MIND MAPPING

A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool  that helps structuring information, helping you to better analyse, comprehend, synthesize,  recall and generate new ideas. Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.

In a mind map, as opposed to traditional note taking or a linear text, information is  structured in a way that resembles much more closely how your brain actually works. Since  it is an activity that is both analytical and artistic, it engages your brain in a much, much  richer way, helping in all its cognitive functions. And, best of all, it is fun!

Challenges and selection

Working as project manager and being a BBA student, I deal with a huge amount of  information on a daily basis. Some are new concepts being introduced, some are large  topics that I need to master; but most of the information comes in a non-organized, non- structured way, making it harder for me and everyone else to absorb and utilize it. So the  way I’d phrase the challenge would be: how can we improve work and study by structuring  information we handle in a simple, yet meaningful way, so we can quickly have an outline  on what it’s about and visualize the hierarchy and relationship of its topics.

So in order to have an answer to that challenge, I have chosen to apply the Mind Mapping  tool. A mind map can be used to represent a subject or an idea, structuring the information  in a map-like view. The topic is placed at centre of the map (its starting point) and then the  concepts and details are connected in logic, hierarchical way.

The example map above quickly informs the reader about what the topic is (types of social  networks), what are the categories and sub-categories (gaming, photography,…) and what  are some items within those categories (the social networks like Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Application and insights

So after learning about the Mind Mapping tool, I started creating maps at work and also for  my MBA course. My insight was that the tasks or assignments we execute are usually really  repetition of something already done in the past. However, although they’re known, they  are also too big or too complex for us to rely only on our memories. Here’s where the mind  mapping helps a lot.

The two below are some examples where I’m applying the mind mapping:

Starting a new project: using a mind map to organize the dozens of things that a project  manager has to coordinate has greatly facilitated my work. Every project basically contains  the same items: scope (what’s in, what’s out), timeline (dates, milestones), costs, resources  (people, equipments), risks and assumptions.

Learning a new subject: to me, the hardest part of learning a new subject, is visualizing how  big it is and how its concepts and details are interconnected. Creating a mind map had a  vast positive impact on my study because I can, as I read through the pages, create the  visual map representation of the subject.

Final considerations

As I am seeing the benefits of mind maps for both work and study, I definitely plan to  continue using the tool. I have identified some pitfalls, though. Something I learned in these  few weeks is that the map itself can oversimplify an idea, only scratching its surface and  therefore not including important details. You have to learn to find the right granularity for  the information you’re mapping. And another potential problem is that, although there are  the “roads” connecting your central subject and its concepts and specifics, unless you create  a narrative, it will be hard to make sense of what you’re trying to learn/understand. Create a  story in your head that has a beggining, a development and an ending, so it’s all cohesively  tied together and engraved in your head.

