 4. 5.

77 Brain Hacks to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better Source: Online Education Database If someone granted you one wish, what do you imagine you would want out of life that you haven't gotten yet? For many people, it would be self-improvement and knowledge. New knowledge is the backbone of society's progress. Great thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and others' quests for knowledge have led society to many of the marvels we enjoy today. Your quest for knowledge doesn't have to be as Earth-changing as Einstein's, but it can be an important part of your life, leading to a new job, better pay, a new hobby, or simply knowledge for knowledge's sake — whatever is important to you as an end goal. Life-changing knowledge does typically require advanced learning techniques. Here are 77 tips related to knowledge and learning to help you on your quest. 1. 2. 4. 5. Balance 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Recall Techniques 15. 16. 17. Visual Aids 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Verbal and Auditory Techniques 24. 25.

What is Mind Mapping? What is Mind Mapping? A Mind Map is a diagram used to represent concepts, ideas, tasks or other items linked to a central theme. In a Mind Map, the central theme is often illustrated with a graphical image. The ideas related to the main theme radiate in a clockwise direction from that central image as "branches". Topics and ideas of lesser importance are represented as "sub-branches"of their relevant branch. By presenting the relationships between ideas in a non-linear graphical manner, Mind Mapping encourages a brainstorming approach to the handling and organization of information. Mind Maps have many strengths and benefits: Simple Easy to createEasy to expand Easy to filter Visual Easy to rememberEasy to overviewHighlight links and relationships Creative Stimulate imaginationBoost motivationImprove productivity Collaborative Promote team spiritEncourage group communicationOptimize work processes The theory behind Mind Mapping The five essential characteristics of a Mind Map:

6 Daily Rituals It’s Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Two San Francisco entrepreneurs are pitching their ventures to potential investors today. They’d both agree that this is one of the most important days of their lives. This is the story of Jane and Joe... Jane was up until 4 a.m. putting the final touches on her deck. Joe, on the other hand, went to sleep last night at 11 p.m., as he does most nights of the week. Which entrepreneur would you bet on? And, which entrepreneur most closely resembles you? Jane and Joe are fictional characters but having been immersed in the world of startups in both New York and San Francisco, I see a lot of Janes. This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak with my friend Mike Del Ponte, who resembles the character of Joe. "Every day I need physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance to tackle everything that comes my way," Mike said. Here are the six simple rituals he uses to perform at his highest, which you too can begin implementing right away: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

mental_floss Blog » 10 Buildings Shaped Like What They Sell Looking for a good way to advertise your business? Why not shape your headquarters like what you sell or offer? It’s worked out pretty well for these businesses and groups. 1. The Longaberger Company, Newark, OH Longaberger is known for its handcrafted maple baskets, so its headquarters are obviously shaped like a giant basket. 2. Between 1983 and the mid-1990s, Twistee Treat opened 90 or so ice cream shops around the country, and each one is shaped like a delicious cone of soft-serve vanilla. 3. Parking garages are usually eyesores, but this one’s beautiful. 4. Kansas City doesn’t have a monopoly on book-shaped buildings, though. 5. This one’s a Boston institution. 6. United sells and rents heavy equipment like compactors and excavators, so it’s only natural that the company’s headquarters building is shaped like a two-story yellow bulldozer. 7. 8, 9 and 10.

Pearltrees extends its mind mapping and curation application to the iPad Earlier this week, Pearltrees for iPad was launched, enabling collectors and curators of web content to do so on Apple’s popular tablet. The iPad’s touch interface is a perfect complement to this popular tool, which has signed up over 200,000 users for the web-based version of Pearltrees during the last year and a half. This functioned just the way I like it – seamlessly. At the time I reviewed the browser version of Pearltrees in December 2009, I wasn’t quite sure what all the excitement was about. A powerful discovery tool Pearltrees for iPad isn’t just an elegant tool for curating web pages in which you’re interested, it’s also a powerful tool for information discovery. Clicking on a single pearl causes a pop-over window to appear, with a screenshot of the web page on one side and the text of the page on the other side. Sharing the good stuff you’ve found From this dialog box, you can also share items you’ve found via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook. Adding content of interest from Safari

List of 100 The List of 100 is a powerful technique you can use to generate ideas, clarify your thoughts, uncover hidden problems or get solutions to any specific questions you’re interested in. The technique is very simple in principle: state your issue or question in the top of a blank sheet of paper and come up with a list of one hundred answers or solutions about it. “100 Ways to Generate Income”, “100 Ways to be More Creative” or “100 Ways to Improve my Relationships” are some examples. “One hundred entries? Bear with me: it’s exactly this exaggeration that makes the technique powerful. When starting your list you may believe that there’s no way to get it done. Unlike the related Idea Quota tool — whose primary goal is to acquire the habit of coming up with ideas — the goal of a List of 100 is to take your mind by surprise. Ground Rules There are only two simple principles to keep in mind when making Lists of 100: 1. This is the one crucial element for the technique to work. 2. 1. 2. 3.

Related: