Читать книгу The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps - Тони Бьюзен, Tony Buzan - Страница 9
chapter 1 What Is a Mind Map®?
ОглавлениеA Mind Map is ‘the whole-brain alternative to linear thinking. [It] reaches out in all directions and catches thoughts from any angle.’
Michael Michalko, Cracking Creativity
Overview of Chapter 1:
What You Need to Create a Mind Map
Seven Steps to Making a Mind Map
A Mind Map is the ultimate organizational thinking tool – the Swiss army knife of the brain!
A Mind Map is the easiest way to put information into your brain and to take information out of your brain – it’s a creative and effective means of note-taking that literally ‘maps out’ your thoughts. And it is so simple.
You can compare a Mind Map to a map of a city. The centre of your Mind Map is like the centre of the city. It represents your most important idea. The main roads leading from the centre represent the main thoughts in your thinking process; the secondary roads represent your secondary thoughts, and so on. Special images or shapes can represent sites of interest or particularly interesting ideas.
Compare a Mind Map to a map of a city
Just like a road map, a Mind Map will:
Give an overview of a large subject or area.
Enable you to plan routes or to make choices, and will let you know where you are going and where you have been.
Gather together large amounts of data in one place.
Encourage problem solving by allowing you to see new creative pathways.
Be enjoyable to look at, read, muse over, and remember.
Mind Maps are also brilliant route-maps for the memory, allowing you to organize facts and thoughts in such a way that your brain’s natural way of working is engaged right from the start. This means that remembering and recalling information later is far easier and more reliable than when using traditional note-taking techniques.
All Mind Maps have some things in common. They all use colour. They all have a natural structure that radiates from the centre. And they all use curved lines, symbols, words, and images according to a set of simple, basic, natural, and brain-friendly rules. With a Mind Map, a long list of boring information can be turned into a colourful, highly organized, memorable diagram that works in line with your brain’s natural way of doing things.
How Can Mind Maps Help You?
Mind Maps can help you in many, many ways! Here are just a few.
Mind Maps can help you to:
plan
communicate
be more creative
save time
solve problems
concentrate
organize and clarify your thoughts
remember better
study faster and more efficiently
see the ‘whole picture’
save trees!
According to Michael Michalko, in his best-selling book Cracking Creativity, a Mind Map:
activates your whole brain
clears your mind of mental clutter
allows you to focus on the subject
helps demonstrate connections between isolated pieces of information
gives a clear picture of both the details and the big picture
allows you to group and regroup concepts, encouraging comparisons between them
requires you to concentrate on your subject, which helps get the information about it transferred from your short-term memory to your long-term memory
In The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps you will find many practical examples of how you can use Mind Maps to help plan and organize your life for maximum success, to come up with amazing, creative new ideas, and to absorb new facts and information effortlessly.
You will also get to know your brain better and find out how to make it easier to learn and remember information. If you understand how to help your brain work for you, you will be able to unlock your full mental and physical potential.
The Great Geniuses and Note-making
When you start Mind Mapping, you will be joining the pantheon of great geniuses who all used the major elements of the Mind Map guidelines to make their thoughts visible, and thus to help them and others make great creative leaps forward in their disciplines. These geniuses include:
Leonardo da Vinci, voted ‘The Brain of the Last Millennium’
Michelangelo, the great sculptor and artist
Charles Darwin, the great biologist
Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the laws of gravity
Albert Einstein, who discovered the laws of relativity
Sir Winston Churchill, the renowned political leader and author
Pablo Picasso, who changed the face of 20th-century art
William Blake, the English visionary, artist and poet
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb
Galileo, who turned the universe inside-out with his astronomical observations
Thomas Jefferson, the polymath and architect of the Declaration of Independence
Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist
Marie Curie, the double Nobel Prize-winning chemist and radiologist
Martha Graham, the great dancer and choreographer
Ted Hughes, the late English Poet Laureate, regularly praised as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century
You are in good company! Indeed, it is thought by many that the entire Italian Renaissance was generated for the most part by great creative geniuses who escaped from their linear-thinking prisons. They made their thoughts and ideas visible, not only through lines and words, but also with the equally and often more powerful language of images, drawings, diagrams, codes, symbols, and graphs.
THE BEST WAY TO MAKE THOUGHTS VISIBLE
The reason why these great creative geniuses used a powerful language of images to organize, develop, and remember their thoughts is because the brain has a natural aptitude for visual recognition – it is, in fact, practically perfect. This is why you are much more likely to remember information when you use images to represent it.
There have been many studies to prove this. For example, in one study adults were shown 2,560 photographic slides at the rate of one every 10 seconds. They were then shown 280 pairs of slides, one of which they had already seen, the other of which they had not. The adults had an 85–95 per cent success rate of correctly identifying the slides they had already seen.
Mind Maps use your brain’s talent for visual recognition to great effect. With their combination of colour, image, and curving branches, they are much more visually stimulating than conventional note-taking methods, which tend to be linear and monochrome. This makes it extremely easy to recall information from a Mind Map.
Mind Mappers in History
LEONARDO DA VINCI
For a perfect example of a great creative genius using the language of vision to generate thousands of brilliant groundbreaking ideas, you just have to take a look at the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo used images, diagrams, symbols, and illustrations as the purest way to capture, on paper, the thoughts that were teeming in his brain. At the heart of Leonardo’s notebooks, which, because of the manifestations of the sheer creative genius that they contain, are among the most valuable books in the world, are his drawings. These drawings helped Leonardo to explore his thinking in fields as far ranging as art, physiology, engineering, aquanautics, and biology.
For Leonardo the language of words took second place to the language of images, and was used to label, indicate, or describe his creative thoughts and discoveries – the prime tool for his creative thinking was the language of images.
GALILEO GALILEI
Galileo was another of the world’s great creative-thinking geniuses, who, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, helped to revolutionize science by using his own note-taking techniques. While his contemporaries were using traditional verbal and mathematical approaches to the analysis of scientific problems, Galileo made his thoughts visible, like Leonardo, with illustrations and diagrams.
Interestingly, Galileo was, like Leonardo, a great daydreamer. According to the now famous ‘Legend of the Lamp’, Galileo was idly watching the gentle swaying to-and-fro of the lamps hanging in Pisa Cathedral when he had a ‘Eureka’ experience. Galileo realized that no matter what the range of a lamp’s swing, it always required the same time to complete an oscillation. Galileo developed this observation of ‘isochronism’ into his Law of the Pendulum, applying it to time-keeping and the development of the pendulum clock.
RICHARD FEYNMAN
Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, realized as a young man that imagination and visualization were the most vital part of the creative-thinking process. As such he played imagination games, and taught himself to draw.
Like Galileo, Feynman broke away from his more traditional note-taking contemporaries, and decided to put the entire theory of quantum electrodynamics into freshly visual and diagrammatic form. This led to his developing the now famous Feynman diagrams – pictorial representation of particle interaction, which are now used throughout the world by students to help them understand, remember, and create ideas in the realms of physics and general science.
Feynman was so proud of his diagrams that he painted them on his car!
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Albert Einstein, the brain of the 20th century, also rejected the traditional standard linear, numerical, and verbal forms of creative thinking. Like Leonardo and Galileo before him, Einstein believed that these tools were useful but not necessary, and that imagination was far more important.
Einstein stated that: ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge, for imagination is limitless.’ Indeed, in a letter to his friend Maurice Solovine, he explained his difficulty in using words to express his philosophy of science, because he did not think in such ways; he thought more diagrammatically and schematically.
To start your exploration, imagine that your brain is a newly built and empty library waiting to be filled with data and information in the form of books, videos, films, CDs, and DVDs.
You are the chief librarian and have to choose first whether you wish to have a small or a large selection. You naturally choose a large selection.
Your second choice is whether to have the information organized or not. Imagine that you take the second option, not to have it organized: you simply order a cartload of books and electronic media, and have it all piled in a giant heap of information in the middle of your library floor!
When somebody comes into your library and asks for a specific book or place where they can find information on a specific topic, you shrug your shoulders and say: ‘It’s somewhere there in the pile, hope you find it – good luck!’
This metaphor describes the state of most people’s minds. Their minds, even though they may – and often do – contain the information they want, are so horribly disorganized that it is impossible for them to retrieve that information when they need it. This leads to frustration and a reluctance to take in or handle any new information. After all, what is the point of taking in new information, if you are never going to be able to access the stuff anyway?!
Imagine, on the other hand, that you have a giant library, filled with incredible amounts of information on everything you ever wanted to know. In this new super-library, rather than all this information being piled randomly in the middle of the floor, everything is filed in perfect order, exactly where you want it.
In addition to this, the library has a phenomenal data-retrieval and access system that enables you to find anything you want at the flash of a thought.
An impossible dream?
An immediate possibility for you!
Mind Maps are that phenomenal storage, data-retrieval, and access system for the gigantic library that actually exists in your amazing brain.
Mind Maps help you to learn, organize, and store as much information as you want, and to classify it in natural ways that give you easy and instant access (perfect memory) to whatever you want.
Mind Maps have an additional strength: you would think that the more information you put into your head, the more stuffed your head would become and the more difficult it would be to get any information out. Mind Maps turn this thought on its head!
How?
With Mind Maps each new piece of information you put into your library automatically ‘hooks on to’ all the information already in there. With more of these grappling hooks of memory attaching to any piece of information in your head, the more easy it is for you to ‘hook out’ whatever information you need. With Mind Maps, the more you know and learn, the easier it is to learn and know more!
In summary, Mind Mapping has a whole range of advantages that help make your life easier and more successful.
It’s time for you to start your first one!
What Do You Need to Make a Mind Map?
Because Mind Maps are so easy to do and so natural, the ingredients for your ‘Mind Map Recipe’ are very few:
Blank unlined paper
Coloured pens and pencils
Your brain
Your imagination!
7 Steps to Making a Mind Map
1. Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways. Why? Because starting in the centre gives your brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express itself more freely and naturally.
2. Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for your central idea. Why? Because an image is worth a thousand words and helps you use your Imagination. A central image is more interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you concentrate, and gives your brain more of a buzz!
3. Use COLOURS throughout. Why? Because colours are as exciting to your brain as are images. Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to your Mind Map, adds tremendous energy to your Creative Thinking, and is fun!
4. CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect your second- and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc. Why? Because your brain works by association. It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together. If you connect the branches, you will understand and remember a lot more easily. Connecting your main branches also creates and establishes a basic structure or architecture for your thoughts. This is very similar to the way in which in nature a tree has connected branches that radiate from its central trunk. If there were little gaps between the trunk and its main branches or between those main branches and the smaller branches and twigs, nature wouldn’t work quite so well! Without connection in your Mind Map, everything (especially your memory and learning!) falls apart. Connect!
5. Make your branches CURVED rather than straight-lined. Why? Because having nothing but straight lines is boring to your brain. Curved, organic branches, like the branches of trees, are far more attractive and riveting to your eye.
6. Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE. Why? Because single key words give your Mind Map more power and flexibility. Each single word or image is like a multiplier, generating its own special array of associations and connections. When you use single key words, each one is freer and therefore better able to spark off new ideas and new thoughts. Phrases or sentences tend to dampen this triggering effect. A Mind Map with more key words in it is like a hand with all the finger joints working. A Mind Map with phrases or sentences is like a hand with all your fingers held in rigid splints!
7. Use IMAGES throughout. Why? Because each image, like the central image, is also worth a thousand words. So if you have only 10 images in your Mind Map, it’s already the equal of 10,000 words of notes!
Creating Your First Mind Map
To create your first Mind Map, we are going to take as a topic – your next holiday! You are going to use your powers of imagination and association to make a Mind Map about where you want to go.
LEVEL ONE
First take a sheet of plain paper and some coloured pens. Turn the piece of paper on its side, so that it is wider than it is long (landscape rather than portrait). In the centre of the page draw an image that sums up holidays for you. Use the coloured pens and be as creative as you like.
Now label this image. This could be the name of your destination or simply along the lines of ‘My Holiday.’
Central idea of your first Mind Map
LEVEL TWO
Next, draw some thick branches radiating out from the central holiday image. Use a different colour for each. These branches will represent your main thoughts on what this is going to be. You can add any number of branches when you make a Mind Map, but, for the purposes of this exercise, limit the number of branches to five or six.
On each branch, print clearly and in large capital letters the first five single key words that leap to mind when you think about your next holiday.
If you need to help your imagination choose these key words, ask yourself a few questions, such as ‘Where will I be going?’ (your key word could be ‘DESTINATION’), ‘What kind of holiday do I want to take?’ (your key word could be ‘TYPE’), ‘What do I need to take with me?’ (your key word could be ‘LUGGAGE’), and so on. In this example the key words are ‘TYPE,’ ‘EQUIPMENT,’ ‘CLOTHES,’ ‘SHUTDOWN,’ ‘BUDGET,’ and ‘BOOKING.’
As you can see, at the moment, your Mind Map is primarily composed of colours, lines, and words. So how can we improve it?
We can make it better by adding to it the important brain ingredients of pictures and images from your imagination. ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and therefore saves you a lot of time and wasted energy writing down those thousand words in your notes. And it is easier to remember.
As you continue developing your Mind Map, add little pictures to represent your ideas and reinforce it. Use your coloured pens and a little imagination. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece – a Mind Map is not a test of your artistic ability. Make sure that you place your images on the branches of your Mind Map.
Central image with branches to represent your main thoughts about the holiday
LEVEL THREE
Now let’s use association to expand this Mind Map to its next stage. Returning to your Mind Map, take a look at the key words you have written down on each of the main branches. Do these key words spark off further ideas? For example, if, say, one of your main ideas is ‘Booking’ think about the different ways you might book it or when you might book it. Would it be through an agent, the Internet, the library or simply a recommendation from a friend?
Draw further branches radiating from each of your key words in order to accommodate the associations you make. Again, the number of sub-branches you have is totally dependent on the number of ideas you come up with – which may be endless. However, for this exercise, limit yourself to three or four sub-branch levels.
On these sub-branches do exactly the same as you did in the first stage of this game: print, clearly, single key words on these waiting-to-be-filled branches. Use the main word on the branch to trigger your three or four new key words on the next-level branches.
Again, remember to use colour and images on these sub-branches.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed your first Mind Map. You will notice that even at this early stage your Mind Map is brimming with symbols, codes, lines, words, colours and images, and is already demonstrating all the basic guidelines you need in order to apply your brain most effectively and enjoyably. Even better, when it comes to organizing your next holiday, you’ll have everything, on a single sheet of paper, you need to consider.
In the next chapter, you’re going to learn a lot more about your amazing brain and its phenomenal potential. The more you understand about your brain, the better you will be able to use it.
Mind Maps in Action
Millions of people around the world use Mind Maps every day to help them. Some people use them simply to become better planners or more confident public speakers, while others use them to solve problems on a much grander scale.
STAND UP AND SPEAK
Mark had always been nervous about addressing large numbers of people in public, but when he was asked to stand up and give a speech at his best friend’s wedding he was torn between his anxiety and the pleasure of the invitation.
Normally, he found it difficult to strike a balance between planning and spontaneity: either he lost his train of thought and stumbled over words or he tended to read verbatim from his notes and deliver a monotonous speech.
Mark decided to Mind Map his speech. He brainstormed his ideas with a Mind Map and then structured how he would deliver it on a second Mind Map, exploring the introduction, main themes, and conclusion.
Mark rehearsed it several times using the key words on his second Mind Map. When it came to the big day, he stood up with confidence and delivered the best speech of his life. At least half of the guests approached him afterwards to tell him it was the best speech at a wedding they’d ever heard, too!
A CITY IN CRISIS
After the terrible events of 9/11 and the collapse of the World Trade Center, the vital utilities to large areas of New York City were thrown into chaos. Communication lines, electricity, water, gas and sewerage networks were in disarray, and residents and businesses were faced with further trauma and hardship.
It was Con Edison, the suppliers of gas and electricity to New York, that had to face the massive challenge of restoring power to the residents of Manhattan. Fortunately, Con Edison had a vital tool to help them: Mind Maps.
Con Edison hosted teams from public utilities in all regions to develop a complex action plan to route their way through the crisis. Together they drew up a mega Mind Map, brainstorming on it all the problems and necessary solutions they faced.
Each step was prioritized and sequenced, and the impact of the failure of one utility on another examined, and this formed the basis of an operations guide. For example, in some cases they would have to re-establish electricity supplies before they could monitor and recommence the movement of water, gas, and sewerage.
Con Edison linked up their Mind Map with a large-screen monitor to provide live-time data displays. The Mind Map included web-links to all key documents. In this way, they could easily disseminate the information to all the different teams involved in the recovery plan. Con Edison resumed their normal utilities service efficiently and, by identifying and documenting the risks faced and the dangers involved, safely.
This meeting of the resources, ideas, and know-how of the various utilities through the medium of Mind Maps minimized the distress experienced by an already traumatized community.
