Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
There are many websites and resources on Mind Maps and Mind Mapping. Many of them are excellent, including the ones by Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map.
Why then do I have the audacity to have my own websites on the subject? I’m not a full time Mind Map professional. In other words, ‘I have a day job’.
Well, I’ve been Mind Mapping for over twenty years now and I’ve given a bit of my history on MindMapTutor.com before. Mind Maps have helped me in all walks of life, including studying, learning, writing, reading, presentations, meetings, problem solving, teaching… the list goes on and on.
During the various uses of Mind Maps in my daily life, I’ve exposed many people to Mind Mapping. I’ve given classes and have written extensively on the subject. I’ve shown people the Mind Maps Principles, the Steps in creating a Mind Map and even pointed them to learning by example, exactly as I am doing to you now.
When encountering Mind Mapping for the first time, there is almost a sense of euphoria about how magnificent it is.
Yet, months and years later, most people go back to their old inefficient, boring, linear ways.
Change is simply to difficult!
My solution to the problem is a relatively simple one. Yet I don’t see many of the Mind Map gurus mentioning this; And for very good reason. They have too much invested into Mind Mapping.
While I believe Mind Maps and Mind Mapping knocks the socks off any other method when it comes to using your brain to do anything (which is pretty much everything that you do), I believe that simply throwing away your old linear ways won’t just happen overnight.
It may take years to get proficient at Mind Mapping and trust it for all your notes. You may be scared to ‘let go’ of your linear notes.
My article on the psychomotor domain of Bloom’s taxonomy illustrates what it takes to learn a new skill.
My suggestion is simply this:
Don’t throw away your linear notes! Simply create Mind Map summaries of those notes and use them in conjunction with your linear notes.
You now have the best of both worlds.
Simple?
This may sound too simple to be true, but it works. You may even want to brush up on your linear note taking methods. This may sound like sacrilege to some Mind Map purists, but don’t worry; It’s ok. You’ll live. In fact, your Mind Mapping may even thrive!
I’ve written about the Cornell Method, a structured linear note taking method, on UsingMindMaps.com. Have a look at it. Try it. And please feel free to comment on this post. I’d like to hear your results.
The Cornell Method enables you to make use of Key Words, Topic Sentences and structure. Cornell Notes translate nicely into Mind Maps and vice-versa. In most cases you will have to produce Linear Notes in an examination. The ability to translate between Mind Maps and Linear Notes seamlessly will give you a better guarantee of excellent results.
By combining structured linear notes and Mind Maps, you naturally combine your logical, analytical brain and your artistic, creative brain. You end up with a holistic method that ensures that your whole brain is used for maximum results.
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