I tossed the book I was reading across the table to Swami:
"Take a look at this book! It just balled up my vacation hours! These self-help stuffs are gross rubbish these days! "

Swami didn't appear any too concerned. He kept on his typing, but not before commenting something like:  "How can self-help be taught? Self-help is no more "self" when you read a book written by somebody else, is it?"

"Please can you stop it, Sir? I am not a superman or super mind as you are. I want to better manage my life - I feel overwhelmed. You retired guys won't understand" - I fumed.

Swami closed his laptop with a mischievous smile, got up and reached his Kurta's pocket for cigarette.

"Managing life is easy when you know how to manage time, people, knowledge and self "
"Big statement !" I responded with visible discomfort.
"Absolutely – it really is easier said than done. But I know your problem. You simply don't have a method. You don't have a tool"
"What the hell is that, now?"
"Do you have a method or a tool to manage time, knowledge, people and yourself? OK – managing people is a lot trickier. But do you at least have a tool for the rest of these ?"
“There is no single tool or method, as far as I know. One should use many of them to be able to do all”

Swami blew out a question alongside cigarette smoke: “Ever heard of Mind Mapping?”
“I think I have - that hierarchical tree-like representation that helps memorizing things, right? I remember trying my hands on that stuff in college- not particularly successful, though. I think I am not that “Visually Intelligent””

Mind Mapping and Intelligence-Types

 "You are referring to those six intelligent types suggested by Gardner, I believe?", Swami asked.

I was happy to show-off: " Yes!  Visual-Spatial, Verbal-Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily- Kinesthetic, Musical-Rhythmic, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal  And I know what you are about to say. Mind-mapping is best for guys with high Visual- Spatial intelligence - right?"
"That is what most books would tell you, but that point is not entirely true.."
"What does it mean?"
"Mind-mapping is for all. It can be used by all. I find I am high on Logical-Mathematical and Verbal-Linguistic intelligence; my Visual intelligence is far from being one of the best. I would prefer being home reading a classic cover to cover, to seeing a movie based on it. But see how a compulsive mind-mapper I am now!"
“Hold on ! What can we use Mind Maps for? – make that clear first”

Too Much to Know, Too much to Think

Swami retorted: “Let me ask a question: Would you agree that the style of gathering and organizing knowledge have change over the years.”

“Oh, yes, Swami, by leaps and bounds! Knowledge Management is not the same any more. A decade ago, a genuine inquisitor like me would hit the Libraries and would religiously scan the books index to garner information on a topic of interest. Things were not very easy. The issue was that we were not left with many choices. One had to be considerably fortunate to find the exact "stuff" s/he had been looking for.
Once the material was found, what follows was note-taking. For the next many days, you would adorn the library chair for this ritual that happily eat up countless productive hours- only to result in taking down some bits and pieces of information that you think are relevant. Later, the gathered information might well be turn out to be not as useful as you thought it should be .It is time to be back on the library benches -it might take many more iterations before you get what you needed.
Those were the days ! Uph – what an effort !”

I was happy to see Swami was actually listening to me. I went on:

“Birth of the web changed everything. Search engines can now hunt down- more often than not- the 'exact stuff' for those who are on the desirable side of digital divides. The quality of information available from the net is still not a puritan's favorite, but it works well for many. It works better than libraries at least in terms of saved hours and offered options. Even if you believe books are the only authoritative sources, you may as well use the net to track down the right book, can skip through contents online, read reviews online and finally - order it online if not reading it as an e-book. These are happier days.”

Swami broke me up with another question: “But you would also agree that managing knowledge is more challenging now, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, I would –with a lot of information comes the challenge of managing them.”

“Well - search engines lead you to the right page, but it is up to you keep what you need for future reference. Most researchers, students and professional & amateurish questers have their own ways of maintaining references - ranging from a few folders in their PC through shelf-fulls of print- outs. Some of are us are more systematic and organized than the rest and so those some of us actually know what is kept where (really !). But all of us agree on one thing - managing knowledge is ever more challenging now. That’s precisely why we should adopt something that’s flexible, simple and efficient to manage ideas and knowledge - and in my experience, nothing can do this job better than Mind Maps! ”

What is a Mind Map, anyway?

“Swami – just to refresh myself – can you just tell me how do we Mind Map ?”

“Mind Mapping is simple, intuitive technique of organizing ideas. The bare minimum steps involved in the process of Mind Mapping are:
·          specifying the central idea at the center of the canvas ( it can be a plane paper or a window of the drawing software - whatever)

·          Starting from the central idea, drawing one or more branches (lines) each representing one idea that elaborates the central idea.

·          From each of the branches with expandable ideas, we repeat the above process making sub-branches

·          In the process, we may use different colors, pictures, line-styles, fonts and short notes to distinguish the ideas from one another.

·          Be completely spontaneous and natural – at least when you want the maps to be good memory aids

·          When we finish, we get a diagram that rather looks like a tree as viewed by a bird flying over- A trunk( central idea) from where branches and leaves (sub-ideas, diagrams, notes ) run all over.

That's it - we mind-mapped! “

Why is it so powerful?

“Now let me detail. I am not going to give a thoroughgoing lecture on Mind Mapping. We have enough and more material available that teaches the "know-how"s of this technique. My focus is on it's applicability and benefits - for the simple reason that it is not being as widely as it should be.

Here is the simplest reason why everybody should mind map: Mind Mapping is the most natural and intuitive way of representing any idea. They are called mind-maps for their fine alignment with our thinking patterns and the way our mind organizes ideas internally. Consider our cognitive processes at any given point in time - on any subject. May it be a day-dream or a serious reflection - we start somewhere and let loose our mind to go catch a related idea. That idea would again branch out and would give birth to further ideas. It goes on, till we reach a point when we suddenly realize we are deviating from where we started, and we would then be back to the central idea and may start the process all over again.
Finally, when we are through with a particular contemplative session, we might have already made a 'tree of thoughts' in our mind. Had you put all of them somewhere with enough relationships between them, it would have looked exactly like a mind-map: being at the same place , reaching out for anything!
In short - I don't believe Mind Mapping is not a technique that was invented by somebody; it is so innate. It is just that we embody them on a sheet of paper or on a software canvas.”

Our Lives and Mind Mapping

“Hmm.. if this is the most natural way of representing human thoughts, it should be a lot more useful than I thought it was- you are right, Swami !”

“Yes, and there comes the serious part of it. A mind-map makes a comprehensive representation framework in its own right. You won't believe, but it can be used in virtually every activity we do, and it is this natural flexibility that makes it a wonder-tool. Making it a part of your life - personally or professionally - gives you tremendous command over your actions. You would get organized without you realizing it! And, best of all, you save time - for it can be your one-stop-shop for everything you did, are doing and will do.

Of course - sermon is one thing, but putting it in practice can prove to be a bit tricky.
As in case of any system of practice, persistence is the key. Many of us may find it hard to leave the habituated systems behind; it can even appear counterproductive in the beginning. The solution is to just really get obsessed with it. Each of us can find an area where we can start with the application of Mind Mapping. This trial area can be a non-critical one - for a student it can be class notes of a supplementary subject, for a professional it can be an agenda for an ordinary meeting. For any one, it can be preparation of a picnic, a party, shopping or even in organizing activities for a weekend.
The benefit is two fold - we are getting organized while trying to adapt a new practice. It's much cooler to draw something like a mind-map to list things out and so, the more we do it the more motivated we get. The sheer fun of doing it can often tempt us to organize what we think and act - isn't that a great thing ? A prolific cycle of profits!”

Buzan – the ‘inventor’
“Who formulated this technique?”

“A name that has already become more or less synonymous with Mind Maps is Tony Buzan. Well, of course he did play his part in publicizing this method, but what surprises me is how he could possibly "own" something that has always been there. I am pretty sure that Mind Mapping is something so human-like, it's impossible to believe that human race had to wait for almost 60 thousand years since its origin to have this method "invented" by Buzan. He must have made good fortune by selling, reselling, packaging and repackaging the same stuff.
But the most astonishing fact is that he even managed to register Mind Maps in his name! (Now, my usage of the name Mind Maps without the TM superscript wherever I refer it can put me behind the bars. )It seems that he is far from finished; he still markets both the methods and the software for Mind Mapping as if this technique keeps changing every day if not every hour, while in reality, it hasn't a bit ever since I started using it (but the software does, I will come to that later).
Now, let me cease being devil’s advocate for a moment and appreciate Buzan. Nobody in the world has contributed in the process of making mind-mapping the preferred technique of millions in organizing, brainstorming, learning and presenting ideas. It is now widely used among professionals, students, writers, journalists, scientists and even detectives! Buzan deserves the credit for it at least partially. But I like Buzan for giving the aptest description to mind-maps - "The Swiss army-knife of brain". That is what it really is - the most efficient multipurpose brain-aid.”

Swami Classifies

Swami went on – You know, I normally prefer to give rest to my tongue before Swami’s eloquence.

“Now that we have seen Mind Mapping is a 'cool' way of binding brain with ideas, let's move on to the question of practicality.
I think the least-talked about fact about mind-mapping is that it has variants. I have not been able to see the a proper classification of mind-maps anywhere, and this makes one think there is only one way to mind map. I am personally not very impressed with this argument. My observation is that there are, at a minimum, as many as following types :
·          Memory Maps

·          Decision Maps

·          Brain-storming Maps

·          Reference Maps

·          Organizing Maps

·          Presentation Maps

The literature available today on mind maps don't really focus on the innate differences among these variants, and I think that is precisely what often leads to the ill-conceived idea that Mind Maps are nothing more than memory aid for students. Good-bye school, good-bye mind maps! If the proponents of this technique are really worth their salt, they should do more research on ways to improve and standardize each of them. Just throwing something before everybody out there and asking them to start using it will not hold much water.

Take Memory Maps. They are supposed to be optimized to remember things. Buzan's advice of making the map as picturesque and colorful as possible goes well with Memory Maps; so are the recommendations to use thick, sharp lines to branches in order to distinguish ideas from one another and to put down key-words in large fonts on each branch. In short, Memory Maps should be as strikingly ornate as possible - the key here is to make an image of the subject in what they call 'photographic memory'.

So far, so-so; now the real catch: Think I am an executive and I wish to use Mind Mapping in decision making. Why should I still use those pumpkin-sized fonts in my Mind Maps ? Why should I symbolize my boss with the picture of a donkey (even though it might sound tempting)? All I want to do is to collate the pieces of information, establish their associations, organize/ categorize them and thereby to find me comfortably holding a single reliable mind map that, if properly devised, should set my brain's decision-making engine in motion.

Brainstorming demands something almost entirely different. We need to put the ideas down as and how they pop-up. We would think of grouping or organizing them at a later time. What we often produce should look like a cacophony of lines, circles and words which, if did on plain paper rather than using a software, should make no sense at all just by looking at it. So, I would prefer not to call it a Mind Map, but a Brainstorming Map. That should later be translated or transformed to a Mind Map. But the question one might ask here is - where are the standards and processes for such transformation?

Reference Maps should be very simple Mind Maps that should work like a "table of content" of one's references (books, documents, downloads, URLs). Each idea can have one or more related reference. How far should it look like a Memory Map? Almost in no manner, I would say.

One other type of applications of mind maps is in organizing our tasks and to-do lists. I think this is where it should most widely be applied by all of us. I am so much used to the usage of mind maps to harness my hours now, I wonder how others can possibly do without them! Here again, that typical Mind Mapping technique of pictures and colors are not of much significance.

Do you understand my point here? I have been trying to demonstrate three major facts around Mind Mapping:

     One- Mind Mapping is a 'potentially omnipotent' technique; but all mind maps are not the same.

     Two- Even the most established Mind Mapping experts didn't care to establish an international 'Mind Mapping standard' though that could have well been assisted in smooth collaboration using mind maps.

     Three-We are free to define our own standards and methods to do it, as this is a technique so very natural.”

Why Is It so Democratic?

“Swami – you have mentioned some categories, but didn’t mention much on who can use which!”

Swami thought for a moment and grouped the users under of categories. The grouping looked something like this:

Memory Maps              - Students, Knowledge-Freaks, Teachers, Doctors, Knowledge                                      Professionals, Writers

Decision Maps              - Professionals, Business Executives (and, all of us at times)

Brain-storming Maps     - All of us

Reference Maps            - Students, Professionals, Teachers, Doctors, Scientists (and                                                all of us, at times)

Organizing Maps           - All of us

Presentation Maps        - Teachers, Speakers, Trainers, Business Executives

“Now, doesn't it sound great? Barring couple of very specific mapping requirements and scenarios, most of us can use mind maps in our day-to-day life to take control of knowledge, time and self. And how many of us are doing that today? I am quite sure that not even one percent of us have ever used Mind Maps in any form. This is no less unfortunate a situation than a self-imposed deprivation.
Mind Mapping is no rocket-science. As simple as it can be, making it a part of our life has just one sine-qua-non: to be open to this technique. In my case, I can confidently say that I had just done one thing - just taking a decision to use mind-mapping in my life. Decision was soon followed by action, implementation, perseveration and finally, obsession.
The fuel for this self-fostering life-cycle was the sheer fun of this activity. You can be as much creative and artistic as you wish in the process. At the same time, you can literally feel the relief of off-loading those nagging, pressing and haunting ideas and issues onto something other than your brain. There might be quite a few traditional modes of doing it - making a normal, linear  to-do list,  notes or indexes - but none can match the peculiar easiness and effectiveness that only mind-mapping can offer. Within a few days of practicing mind- mapping, you would notice something - that you will start wondering how others are doing without it! That's the magic of Mind Mapping.”

Students, did you do your Mind Mapping today?

“That Catch-them-young call is as sensible in case of Mind Mapping as it is elsewhere. Had one ever got a chance to use Mind Mapping while being a student, he or she can carry that habit forward through out their lives without taking the trouble of acquainting with this technique. Let me give a bit of my mind here:

Students are among the ones who can reap the maximum benefits of this technique. From taking class notes to preparing assignments to devising time-table to memorizing essays to memorizing derivations - the academic applications of Mind Mapping are limitless. Students constitute the major chunk of all mind-maps users, and rightly so. But for those who haven't started yet -    if you miss it now, it is going to be a miss of a life-time !”

“So, the students can use Mind Mapping to memorize things, primarily –right ?”

“No – Not only that ! There is another desirable side-effect of students doing Mind Mapping. After each of those cram, pass and dump cycles that get reset with each exam, we tend to bid a final adieu to the respective text book(s). Text books, for most of us, are annual or semestral companions that are destined to spend their life-after-exam (read life-after-death)  in the attic or garage, as most of them cease to be eligible to be on our shelves and suddenly become scrap-dealers' favorites.

Here comes the role of mind maps yet again. At least some of us would find ourselves in situations in our later life where we would try to brush up our basics and in the process, would try so desperately to recollect something we learnt in school or college, only to realize the near impossibility of the exercise. But if you have got your old collection of mind- maps with you, you would be much comfortably placed. They can not only assist you in recollecting stuff, but can possibly kick start the process of associating some of the old academies with later knowledge, present-day realities and experiences. This can turn out to be a real 'beauty' - especially  for professionals”

As a creative-aid

We all might agree that some of the best ideas in life come swiftly, out of the blue.  It is important for the individuals who are in creative business and pursuits to tame this uninvited legion of thoughts and have them hosted somewhere safely, for further refinement and organization. We may wish to capture the reasoning routes and associations with them as well, to ease of the pain of making sense of them when we do a revisit.

Mind Mapping can be of great help here too. There is no single tool that can let loose our creativity and set it up almost in an auto-pilot mode. We start, progress and end the process of creating the maps as effortlessly as a sailplane glides through. The ability to track- back, retrace, revisit, associate and dissociate ideas make the process a cake-walk even while ensuring its end-product a real plum-cake of ideas! With Mind Mapping, we can capture, organize and process ideas- all at the same time!”

“But Swami, Mind Maps are hierarchical, and not so much “heterarchical” as normal semantic-network kind of representations. Don’t you think this is a limitation in representing more complex associations of ideas?”

“That indeed is a constraint – yes. But you are free to make such associations if you like. Nobody would restrict to play around with your maps – that’s purely your discretion. You may make connections among the branches in whichever way you like – one has be careful only about the comprehensibility of the end-product. But if you use a software to do Mind Mapping, it will be much easier to do and will look much tidy. I think it’s time to show something to you” 

The Software

Swami switched on his laptop, more or less dramatically, to invoke an application labeled as “MindManager”.

Swami did a short demonstration of MindManager. Believe me; I had hardly ever come across such useful, flexible, feature-rich personal productivity software in my entire life!  In addition to inducing significant fun and elegance in the process of Mind Mapping, it was seen to be offering a whole range of functions – to schedule reminders, to keep hyperlinks to local files and web-pages, to keep notes against each of the sub-topics, to convert a Mind Map to different applications including MS Office files, pdfs & web-pages, to share, to collaborate and to brainstorm!

“Mind Mapping software means MindManager to me. Frankly, I don’t have any qualm in testifying its enviable supremacy over similar software. It’s almost like ‘you imagine it , we have it’ sort of stuff. Mindjet’s (the manufacturer of MindManager)  claim of being “The Most Powerful, Comprehensive Software Application Ever Delivered for Visualizing and Using Information” holds true for most part. It’s difficult to imagine a better tool not only to do Mind Mapping, but to be able to take total control of whatever we do and learn – a great piece of work! ”

“Is MindManager the only Mind Mapping software available?”

“Of course not. For those who don’t want to spend much money, there is a freeware called FreeMind. It serves the minimum Mind Mapping requirements. I too started out my computerized Mind Mapping with FreeMind - why don’t you download it and try it out? Then we have MindGenius and VisualMind; both are pretty good tools. But MindManager stands out, by all means!”

Mind Mapping without a software

 “Swami – is it really practical to make Mind Mapping a way of life if I am not in a position to use a software for it ?”

“Very much, I would say. The only tools required to make Mind Mapping a part of daily affairs are papers, pen, sketch pens/crayons and an open, creative and persevering mind. I completely agree that it can appear weird in the beginning, as is the case with any unconventional practice, but once we manage to get through that phase, there won’t be any looking back. In many cases, doing Mind Mapping on paper is preferable to using a software. A homemaker might wish to organize her weekly shopping- list as a Mind Map, but using a high-end software like MindManager to do it would be as meaningless as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut !

Having said that, the wider we apply Mind Mapping in our lives, the more complex and unmanageable it can become if we are not using software. But it is far from a matter of real worry, because all we need to do then is to take calculated steps to organize the maps themselves. Interestingly, we can use a Mind Map itself to keep account of all other maps. Let me call it as a “Master Mind Map” or a “Meta Map”. Imagine that you keep a book of sufficient dimensions to do all the Mind Mapping related to one subject-area. You may simply wish to dedicate the first couple of pages of that book of mind maps to indicate the contents of the book. But of course, each of can find their own ways of keeping check on the mappings we do.”

 “Have you also started this practice without the aid of a software?”

“Naturally! Mine has been a pretty long association. I will show you something. Open that drawer beside you.”

I pulled it open to see almost a dozen big bundles of papers, neatly wrapped and filed. Their brownish shade augured their age, and it meant Swami must have had started this practice at least a good 15-20 years back! Some of the titles I still recollect were “My visits”, “Books I read”, “Lecture Notes” and “My researches”.

“I have already scanned all of them into my PC. Take some of those papers if you like – they should all be good examples to you”.

…and Swami’s Secret (just small beer )

“You might have struggled to produce these, Swami!”

“Quite the opposite! It was real fun to make them and was well worth my time. I used to advise my students to take a photo-copy of the mind map I had put together in preparation of each lecture. I am sure it made their lives much easier.”

Well- that means Swami worked as a professor! We started our relationship on the agreement that I would never ask his past. Swami had been so incredibly elusive.

I resolved to grab the opportunity: “ I caught you here, Swami ! So, you were a professor”

“I worked as a professor as well.” Swami smiled and tuned his back to look out of the window.

Just then, only then - I saw it! The bottom-most set of Mind Maps wrapped around with a curious label – “My CIT-J Days”. My head started to twiddle like a top.  CIT: Counter-Intelligence Team – one of India’s highly confidential intelligence groups! What…does this mean? – I had heard some hearsay that buzzed around a while back - that Swami is an ex-spy who had served Indian Intelligence agencies- and most likely – R&AW!  And I am holding the proof of it now! Was Swami - A spy, a sleuth, an Agent?