We can use all the help we can get on our journey to learning How To Get a Photographic Memory. There are several tools that we can use to help us in this long journey – One of them being mind maps. In this article I want to quickly cover the aspects of mind maps and how they can help us concentrate, how they help us store information, and how they ultimately might help us improve our memory. But first things first.
What Is a Mind Map?
A mind map is a diagram used to represent ideas (among other things). It’s a form of note taking that doesn’t involve the typical linear note taking (the list form). Mind maps are used to generate a visual representation of ideas. The mind map is often used as method of brainstorming. The key aspect is that the information isn’t structured in a linear list, but in a ‘cluster’, so to speak. Structuring the information in this manner encourages a brainstorming aspect. This is why the mind maps are so often used when brainstorming for new ideas.
What Does a Mind Map Look Like?
This is what a mind map tends to look like. We start with a seed idea and start surrounding it with branches to sub ideas. This mind map diagram is made with This Tool – Bubbl. I recommend you give it a shot.
Mind maps can also be drawn by hand. I actually prefer doing so, since I feel the ideas stick better when I’m writing them down. This way I improve my ability to recall the ideas.
What Is a Mind Map Used For?
Mind maps are used for the following things (among other things as well):
- problem solving
- outline/framework design
- structure/relationship representations
- anonymous collaboration
- marriage of words and visuals
- individual expression of creativity
- condensing material into a concise and memorable format
- team building or synergy creating activity
- enhancing work morale
The list is taken from Wikipedia (click here to read the full article on mind maps).
What Are The Benefits of Using Mind Maps?
There is a variety of benefits of using a mind map to generate ideas. The brain was never meant to store large list of information. The brain remembers in pictures. Since a mind map is a visual collection of ideas, it becomes easier to remember the information. The following is taken from Wikipedia and is a list of Effectiveness in learning:
Buzan claims that the mind map is a vastly superior note taking method because it does not lead to a “semi-hypnotic trance” state induced by other note forms. Buzan also argues that the mind map uses the full range of left and right human cortical skills, balances the brain, taps into the alleged “99% of your unused mental potential”, as well as intuition (which he calls “superlogic”). However, scholarly research suggests that such claims may actually be marketing hype based on the 10% of brain myth and exaggeration of the importance of lateralization of brain function. Critics argue that hemispheric specialization theory has been identified as pseudoscientific when applied to mind mapping.
Farrand, Hussain, and Hennessy (2002) found that spider diagrams (similar to concept maps) had a limited but significant impact on memory recall in undergraduate students (a 10% increase over baseline for a 600-word text only) as compared to preferred study methods (a 6% increase over baseline). This improvement was only robust after a week for those in the diagram group and there was a significant decrease in motivation compared to the subjects’ preferred methods of note taking. Farrand et al. suggested that learners preferred to use other methods because using a mind map was an unfamiliar technique, and its status as a “memory enhancing” technique engendered reluctance to apply it. Nevertheless the conclusion of the study was “Mind maps provide an effective study technique when applied to written material. However before mind maps are generally adopted as a study technique, consideration has to be given towards ways of improving motivation amongst users.”
Pressley, VanEtten, Yokoi, Freebern, and VanMeter (1998) found that learners tended to learn far better by focusing on the content of learning material rather than worrying over any one particular form of note taking.
Click here to read the article on mind maps on Wikipedia
As you can see, the benefits of using a mind map for keeping control of information are substantial.
When do I Start Using The Mind Map?
I’d suggest you begin right away. I used to take notes and write ideas down in the traditional list-like way. When I first made the change to using mind maps it was quite frustrating. I didn’t really know how to use them. I didn’t think they’d help me more than a traditional list would. A list seemed, to me, so systematic that it couldn’t possibly be easier to remember a mind map. Boy was I wrong!
Will The Mind Map Teach Me How to Get a Photographic Memory?
Not alone, it won’t. Nevertheless, they make information easier to store and can improve our effectiveness in learning. This way, if we combine the mind map with the other techniques we’ve learned, we can get a substantially better recollection of the information.
Best regards,
Hogni @ How to Get a Photographic Memory
A subliminal message is a message that surpasses the conscious mind and goes straight into the subconscious. The subliminal message contains positive statements like “I have an excellent memory”, “I remember information, numbers and details accurately”, and more. These statements are hidden behind a music track, so we won’t be able to hear them. Nevertheless, the subconscious snatches these statements up and places them deeply in your brain. What this does is it makes us believe our memory is improving. Our brain is such a powerful machine that when you start believing something, the brain turns it into reality (a placebo effect). What this does is it makes your subconscious work on improving your memory, without you even knowing about it!
