What It Means
A mind map is a diagram that puts one topic in the center of the page and draws branches outward to related ideas, with smaller branches for the details under each. Each branch carries a short keyword, and color and small pictures help the ideas stand apart. Tony Buzan's official organization credits him as the inventor of the Mind Map and uses it for organizing information, brainstorming and showing how ideas connect.
Try It: Flip Through the Parts of a Mind Map
Tap each part in order. Together they make one map, built from the middle out.
1. The center
Your topic goes in the middle of the page, drawn as a small picture if you can. Example: a house for "Move in June".
2. Main branches
Thick lines curve out from the center, one for each big part of the topic: Packing, Money, Paperwork, New school.
3. One keyword per branch
Write a single word or short phrase along each line, never a full sentence.
4. Smaller branches
Details grow off the main ones: under Money go Deposit, Movers, Utilities.
5. Color and pictures
Give each main branch its own color and add quick sketches, so each part of the map is easy to find again.
6. Links
Draw a line between ideas on different branches that connect, such as Movers and Packing.
How People Say It
- "Let me mind map this before the meeting."
- "I drew a mind map of the whole move."
- "Put it in the middle and branch everything off it."
The Breakdown
How to draw one
- Turn a blank page so it's wider than it is tall, and put your topic in the center, as a small picture if you can.
- Draw a thick branch out from the center for each main part of the topic.
- Label each branch with a single keyword.
- Add thinner branches off each main one for the details.
- Use a different color for each main branch, and sketch small pictures where they help.
- Draw lines between ideas on different branches that connect to each other.
- Read the finished map and pull out any tasks it turned up.
Steps 1 and 7 are Buhata's own suggestions. The others follow the parts that Tony Buzan's training courses teach: a central image, colored branches, keywords, pictures and links between ideas.
Short version to try today. Write the biggest thing on your plate this month in the middle of a page. Give it four branches and three details on each, and stop there.
When a mind map helps
| Job | How the map helps |
|---|---|
| Brainstorming | Every idea gets a place without a set order |
| Planning a project | Main branches become the parts of the job |
| Studying | Keywords and links show how topics connect |
Where It Comes From
The Mind Map is credited to Tony Buzan. His official training organizations, Tony Buzan Training and Tony Buzan International, name him as its inventor, run courses in the method and describe it as radiant thinking, ideas radiating out from a central point.
Good to Know
A mind map is a thinking tool, and it doesn't replace a task listTo-do listA written list of the tasks you plan to do, checked or crossed off as each one is finished. See more. Once a map turns up jobs with deadlines, copy them somewhere you'll check every day. Keep branch labels short: a map packed with sentences loses the quick overview it's meant to give.
FAQ
Who invented the mind map?
Tony Buzan. His official training organizations credit him as the inventor of Mind Maps and still teach the method.
What are the main parts of a mind map?
A central topic or image, main branches for the big ideas, keywords on each branch, smaller branches for details, and color, pictures and links between related ideas.
Can I make a mind map on my phone or computer?
Yes. Many apps draw them, and the parts are the same as on paper. Paper is still the quickest way to try your first one.
Do It in Buhata
Notes
When your mind map turns up jobs, add each one to Tasks in Buhata and write a short summary of the map in Notes (Premium).
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Brain dump
Writing down everything on your mind, tasks, worries and ideas, in one sitting so you can sort it afterward instead of holding it in your head.
- Note-taking methods
The common ways to lay out notes from a class, meeting or reading, such as the Cornell, outline, mapping, charting and sentence methods.
- Cornell notes
A note-taking layout from Cornell's Walter Pauk that splits the page into a notes area, a cue column on the left and a summary at the bottom.
- Zettelkasten
A note system, German for "slip box", where each idea gets its own numbered note linked to related notes; made famous by sociologist Niklas Luhmann.
Sources
Tony Buzan Training, "Course: Mind Mapping"; Tony Buzan International, "What is a Mind Map? by Professor Marek Kasperski"; Tony Buzan Training, "Tony Buzan Training: Official Tony Buzan Courses"
Last updated .