Looking for a Solution? Try Mind Mapping

Quick Win

Weighed down by a problem? This creative process can help you see the problem — and possible solutions — from a new perspective.

Try This Today

1. Gather supplies. You’ll need a set of colored markers and a big piece of white paper. Arrange your paper with the longer sides on the top and bottom (landscape orientation).
2. Start in the middle. Draw a picture that represents the problem (or paste in a photo or an image from a magazine). For example, if you’re thinking of moving but can’t decide whether to make the leap, you might start with a picture of your current home. Draw a circle around the picture.
3. Add the main branches. Draw thick lines out from your central image, using a different color for each line. They can be straight or wavy. These are your main “branches.” Each represents a consideration or question. Label each with a word. In the house-moving example, the major lines might include “money,” “family,” “work” and “logistics.”
4. Add smaller branches. For each main branch, use lighter branches to add related thoughts and ideas, and add twigs to the lighter branches if you need to. Don’t overthink; go with what comes to mind and stick to one-word descriptions. The “money” line might branch out to “mortgage” and “equity”; the “family” line might have twigs related to your adult children (or aging parents).
5. Add more drawings or pictures. The more creative and colorful your map, the better.
6. Step back and take it all in. Just seeing the issues laid out visually may help you see the path forward. Or it may stimulate more thinking or discussion.
7. Keep going. If you are still stuck, create a separate mind map that focuses on a solution to the problem.

Why

The term and concept of “mind-mapping” was popularized in the 1970s by a British educational consultant named Tony Buzan. There’s evidence that similar techniques have been used for centuries, however. As a learning technique, mind mapping may have an edge over traditional methods, research suggests. For 55 medical students in an anesthesia technology class, those who used mind mapping retained more information in both the short-term and long-term compared with those who used a conventional note-taking method, according to a 2023 report in the Journal of Education and Health Promotion.