The older one gets, the more attention he or she must pay to avoiding health-related issues. Such avoidance often involves making routine visits to one’s doctor to ensure that everything is in working order. Yet, how does one manage making, and keeping, the many appointments necessary to stay on top of one’s health? One answer to this question is to try a Visual Mind Map. With a Visual Mind Map, one can literally “map out” everything he or she needs in order to manage routine doctor visits, from dates and times to appointment type, in one clear and spatially formatted diagram. In addition, he or she can add images and colorful graphics to the map to make the map more conceptual and appointments easier to remember. Visual Mind Maps, thus, offer individuals an effective and efficient means of keeping up with one’s health.
What are Visual Mind Maps and How Are They Created?
A Visual Mind Map is “a means of organizing information that allows individuals to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information”. With a Visual Mind Map, the creator makes use of colors and symbols to construct the map and represent his or her ideas in a non-linear format. When creating a Visual Mind Map, the individual usually begins by showing the key concept or main idea of the information as a graphic image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main idea are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central topic. Subsequent themes of less importance are then attached to these branches using “child branches”, and so on. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information presented that includes the images, visual graphics, and colors the individual associates with each of the themes and ideas.
Managing Routine Doctors Visits Using a Visual Mind Map
A man, nearing 50, has just read a magazine article detailing the routine physical checkups a man his age should have on a yearly basis. Worried about his ability to remember and manage all these appointments, he decides to organize a list for himself using a Visual Mind Map. He commences his map by, first, placing an image representing his yearly doctor appointments in the map’s center. He next divides his mind map into different sections, one for each appointment type, via “branches” that he attaches to the central topic. On “child branches”, the man lists the particulars of each appointment type, such as when and where to make the appointment and doctor contact information. As he makes each appointment, he lists its date and time on “twigs” that he attaches to each “child branch”. Throughout his Visual Mind Map, the man uses any graphics or colors he associates with the information he is listing in order to make it easier for him to recall. When he has completed his map, it looks similar to the attached Visual Mind Map diagram.
Keeping Up With Appointment Visits Using the Visual Mind Map
As the year progresses, the man finds that he has no trouble making and keeping suggested doctor appointments. Once a month, he simply consults his map to find out which appointments he needs to make for the month, and lists the specific dates and times for each on the respective “branches” as he makes them. The man, thus, finds the process of managing routine doctors visits using a Visual Mind Map much easier than using an appointment book; he does not have to flip through pages of a calendar to find information because it is neatly listed in one diagram he has posted on his bulletin board. The Visual Mind Map has, therefore, given the man an effective and efficient way to ensure that he remains in good health.
When creating a strong and interesting narrative, the author must answer of series of important questions. Among these questions are: What will the narrative be about? Who are the main characters in the narrative? What conflict will surround the characters? Mind Mapping is an effective tool that authors can use when creating a narrative, because it provides an effective way to organize the main characters, themes, and key conflicts in the narrative. With Mind Mapping, the author can make use of colors, visual images, words, and symbols to more easily outline his or her thoughts surrounding the narrative.
How A Narrative Mind Map Is Created?
A narrative Mind Map should consist firstly of the theme or main idea of the narrative, represented by a central topic located in the center of the map. Next, the supporting themes surrounding the main idea, such as the characters or locations that will be central to the narrative, can be listed on “branches” that are attached to the central image. The conflicts among characters can then be listed on “child branches” connecting the characters involved in the conflicts. Lastly, the topics least important to the main idea of the narrative, such as minor storylines or characters, can be shown on “twigs” that are attached the “branches”. In putting together a Mind Map in this manner, the author can use whatever images, words, colors, or symbols he or she wishes to bring, life to the themes, character, and ideas for his or her topic.
Comparing a Traditional Narrative Outline and Mind Map of a Narrative
A traditional narrative outline will most often present the main theme of the narrative, as well as the characters, locations, and conflicts found in the narrative, linearly. Consider the following Chapter One outline of an author who has used a traditional layout:
Title: Murder in the First Degree
I.Chapter One
A.Introduction of the Main Characters and Location of the Narrative
1.Kathryn (The Wife)
2.Aaron (The Husband)
3.Gary (The Wife’s Lover and Murder Victim)
4.Tony (The Sheriff)
5.Detective Parish
6.Calamesa, CA (The Location)
B.Introduction of Character Interactions/Conflicts
1.Samantha and Craig’s Relationship
a.Where are how they met
b.How long they have been romantically involved
2.Kathryn and Gary’s Relationship
a.How long they have been married
b. Aaron’s abuse of Kathryn
3.Antagonistic Relationship Between Aaron and Gary
4.John’s longstanding dislike of Aaron
a.Why John Dislikes Aaron (reason?)
b.Aaron many lawsuits brought against John for slander (?)
C.Murder
1.Body Found
a)How Victim Was Murdered (Stabbed to Death)
b)Who Found Body (Aaron standing over body with knife)
2.Suspect Arrested
Contrast this outline with a Mind Map of Chapter One of the narrative, represented in the attached Mind Map diagram. In the Mind Map diagram, the themes, characters, and conflicts of the narrative are presented spatially, and are spread across the page. Moreover, while a traditional outline includes only text, a Mind Map incorporates not only text, but images, graphics and colors, as well. The result is a more visually stimulating diagram of the main themes, characters, and conflicts, making them easier to conceptualize.
Writing a Narrative from the Mind Map
Both the traditional outline and the Mind Map can be used as a jumping off point for the actual writing of the narrative. However, consider the visual imagery and spatial depth of the Mind Map; the Mind Map engages the writer’s brain in a more creative manner, and allows him or her to more actively visualize the narrative as seen in the mind’s eye. By allowing the author to visualize her or his narrative in this manner, a Mind Map provides her or him with a more intuitive transition to the actual writing of the narrative. The process of outlining the narrative and writing the narrative are thus linked in one creative process, and the development of the story can evolve more naturally.
Oftentimes, when you have a project, you can’t avoid having questions in your mind. Most individuals are like that and so they try to come up with solutions or alternatives to answer those questions. Are you one of them? If you are, then you will benefit a lot from this mind mapping info.
When you’re doing something which involves high stakes, it’s natural for you to draw some kind of diagram so that you can visualize the obstacles ahead while seeing your ultimate goal at the end.
The diagrams you drew may be very simple lines or complex models but whatever it looks like, it can be considered as mind maps. Through the diagrams, one can easily make good decisions or better yet, make complicated decisions easier. Another important thing is, the diagrams can be an effective system or way for better and effective communication.
There are three ways to effectively communicate through mind mapping. One is to show the components of difficult situations; second, it gives you the idea of the possible outcomes of certain actions; and third, it highlights unrecognized linkages.
A typical example is maintaining your very own website. If you’re utilizing mind mapping, you will usually draw diagrams of boxes and some lines representing the connections. Even if you have a simple website, it is sometimes difficult to track the connections and hierarchy. But what if you need to work with several complex situations? Do you think you can handle such task?
If you’re asked to explain mind mapping to another person, you might find it quite hard but did you know that with a visual component outline, you can effectively communicate even the most complex relationships and structures?
Have you tried applying mind mapping to determine the outcome of certain actions? Manufacturers of various consumer products take a lot of time in weighing things. These manufacturers know that the internet can help them a lot in marketing their products but they still need to see if it’s a profitable endeavor. If the manufacturers don’t find it profitable, then they will not advertise their products online but if they find it profitable, they will need to determine the possible expenses and the time it takes to set up an online site to market the products. After the concerns are answered, other things will come up.
So, are you getting a good picture of how mind mapping is carried out? A certain action or decision depends on a certain factor; and in order to determine the correct answer, you will need to consider the answer to a previous query. Through mind mapping, you can easily illustrate certain actions and their possible consequences. By doing so, you can immediately forecast the outcome.
When you make a decision, you will often encounter outer forces which can be responsible for some changes in the outcome. How do you respond to such forces and changes? By answering this question, you might be able to highlight the unrecognized linkages.
Once you master mind mapping, complex situations can be simplified so that you can arrive at the best possible decision. All the possible consequences to a certain action can also be determined; at the same time, you can uncover linkages. Practice mind mapping now so that you can face any situation, no matter how hard it is.
