Why Should I Mind Map?

The soul never thinks without a mental image.

Aristotle

There are many reasons why mind mapping is used by millions of professionals, creatives and students  all over the world. Here are the top 4:

Mind maps structure information.

Mind maps can store and structure vast amounts of information. They display hierarchy, show  relationships between individual ideas and enable you to see the “big picture” at a glance. These  features also make mind maps an ideal tool to present information to others, create knowledge pools  and solve complex problems.

Mind maps improve comprehension.

In both school and university education, mind maps have proved to be popular and effective learning  aids. By structuring information in a way that is more compatible with visual learning styles, and by  filtering long texts into shorter mind map topics, learners can absorb large amounts of information  faster.

A 2013 study¹ published in the Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM) examined how  students in Iran reacted to mind mapping as a tool for learning English as a foreign language. From the  sample group, 83.4 percent of students had a positive view of mind mapping in reading comprehension,  while only 16.7 percent responded negatively.  Tellingly, in a questionnaire issued after the study, the  statement “When I use mind maps for a reading passage, I’m more able to solve post-reading activities”  scored most highly.

Mind maps enhance productivity.

The benefits of mind mapping are not limited to education; they can be useful in a commercial sphere as  well. Mind mapping enables you to learn faster, communicate more efficiently and brainstorm more  effectively, which is why ever more businesses are using tools like MindMeister to get the most out of  their teams.

Whether you’re planning a project at work or writing a scientific paper — mind mapping will help you  save tremendous amounts of time. According to a survey by the Mind Mapping Software Blog, mind  mapping software can increase productivity by an average of 23 percent.

Mind maps foster creativity.

Two things make mind maps the best brainstorming tool out there. One: The act of developing a mind  map stimulates our brain like no other technique and fosters a creative flow of ideas. Two: Mind maps  allow you to transcribe those ideas with incredible speed, making for a virtually frictionless thought  organization.

During a 2004 study2 into the effectiveness of mind mapping for students’ writing assignments, 10 out  of 12 people found that mind mapping improved their writing. Not only is it an excellent technique for  students to prepare their essays and papers, it’s also a fantastic method for bloggers to outline articles  and for authors to overcome writer’s block.

See also: 6 Tips to Improve Your Creativity

Mind maps improve memory and recall.

Mind maps present information visually. They feature several powerful mental triggers such as images,  colors, shapes and connections, which help our brain process and memorize large amounts of  information. Studies have found that mind maps can improve memory by 10-15 percent, others go even  higher and estimate improvements of up to 32 percent³. Interestingly, students with learning difficulties  such as dyslexia or high-functioning autism have reported that they find mind maps to be invaluable  study aids.

