Drawing a map of a country, city or school is fine but drawing a map in the mind? How does that work? And how does it help you to remember? Read on and your questions will be answered.

The previous week was devoted to telling stories as a way of memorising information and one key point that was highlighted was the importance of association of new things to the old and how this aids the retaining of information. The same attribute cannot be over-emphasized when using mind maps.

A mind map is the linking of ideas that are related to a topic using graphic outlines. Mind maps help to create a structure to a topic or to simplify complex information into smaller manageable chunks that are easier to remember. Your brain will be able to retrace the different threads that lead to different points by connecting the similarities within them. Again the power of association here is emphasised.

Sub-headings

Another advantage is that, writing the different headings and then sub headings under each major topic will allow you to dig deeper into the details and in that way enable your brain to process the information into the long term memory ready to be retrieved when you need it.

Also, writing the different points in various colours will also enhance the retaining of the information.

You can use the mind map for any topic but especially for those with complex ideas. The maps will help you spread the ideas out and work out each detail and summarise difficult information into a simple structure that will make information accessible to you when you need it.

Next week’s memory technique is: Putting items in different rooms.

The writer is an educator and a counsellor.