What I find most interesting about mapping out your information is that it usually is done on only one piece of paper. This gives you the advantage of viewing all your material at once. You don’t need to flip through your sheets.
Yesterday you created an overview of yourself.
How did that go? Was it difficult? Did it tell you something you might not have seen if you didn’t do that little experiment?
I think you know a little bit more about yourself because of what you did.
Remember, it is not about knowing you can do these experiments. It is all about doing them. Most people know so many things! They know how they can be extremely successful in what they do. But are they? Probably not. The number one reason for that is because the ‘know’ in stead of ‘do’ or apply. Most people want to see the exciting and new stuff, in stead of the proven and familiar they just don’t use 
.
Let’s go back to the experiment. Today we continue with this ‘mapping out ourself’.
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As you know, I train many people in mind mapping. But, this is not something I teach them to use as a tool on its own. They have to use it with for instance (speed) reading and note taking.
A mindmap is only a tool. Yes, a powerful tool, but only a tool.
A mindmap must be used together with other techniques. Just by mind mapping, you will not save time. After all, you use the mindmap to create a planning or to gain overview (for example). The mindmap is a tool that allows you to create time.
For others, the mindmap is a tool to summarize huge amounts of information on a single sheet of paper. They save time and increase their knowledge.
Other people create a mindmap to reduce the (mental, physical or emotional) pressure in their lives. The mindmap is a means to create clarity and understand what bothers them.
And of course there are people who simply like to clear their minds by creating a mindmap. They may do this to relax or to get that one idea that helps them move forward and solve their problems.
So many people… so many ways mindmaps are used.
I am sure that you are already using your mindmap as a tool in a longer line of tools that help you move forward. If not… stop and think about the reasons you started mind mapping. What was it that made you stop and learn about this method of information management?
You know I don’t really like the term information management. Still, the mindmap does just that:
- The mindmap helps you to capture information
- It then allows you to give structure to your information
- Because of this structure you increase your overview
- That overview makes you see new options
- These options are evaluated and result in actions
- The actions you take help you move forward
- This will change the content and probably the structure of you mindmap
And there you have it…
The mindmap is a tool that is part of the whole. It is part of your personal formula to make you more successful.
I believe that if you can define your own personal success formula, you can move forward faster in life and enjoy life more.
BUT… it all starts with the way you use your mindmaps.
How do you use your mindmap most of the time?
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One of the most interesting things happens when people start to mindmap.
I tell my students to use more images when mapping their information. I let them know they need to make a nice picture of their notes. They learn to use different colors. And what happens next?
About 90% of them creates a map that shows words while using only one or two colors. Would you believe me that the first pen they usually use is blue?
Yes, habits are hard to break, even when you are doing it as conscious as possible
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All day long, we are interacting with data and we are producing it. Most of the data is received without our conscious mind playing an active role in this. People usually think they are in control (most of the time) and they are making the decisions (most of the time). Fortunately, we are not.
The reason I write fortunately is because you don’t want to take part in making all the decisions. Can you imagine for example that you have to make the decision to breath, swallow,close your eyes when something almost hits it?
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Again, we return in these Mindmap Circle articles to our childhood. Besides the fact that ‘everything was better’ when we were young and time wasn’t going this fast as it is nowadays, there is something else important to learn from when we were young.
Who told you how to start drawing pictures and creating these stories you told yourself and others?
Did you have or need a lot of guidance in playing games with your friends?
I assume you didn’t need advice. Even more so… you probably didn’t even know why you did things and yet… it worked out fine (most of the time).
Then you had to learn how to follow the rules of the people who knew it all. You had to color in between the lines, you could not believe people can fly (this might be a good thing…) and your drawings had to be a clear representation of the ‘real’ world.
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In the Mindmap Circles series, we enter the second circle.
In the previous article we discussed that most people start their lives as natural visual thinkers and visual mappers. After that, they learn how to think in a more linear format by using written words in their communications.
Especially in the Western world, we have to think in (linear) processes. I personally believe that people from for example Asia are much more holistic thinkers. They understand much better that everything is Part of the Whole and both the Whole as well as the Part interact with each other.
At the end, most people consciously or unconsciously integrate both the linear as well as the non-linear methods in their life.
Today, we look at the different stages of using visual mapping, mind mapping, summapping, etc. This all has to do with the mindset people have for using these techniques.
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