Some people, when they start to create mindmaps, are making mindmaps they may even use later on. Their main activity is usually creating mindmaps.
Do you really think Mr. Tony Buzan had that in mind when he wrote about mind mapping?
I think that is what his books want you to do, create mindmaps. There is no one who can show you how to do this better than Mr. Buzan. He is the creator and driving force behind mind mapping.
For me, mind mapping is a powerful tool for remembering and creativity. This works best when you… well, when you create traditional mindmaps.
However, most people who mindmap are not creating traditional maps. Their maps don’t resemble the maps shown in the books of Mr. Buzan. This could be because they feel awkward using colors, they think they can’t draw (little) pictures, or they just don’t have the time to create maps that overwhelming.
Still, the visual maps (usually not true mindmaps) are working for them. These maps help them to move forward. Why is that?
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YES! It is December already. That means it is International Visual Mapping Month.
To give it a good start I would like to ask you somethings first and then give you something.
The Questions
Since you are probably using a mindmap tool, I wonder… how did you know this was the right tool for you?
I had to figure many things out the hard way – downloading, testing, removing (making a mess of my registry…), finding a new tool, etc.
And you know what the ‘best’ thing was? Everybody I asked had their own experiences and best tool… and they were all different…
I couldn’t go to the publishers of the software either. They only had these amazing results on their websites. If I had to believe them, all tools were all super tools (strange, right?).
The one advantage of this quest was that I learned a lot about many tools. I could share my thoughts on them. But… I became one of the people who told others which tool was the best from my perspective.
This could not be right. How could I advise people when I often didn’t really know the person who asked me the question? This could be a problem.
Here is what I did:
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I’ve been wondering what time of the year we most enjoy pictures and images that make us feel good and stimulate our ‘visual thinking’.
Yes, I know that the summer time is a great time to enjoy but… I think it is not the best visual mapping and visual thinking time of the year.
After meeting with my team of wise people, we concluded that December is the best visual mapping and thinking time of the year.
Here’s why:
- December is a time with less daylight and lots of darkness. We tend to use nice lights to create a warm and nice ambiance for ourselves and our loved ones. December is the time where we seek the light and we create the images around us.
- December is a time to look back at the year that has past and find out what we did, learned, received and shared.
- December is a time where businesses and individuals look forward to the new year. They make plans and think about what they want to do in the upcoming year.
That is why I believe December should be International Visual Mapping and Visual Thinking Month. This month is the perfect time to look back to what we experienced and did and look forward to what we want to accomplish next year.
There are many, many visual triggers around us that help us think more visual.
We, visual thinkers and mind mappers around the world, deserve this special time of the year because it is the most visual time of the year.
That is why:
DECEMBER IS INTERNATIONAL VISUAL MAPPING MONTH!
Spread the word.
Let your co-workers, friends, family and everybody else know that mind mapping, concept mapping and all other forms of visual mapping deserve special attention in this dark time of the year.
Enjoy this last month of the year. Enjoy your own Visual Mapping Month!
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This quote is from Emerson. Since you and I are into visualizing our information and thoughts, we know this is a very important line.
You can only change when you know what isn’t right or what holds you back. But before you ‘know’, you have to see it.
This is why mindmaps and related visual thinking methods are so powerful. They help us to visualize our situation.
I am less and less talking to people about mindmaps. It seems that here in The Netherlands most people know about mindmaps. Many people use the system in some way or another (and the ones who don’t…. don’t care).
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Lately I’ve been reading many books on how people perceive their information and their environment. You and I can find a great deal of wisdom in a perhaps surprising book. I will not yet ‘reveal’ the title of the book. That’s something or later.
Here are some thoughts you and I should be looking at when we create our next overview of information.
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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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