Map It Weird

How to draw one

From Chapter 21 of the book. A mind map is a one-page picture of a topic. The topic sits in the middle. The big ideas branch out from it, and the details branch off those. A list shows you the items. A map shows you how they fit together.

1. Turn the page sideways. You need the width.
2. Put the topic in the centre. Add a quick doodle if you can.
3. Draw a thick branch for each big idea. Four to seven is plenty.
4. Write one or two words on each branch. Sentences aren't allowed. Choosing the key word is where the thinking happens.
5. Split each branch into thinner twigs for the details.
6. Use a different colour for each main branch, and add tiny pictures wherever one comes to mind.

The test that makes it work

The book's rule is the one that matters: draw the map from memory first, then check it. Copying a map out of a textbook in six colours is rereading with better stationery.

1. Map a topic from memory on a blank sideways page.
2. Check it against your notes and add the gaps in another colour. Count the twigs. That's your Map score.
3. Three days later, redraw it from memory on a fresh sheet and compare the two.

The map sheet

A sideways page with room for the map and the six rules in the margin. Print a few and keep them in the back of the book.