hi! because of my english [foreign language] teacher at school, i’ve had a lot of experience with mind maps. they’re a very useful tool i’ve found for studying, + i’ve developed a personal strategy to making them that i wanted to share with you guys! imo, there’s no right way to making one, this is just what i’ve found works better for myself, u can always adapt it + see what suits u better!
why should i make mind maps?
they’re a great way to connect ideas, summarize information + link concepts in a very visual way! so, great for visual learners but other types too
they are very customizable + u can include pics, drawings, symbols, colours, different arrows, etc etc
they can give you an overview of large a subject at once while also holding lots of information
because of the point above ^^^^ they can save u lots of times when reviewing bc u don’t need to read your [long] notes over + over, just glance at ur mind map and make the connections in ur head
when u make a mind map it helps understand info at a deeper level than when [traditional] note taking + remember it better
first of all, as usual, u don’t need lots of expensive + different coloured pens + highlighters!! just one black pen + a few colours [optional but preferred] should do, or u can use pencils or whatever u have!
blank paper is great but u can also use graph paper or anything u prefer, ir you’re like me and can’t write straight in a white piece of paper
other tools like a ruler can be great help too, use what u feel comfortable with
first i usually make a draft in pencil so that i can get a sense of how much space everything takes up + it doesn’t matter if i fuck up. when making this i write everything i will later not caring so much abt the ~aesthetic but i try to write neatly so it takes up the same space as later
i usually start with the topic in the center of the page because it lets you branch out all around it, but sometimes i’ve found it better to write it at the top depending on how much info i have + how i want to organize it. write the topic in big handwriting so it stands out
define what ur subtopics are + write them all around your main topic, connecting them to it with arrows
start branching from each subtopic using key words, not full sentences/paragraphs. connect the key words with each other if suitable.
u can write connectors in the arrows so it makes more sense; this helps you really condense the information + figure out what’s important + what’s not
try not to include examples unless they’re very crucial
after finishing the draft, see if u need to move anything bc of space or if there’s something unnecessary that u can remove
start rewriting the mind map using fancy fonts, different types of arrows, colour coding, anything that u find useful or just to make it prettier
if u end up with any blank spaces u can fill them with diagrams, little drawings to illustrate what u wrote + help u remember better afterwards, printed pictures that u can glue, or even some cute washi tape [if u have washi tape, which i don’t so it’s not necessary]
and that’s it! u have ur mind map ready! congrats!
make a draft first if u have the time only - to me it’s better because while i’m redoing it i’m already studying, but it can be time consuming
it doesn’t matter if ur mind map is pretty or messy, has drawings or not, has colour coding or it’s all in black ink as long as u understood everything u wrote down + it helps u study
if u don’t have different colour pens u can make some words bold/bigger/underlined to make them stand out, use different fonts, circle titles or draw a cloud around them, use banners etc etc
if u do use colours try not to overdo it + use colour coding creating a key: for example, blue for the main topic, light blue for subtopics and light green for any other words that u want to make stand out
don’t use too many different fancy fonts either, choose one or two that compliment each other and stick with them! [cursive + lowercase, then everything else with ur normal handwriting]
don’t write long sentences or paragraphs bc u may end up feeling like ur just rewriting ur notes - key words + abreviations are ur friends. this way, you’ll have to think about what you’re doing and it’s easier to connect different concepts!
if taking time to make the mind map super pretty w lots of drawings helps u, do it! if it doesn’t, don’t! it will still do its purpose!
mind maps tag in my blog for inspiration [u can see there are many different types, different to what i explained in this post - experiment!]
this video on mind mapping
“how i mind map” video by @studyign
“how to mind map!” video by @studyhardlivebetter
for more, u can search other studyblrs mind maps tags
so that’s it! i hope u found this masterpost useful, and since it’s my first long advice masterpost i’d love some feedback! good luck studying 💕
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