Mindmaps are great for brainstorming, coming up with ideas or creating plans for work. They allow you to put everything on paper in a way that your brain works, so you can jump between tasks and ideas and then go back quickly and often. However, they can be messy and it takes time to get use to them. Here are some tips to improve your brainstorming and make mindmaps work for you.
Use Different Colours for Different Branches
Make it easier to see the different branches of your mindmap with different colours. You could have ideas for employees in red and ideas for projects in blue, for example.
Only do this for your main branches that extend from the middle. As you build on those branches, you want to keep them in the same colours. It makes it easier to tell which idea has built on which area.
Have the Topic in the Middle
The middle is where you need to write the topic. This needs to be short and clear, so when you look at it you know exactly what you are thinking about.
This needs to be a broad topic too. As you build on your map, the topic becomes more and more focused to help.
Let the Branches Get Smaller
Another way of helping determine when a broad topic is getting narrower is to make your branches smaller. Think of them as branches on a tree.
Those closest to the trunk are much larger and support the smaller branches as they get further away. The final ideas are your leaves or flower buds.
Write the Ideas as They Come to You
Don’t let yourself get focused on one branch of the mindmap. The whole point is that you’re brain is allowed to work in the way that it wants.
Jump between the different branches and even between different mindmaps if you’re working on separate ideas. The creativity will flow and you’ll have a more effective brainstorming sessions.
Step Away from Your Map
Brainstorming takes time and effort. Eventually your brain will have enough and it will be time to step away. If you force yourself to keep coming up with ideas, they will be useless and you’ll come to a blank.
Take a break for a few hours and jot down anything that you do think of on a piece of paper to add to it later. After a few hours, you’ll be recharged to work on it again.
Review Your Mindmap
Don’t instantly start adding ideas; you may duplicate them accidentally. Review your mindmap to see what you’ve already added.
Let your creativity work for you and add the ideas as they come to you once you done this.
Work in a Way that Suits You
Some people prefer to write while others prefer to draw. There isn’t a wrong or right way to create a mindmap.
This is for your needs to work in a way that suits you. If you love bright colours and pretty pictures, draw them in!