How to Memorize Anything (26 page)

*
see
appendix II
'mind maps' for colourful image of the above mind map

MIND MAP ABOUT PLANNING A PARTY

Planning may be done for organizing a farewell party or a trip to the US or planning your schedule for the coming weekend.

Let’s say you have to plan your son’s birthday party. A little planning goes a long way towards making things run more smoo-thly and in an organized way without any last minute hassles.

Mind mapping helps you plan ahead by seeing the whole picture with all the good and bad possibilities. Here is a mind map presenting some of the possibilities and options. You can map out your own perfect party.

Step-by-step mind mapping your party:

1. First of all, draw a central image on a blank page, turned sideways, presenting your party. You can make it catchy by drawing a cake or a balloon on it.
   
2. Draw your big main branches coming off this image. These branches may give you answers to the following:
   
   • When to have a party?
     
   • Where to have it?
     
   • Who will be invited?
     
   • Theme of the party
     
   • Food
     
   • Music
     
   • Games
     
   • Return gifts
     

   Draw each branch in a different colour to make it stand out.
   

3. Once you have the main branches, you can add sub-branches by adding further details and options to the main branch. For example, while thinking of where to have the party, you can have options like whether to have it at home or a nearby club or a restaurant. Draw a different branch for each of your options.
   
4. You can keep on adding extra branches and putting in as much detail as you like. You will be amazed by the number of ideas coming out of your mind that otherwise you might not have thought had you not been using a mind map.
   

After looking at all the possibilities, you can choose the best options according to your time, budget, and comfort. You can further plan what work you will do and what work you will delegate to your spouse or friend etc.

Similarly, mind maps can be used to give presentations, brain-storming the possibilities of increasing the productivity or efficiency of the company, summarizing the points of meeting, etc.

Mind Map about planning a birthday party

*
see
appendix II
'mind maps' for colourful image of the above mind map

MIND MAP ABOUT PLANNING A TRIP
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Usually, when we have to go for a trip, we make a list of all the things, to be carried and check with it while packing our luggage. Let’s say I have to for a trip to US for some workshop. Below is the list of items given that I need to pack:

• Visa
  
• Passport
  
• Books
  
• Pen drive
  
• Suits
  
• Towel
  
• Band-aids
  
• Cash
  
• Organizer address
  
• Tickets
  
• Shawl
  
• Gifts
  
• Toothbrush
  
• Soaps
  
• Snacks
  
• Laddoo
  
• Credit card
  
• Cold cream
  
• Thyronorm
  
• Friends address
  
• Laptop
  
• Makeup kit
  
• Other medicines
  

Now every time I pack something in the suitcase, I put a tick on it and then search what is left in this random list, which is time consuming.

Instead of this, if I could convert it into a mind map as shown below, then things would be very easy. While making the mind map, I have divided the items of the whole list under different categories (branches) marked by different colours, making each category unique and distinct. Now if I have to check about what medicines I have left, I just need to go to that branch and check. Likewise, it helps me to further add on some items which I might have missed to write.

So a mind map not only helps to check the list, it also helps in creating the list.

Mind Map about planning a US Trip

*
see
appendix II
'mind maps' for colourful image of the above mind map

MIND MAP ABOUT MAKING NOTES OF A TOPIC

To understand the importance of a mind maps in summarizing a topic, let’s take an example:

Read the following passage of
200 words
:

‘Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest leaders of India, had his own views on English education. He held the view that
colonial education
would create a
sense of inferiority in
the
minds of Indians
. It would make them think that
Western civilization
was
superior
to Indian civilization and destroy the pride that they had in their culture. Education in English would cripple Indians;
distance
them
from
their
own social surroundings
. According to him, Western education focused on reading and writing rather than on oral knowledge; it
valued textbooks rather than
lived experience and
practical knowledge.
He strongly felt that
Indian languages
ought to be the medium of instruction because this would make
easier
for them
to understand
the whole thing and would enable them to
recover
their sense of
dignity
and
self-respect.
Mahatma Gandhi laid
emphasis
on
learning
a
craft
as it would make them work with their own hands and get a
practical knowledge
of the whole thing. By doing so they would learn how different things are operated. The learning of a craft would develop not only their mind but also their capacity to understand. Later on such a thing could
help
many
to earn
their own living’.

You will realize that a few words in the above passage are in bold. These are the
keywords
that
summarize
the whole passage
in
just 20 percent (39 words)
of the total word count.

The rest 80 percent (161 words) are non key words or connectors that are not required while revising the passage. If you revise only keywords, you get all the required information and it saves lot of your time as you have to read only around 20 percent of the total passage.

Let’s see how you can visualize this paragraph in the form of a mind map, using these keywords and relevant images:

Mind Map about views of Gandhi ji on English education

*
see
appendix II
'mind maps' for colourful image of the above mind map

Just by designing a mind map you will be able to recall the complete information in a few minutes. As mentioned earlier, our mind recalls images faster than the text, especially, an image that you have designed yourself.

HOW DO MIND MAPS IMPROVE MEMORY?

The act of mind mapping increases association, imagination, and creativity—so it is the perfect tool to improve memory.

So how exactly do mind maps improve memory? Let’s take a look:

• Mind maps only contain keywords. This means that the information to remember is prompted by short, memorable words with meaning.
  
• Mind maps promote associations and connections. As we know, association is an important way to improve memory.
  
• Mind maps use colours and images that stimulate your imagination. Imagination is the key secret to improve memory.
  

16

HOW TO IMPROVE CONCENTRATION

C
oncentration is the process of taking your mind off many random thoughts and putting it on one thought/task at a time.The success of the task at hand depends mainly on the level of concentration or concentrated efforts put in it.

Sunlight seems pleasant to all and is necessary for our existence. But not everyone is aware that when the same pleasant sunrays are passed through a convex lens and made to fall on a piece of paper, they can burn the paper.
How did the rays acquire this power?
It was the result of making them converge and thereby,
‘concentrated’ at one point
.

Our mind works on the same principle.
When it is focused on a thought or an activity, like a sharp ray of the sun, we can achieve unbelievable results.

Our mind is always occupied with various thoughts. However, to concentrate on a particular task, it is necessary that our mind should not wander. It should remain bound to essential thoughts only. To increase concentration and achieve such a state of mind, the following 7measures are recommended:

1. Concentration exercises
   
2. Observation skills
   
3. Food for brain
   
4. Keeping a check on your lifestyle
   
5. Avoiding multi-tasking
   
6. Setting clear goals
   
7. Forgetting unwanted memories
   
8. Meditation
   

CONCENTRATION EXERCISES