Some thoughts don't fit neatly into sentences. When you're planning something complex, studying a topic or trying to untangle a problem, a mind map can show how ideas connect in a way a list can't. Combined with a journal, it's a powerful thinking tool.
What is a mind map?
A mind map starts with one central idea in the middle of a page. Main themes branch out from it, and smaller ideas branch out from those. The result looks a little like a tree seen from above, and lets you see the whole topic at a glance.
When to use one
- Planning: a holiday, a move, an event or a project.
- Problem solving: laying out causes, options and consequences.
- Studying: summarising a chapter or a whole course.
- Big decisions: mapping out the pros, cons and unknowns of each option.
How to make one
- Write the main topic in the centre.
- Add the main branches: the big themes or questions.
- Add smaller branches with details, ideas and examples.
- Use colours, symbols or doodles to group related ideas.
- Look for links between branches and draw lines between them.
Bring it into your journal
A mind map captures the shape of your thinking; your journal captures what you decide. Draw the map on paper or a whiteboard, take a photo and add it to a journal entry. Then write underneath: what stands out, what you'll do first, what you're still unsure about.
No paper? Use an outline
If you're typing, a nested bullet list works in the same way: the main topic at the top, themes as bullets, and details indented underneath.
Keep your maps together
In Private Journal Pro you can add photos of your mind maps to diary entries and browse them all in the folder's photo gallery. Start your free journal.