Mind-Mapping
A Thought Organizing Tool
Clutter is not only in our physical space, but often in our heads. Head-clutter often consists of thoughts or ideas, things we need to do, things we should do, projects that we need to work on, problems we need to solve and last but not least, things we are procrastinating on. It is estimated that we have between 12,000 and 40,000 thoughts per day! Clutter in your head often equates with stress and who wouldn’t want to find a way to reduce stress? I have learned a new technique for organizing this type of clutter; a way to organize those thoughts, projects, notes and priorities that often overwhelm us. After learning the process, I find myself wondering why I was not taught this in high school or even college!
I introduce you to my magical organizing tool – mind-mapping. Mind mapping is a process that involves using your left and right brain to dump all those thoughts and ideas on paper in a format that flows for you. Mind mapping is a way to put head-clutter on paper in an order that not only makes sense, but allows you to visualize it. In the last two weeks alone I have used this process to establish my values, lay out my weekly to do lists, and write this article! The biggest advantage is that for your personal mind-maps there is no such thing as a wrong one!
Getting started on any project is usually the toughest part. Mind-mapping takes the struggle out of getting started. Having the mind-map to refer to eliminates the mental blocks that often frustrate us and gets us on the road to progress. Take writing this article for example. It took just a few minutes to mind-map my ideas. I grabbed a large graph paper tablet and hunkered down in my comfy chair. The first step was to determine what my article was going to be about and use that as my mind-map center. Then as I thought of what aspects I wanted to share about the main subject I created branches to reflect those ideas. I was then able to extend ideas on those branches to create my “picture” of what my article would look like. As other ideas and thoughts came into my head I found an appropriate home for them on my mind-map. The thoughts and ideas don’t come out of my head in any particular order, but with the gift of mind-mapping I just take them as they come, placing them on the map where appropriate. What a relief, in just minutes I had a rough visual of my article and its contents.
Some of the key components to the process of mind-mapping are:
- Use a large sheet of paper, preferably 11” by 14” graph paper or flip chart paper.
- Use only one or two key words per idea or thought
- Use graphics or shapes for easier recognition and reinforcement.
- Use color by using highlighters or colored pens especially if you are a visual learner, which 65% of the general population is.
Other ways to use mind-mapping as a tool are to:
- Prepare a presentation
- Put a project together
- Brainstorm ideas with a group
- Take notes
- Create a business plan
- Organize a meeting
This article is a succinct demonstration of the process and benefits of mind-mapping. Many more materials are available through books and articles to give you a more thorough understanding of the magic of this tool. And hey, do me a favor and share the concept of mind-mapping with someone in their youth. Don’t let them get to be in their 40’s before they discover this learning, training, assisting and organizing tool!
© 2011 Cyndy Ratcliffe, Certified Professional Organizer® and Time Expert, Organizing Solutions, Inc.
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