Hallo Kevin me old mate!
Don't worry about being a slow writer. Just about everything in life takes a lot of practice and it largely depends on how urgently we need to be fast. The first article I ever wrote took me about two weeks and it was only about two pages. I sent it to some magazines but it was never accepted. Anyway you know many things that I am useless at.
The uses of mind mapping are about the same as using a hammer. A hammer is a tool and to say, "It is used for banging in nails", would be a big understatement. For that reason I can only touch on a fraction of the uses for mind mapping.
First of all, what is mind mapping.
Most people look to a spiders web to explain the look of a mind map. I would prefer to use the example of a tree. If you look at a tree this time of the year you can clearly see what I mean. You have the trunk, which is the main part of it. Then you have branches reaching out from that trunk. From those branches are smaller branches and then smaller still, and ending up in twigs.
In the summer it has leaves. If you look closely at leaves they are also constructed in the same manner. A stem, just like the trunk; then veins running off and further veins running off of them. Below ground you have the roots which take a similar shape.
Now, lets compare that with the way the mind works. You can see that by the real way in which I have written this article.
I started off talking about writing.
I compared that with other skills.
I attempted to bring things into proportion by mentioning my lack of skills in many things.
Then I got to the main subject.
I compared the uses of mind mapping to that of a hammer.
I compared the shape of a mind map to a tree.
At the same time other things are going on in my mind. I have a cup of coffee here. I think I'll have a sip of it. Hmmm good. And a fag that has gone out. Light; puff, puff. (No, I didn't manage to give up)
If that was all put as notes, like I have just done, you can see that it doesn't follow any logic.
Putting it as a mind map it can follow a different logic.
The main subject is mind mapping. From that subject we could put a line out and put the comparison to a hammer. From that we could state that a hammer is used in many different ways, and another line to say that mind mapping is similar. Each line follows from the other.
We can take another line from the subject of mind mapping (the trunk) and state that the shape of a mind map is like a tree. We could also take another line and say it is like a spiders web. From the, 'like a tree' another line goes to, branches, smaller branches, twigs, and leaves.
All the other guff that I said, was really irrelevant to the subject.
The point is that note taking in linear form is not how the mind works. The tree form is how it works in reality.
I just rang Kevin up to see if I can put an image into this to show you what I mean, but of course he wasn't in. Another side track of the mind.
What can mind mapping be used for? I can only tell you what I have used it for. For some strange reason I have found that it never works on its own. Rather like a hammer it needs to be connected to work.
I have used it extensively in creating ideas.
I run a mail order magazine. Each month it is almost the same, but once a year I do a mind map of improvements I could make. I would start by putting down, "Article" as that is always at the front and continues to the next page. From that word I would put a branch out that says, "Layout", another branch may say, "Content", another, "Length", "Position", "Graphics", "Heading" and so I would carry on until I can't think of any more. That doesn't mean that I can't add any more.
From the word, "Layout" I may put another branch, "Pargraph Length" another branch, "Short for easy reading" a second thought on that would be, "Short for a better look". Content would at the moment be one that I would concentrate more on. Many people look to the articles to be helpful and I tend to throw them together at the last minute. I would definately put some ideas down to improve the content. Heading would also need some thought, also graphics. Even after seventeen years of running a magazine, it still needs improving.
The improvement that sixteen years of mind mapping on this is very dramatic. It is a very popular magazine. I know from both result and comments.
Lately I have been writing a book. I have used the mind mapping technique to build up the chapters. The book is partly about learning and how there has become so much information around that we are all tending to read a lot, but never really learn from what we read. The book has many answers that I have found in my life, one being mind mapping. Using mind mapping I can use the main theme of a chapter as a heading. Off of that I put all the items or thoughts I want to put into that chapter. Then each thought becomes a mini chapter of its own, each involving its own comments, illustrations (in writing), explanations, and simplification.
Using mind mapping makes the whole process a lot simpler. Without mind mapping the notes become long, confusing, and never really make sense.
Mind mapping in learning is quite dramatic. Say, for example, you read a book and you think, "Yes, that was a really good and helpful book." At that point 98% of people put the book aside and forget it. If they are really lucky they may remember one point, and a very few two points. The reading of the book has become almost useless.
If you examine a chapter of a book, it actually has only a few points in it. All the rest is explanation, arguement, illustration and simplification. Using a mind map it is quite simple to go through a chapter and put the main points that you want to remember into a mind map. The time it takes is between fifteen minutes and half an hour, depending on the depth of the book.
Normally, within one week of reading a book about 85% is forgotten. In order to remember we need to review about once a week. With a mind map reviewing becomes an absolute cinch. It literally takes seconds. You can comfortably review about ten chapters each day without any problem.
Mind mapping is the way we think. It's uses are enormous. Mind map your customers into high and low payers, complicated and simple, high payers and poor payers. Mind map your service into customers, suppliers, employees, competition. Mind map your product into size, colour, usefulness, improvements, cost cutting, profit margin. Mind map your computer. the files in explorer are almost like a mind map already. Have you organised it logically? Work it out on paper first.
Are you in the right job? Mind map your thoughts on it. Do you have a problem? Mind map a solution.
I tend to use a lot of text in mind maps. It doesn't need to be the case. I often colour them, and use little drawings. Many mind maps done by others include almost all drawings, colours, diagrammes. You are working the way the mind works and if your mind doodles, then doodle; if you like using colours splash colour everywhere. Whatever works for you is right.
Well, I told you I could write a lot. I hope I haven't waffled too much and I also hope it has been helpful. If I can I will include a graphic when I comment next.
Please feel free to comment on what I have written. I don't profess to be an expert on mind mapping, just a user. Say what you think. with friends like Kevin, I'm used to being insulted.
If you've read all of this and understood it, have a gold star.
Ian
