Whenever you are looking for great ideas, new insights or you are just looking for answers, you should consider using a Mind Map for getting results. Of course there are other forms of visual mapping you could consider as well. Let's focus on the Mind Map today. I'm confident you can apply these thoughts on different mapping methods as well.

There are two things you have to consider when you are capturing and overviewing your thoughts. Here they are.

Your Mind Creates Ideas, The Mind Map Creates Overview This is very easy to understand. You have these amazing ideas stored in your head. The Mind Map is only a format that shows you what you already know.

Most people who are Mind Mapping believe it is the Mind Map that creates the ideas. Understand that the Mind Map is only a tool that lets you overview the thoughts you have on one sheet of paper. A Mind Map cannot do anything without you. It may only give you a fresh perspective on familiar thoughts.

By seeing all the thoughts, ideas and concepts on one sheet of paper, your mind may find new angles on a problem or topic.

When you create a Mind Map, whether this is on paper or on your computer, you need to be quick and precise.

You must act quickly in order to capture the flow of ideas on your sheet. Don't start to draw images in the beginning. Don't try to find the best suited structure or format for your Mind Map. In this stage, it is all about thought capturing.

You need to be precise because your mind gives you the information in a certain order (most of the time). It is up to you to create branches, sub branches and relationship lines.

When you capture the right concepts and thoughts and you put these on the right place, you can use the map to create more wonderful ideas.

This is where you use the overview to dive deeper into your own mind.

The practical side of Mind Mapping on paper: a good overview During my training courses, I ask people to create notes on a short presentation I give. After the presentation, they learn how to Mind Map and they create their first Mind Map.

9 out of 10 people who create their first Mind Map on paper do this the same way. They:

* use the entire sheet of paper
* write much large than they normally do

So many people fill their sheet from left to right and top to bottom. They cover every inch of the sheet with lines, images and words. They are learning to use a new tool and they are totally getting into the drawing aspect of the Mind Map. When I ask them to add new information to their freshly created Mind Map, this creates a problem for most. They used the entire sheet of paper and lack room for additional information.

This is usually the moment they start to see problems for the usage of Mind Maps...

It is really interesting to see that they don't notice that their Mind Map sheet is twice the size of their original sheet. Also, they use less information in the Mind Map... When you want to get the most out of your Mind Maps, I would like to advise you not to write too big. Yes, you have lots of space, yet this has to be filled with information, not big letters and drawings.

When you want to overview lots of information, you need to let it run free on a large sheet. Make sure this is an easy to read and practical overview. Do not write larger than you would normally do. One of the strengths of Mind Mapping is that you can add new thoughts and ideas to your overview easily. Unless... you write larger than you would normally do.

"To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him"

The bigger the meadow, the larger the cows you can have on it? Just keep it practical. Don't write larger if you don't have to. The Law Of Parkinson doesn't apply to Mind Mapping sheets as well, right?
By Arjen Ter Hoeve