How to make a mind map: step by step, with examples

What a mind map is

A mind map is a diagram that starts from one central idea and branches outwards. Main themes sit closest to the centre, and each one splits into smaller details. The technique was popularised by the British author Tony Buzan in the 1970s, and you may know a simple version from school as a spider diagram.

Because it isn't a list, you don't have to decide on an order before you start. You can jump between branches as ideas come, and see how everything connects at a glance. That makes it good for brainstorming, revising a topic and planning anything with several parts.

How to make a mind map, step by step

1. Write the central idea in the middle. Keep it short: "Photosynthesis", "Japan trip", "Essay: social media". On paper, turn the page sideways for more room.
2. Add the main branches. These are the big themes or questions. Three to seven is common, but there's no rule: add as many as the topic needs.
3. Use keywords, not sentences. One or two words per branch keeps the map readable and makes you think about what matters.
4. Branch out into details. Add sub-branches under each theme: facts, examples, tasks or questions. Go as deep as is useful.
5. Give each main branch a colour. Everything under it shares that colour, so you can see the themes at a glance.
6. Keep going until you run dry. Don't judge ideas yet. Odd thoughts often turn into useful ones.
7. Then tidy up. Move branches to where they fit best, merge duplicates, cut what you don't need, and collapse finished parts.

Tips that make a better map

• One idea per branch. If a branch has "and" in it, it's probably two branches.
• Questions make good branches. Who, what, where, when, why and how are a quick way to get started on any topic.
• Pictures help you remember. A small drawing or image on a key branch is easier to recall than a word.
• Leave space. Ideas keep coming. On paper, start small in the centre; in an app, the layout makes room for you.
• Revisit it. A revision map you go over a few times is more useful than one you made once and filed away.

Example: a mind map for studying

For revision, put the topic in the centre and use the main branches for the parts an exam question could ask about.

Try making the map from memory first, then check your notes and add what you missed in a different colour. The gaps show you what to revise next.

Examples: essays, projects and trips

An essay plan. Put the question in the centre. Make one main branch per argument or paragraph, with evidence and examples as sub-branches. Add a branch for counter-arguments and one for your conclusion. When you're happy, the map becomes your outline: each main branch is a paragraph, in the order you choose.

A project. Use the central idea for the goal, and main branches for the parts of the work: people, tasks, budget, deadlines and risks. Sub-branches become the to-do list.

A trip. Start with the destination, then branches for places, food, transport, budget and packing. Our example map does exactly this for a trip to Japan, with Tokyo, Kyoto and Mt Fuji as places to see.

Making one in Mind Map

Mind Map starts you with a central idea on a canvas. From there:

• Add ideas with a tap, or on a keyboard press Tab for a child branch and Enter for a sibling. Type straight into the new branch.
• The map lays itself out left and right. Drag a branch to move it, or drop it on another idea to move it under that one.
• Colour each branch, collapse the parts you're not working on, and pinch or scroll to zoom.
• Switch to the outline to see and edit the same map as an indented list. It's always in sync, which is handy for turning a map into an essay plan.
• Undo and redo anything, and export your map as a PNG picture.

It's free, works offline, keeps 3 saved maps, and your maps never leave your device. Back them up to a file whenever you like. Mind Map Pro ($2.99 once) adds unlimited maps, export to SVG, PDF, Markdown and OPML, Markdown and OPML import, images on branches and themes.

Common mistakes

• Writing sentences on branches. The map turns into notes with lines on. Use keywords.
• Tidying too early. Get ideas down first, and organise afterwards.
• Everything on one level. Twenty branches round the centre is a list. Group them under a few themes.
• One colour throughout. Colour per branch is what makes the themes stand out.
• Making it once and forgetting it. Come back to it, add to it and use it.