Why Mind Maps Are Better Than Text Notes

Mind maps can be more effective than other brainstorming and linear note-taking methods for a number of reasons: It's a graphical tool that can incorporate words, images, numbers, and color, so it can be more memorable and enjoyable to create and review. The combination of words and pictures is six times better for remembering information than words alone. Mind maps link and group concepts together through natural associations. This helps generate more ideas, find deeper meaning in your subject, and also prompt you to fill in more or find what you're missing. A mind map can at once give you an overview of a large subject while also holding large amounts of information. It's also a very intuitive way to organize your thoughts, since mind maps mimic the way our brains think—bouncing ideas off of each other, rather than thinking linearly. You can generate ideas very quickly with this technique and are encouraged to explore different creative pathways. In one survey, executives who started using mind mapping software said they were able to work significantly faster than before and juggle more complex projects through mind mapping. And research suggests mind mapping can improve learning and memory by 10 to 15% versus conventional note-taking and studying techniques. It can also save you time, as the Learning Fundamentals blog writes: A student recently said to me - “I thought mind mapping would take a lot of time to do but actually it saves me time because I don’t have to read my notes over and over anymore” Mind mapping helps you to study less because you understand the information at a deep level as a result of creating mind maps. If you just read your notes over and over chances are you’ll only understand the content at a superficial level and you’re going to waste a lot of time. I use mind maps especially when I'm stuck on a problem or am facing writer's block. (The image above is my starter mind map for this post, created in OneNote. Yeah, it's not pretty, but that's okay. OneNote seems to be ideal for mind mapping because even handwriting is searchable, you can embed other files, and if you have a tablet PC, draw on the screen.) By starting out with the basic questions—who, what, why, etc.—and then following each thread, I'm more confident I'm not missing anything, and the ideas just seem to arise on their own. Think of it this way. Imagine you were asked to write down as many uses for a brick as possible. Many people would just start listing all their ideas (building a wall, building a walkway, etc.). But what if you started from a broader perspective, such as thinking about the properties of a brick. It's heavy, so you could use it: as a paperweight, to hold down a garbage bag while raking, as an exercise weight, to grill juicer chicken, etc. It's also thick, so you could use it to prop up a planter or as a doorstop. It's red, it's hard, it's rectangular, etc. That's the magic of mind mapping: Once you start, the possibilities seem almost endless.