What’s a study strategy you can’t live without?
For me, it’s mind mapping (i.e., visual note taking).
Mind mapping helped me go from getting 1 out of 20 on my first test at university to completing degrees in Law and Psychology. It helped me get a PhD scholarship and complete my doctoral thesis.
Whenever I felt overwhelmed or didn’t understand an idea or process, I would grab my coloured pens and mind map out the information. 90% of the time it worked a treat. But when it didn’t work (i.e., I still felt confused and overwhelmed), I hit the gym.
Once I’d cleared out the mental cobwebs and decreased my stress levels, I would try mind mapping the information out again. Exercise and mind mapping was a winning combination. It always works!
If I hadn’t discovered mind mapping (and the gym), I’m almost certain that I would have dropped out of university a long time ago. It was my secret weapon to study success, which is why I’m always surprised when students turn their noses up at it. Mind mapping is overlooked by most students.
Why?
Perhaps it’s because they think they can’t draw. But mind mapping is not about creating pretty pictures. Mind mapping is about deep learning. And it’s a strategy that works.
Think about it – would you imagine that someone who got 1 out of 20 on their first test at university would go onto complete a PhD? Of course not!
But the act of churning out hundreds of mind maps over the past 10 years got me through my uni studies. For the first time in my life (since I was a little kid), I enjoyed studying and being able to understand new ideas.
I want this study strategy to be available to all students, especially students who have this idea that they were born ‘stupid’ and find themselves struggling with their studies.
So I’ve created a mind mapping toolkit for you.
This is the book I wish I could have read back when I was in high school and my first year of university.
The language used in so many mind mapping books can be a little off-putting. Open them up and you’ll read statements such as, “Unleash your brains amazing potential!” and “This star-like, simple and beautiful tool reflects the natural creativity and radiance of our thinking processes”.
I shouldn’t really be surprised when I hear students groan when they hear the term ‘mind map’!
The bottom line is this: If you’re struggling with a subject (just like I was), mind mapping may help you. You can download your free copy of The Mind Mappers Toolkit here.