How to Mind Map: The Ultimate Thinking Tool That Will Change Your Life

Short is good, and this book is very short. In fact it would have been better as a leaflet/ booklet. But who would spend £8 on a leaflet? You could stand in a bookstore and read the short simple chapter about "Mind Maps" in this book and save yourself the purchase price; honestly this book could well have been a small and effective booklet.


The subject of the book is worthy of learning and usage as i found the technique to be effective. Mind mapping offers a very easy technique that requires little more than color pens and paper. The method is simple: a central topic in the middle, followed by radiating branches denoting concepts, sub-concepts, and further conceptual breakdowns. Arranging information spatially rather than linearly as in to-do lists and written notes helps place each node of information in context, and also helps the brain "remember" the entire picture all at once therefore making all the info retrieveable.

One thing I find surprising about Buzan's book is why did he not mind-map his book itself? It would have been much easier to understand the concepts that way.The examples given for persuading the virtues of mind mapping are quite laughable. However, at least they are examples. The maps themselves are in colour, and they do more or less comply with the rules.

However, its more of the same infomercial throughout. Having statements such as "THE MIND MAP WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE" written across the page is a little more than irritating and i never trust a writer who wrties in block capitals to get a point across; it smacks of childishness.

If you can adopt mind mapping as your primary method of developing ideas and organising your notes and thoughts then it will not be long before you see some real benefits. In simple terms Buzan, quite convincingly, argues that mind works in lateral and not linear lines of thought and that mind mapping will enable us to find more solutions and to explore issues more deeply. I have had many practical opportunities to explore this theory and find myself hooked for life as I have clear evidence of finding solutions and opportunities that would never have revealed themselves but for this method of exploring and organising thoughts and problems. The benefits for students organising notes and preparing for exams must be incredible. It is also a brilliant tool if you are preparing for an interview and provides a much better chance of being able to recall things at a later time and at times of stress. This is a great intro to mind mapping and a very easy read.

A good introduction and covers the basic concepts very well with good examples and enough to get you started. Did my first mind map the same day and I'm hooked.

4 stars as you will be asking questions this book won't answer.

This is one of those books where you already know all the information, but it's useful to have it all in one place, in a coherent order (sorta!!).
The mind map technique is great for when you need a structure to help make a difficult decision, or prepare for something nerve racking, although the book advocates its use for virtually everything of course.
The unremitting very 'American' style ("this is the answer to all your problems etc.") has to be ignored, but it's well worth the purchase.
It's easy to read, plus you can probably read the thing in one or two hours. I regard both these things as a bonus in books of this type.

a brilliant skill to learn. This book is an easy to read introduction (though the longer book is more interesting)... much more fun than writing reams of notes.

I got it for my dyslexic son to use for school, a great help for him, and handy for me