When you are given a project in school or at work, do you immediately make a step-by-step list of the tasks that you should perform in order to complete the project? Or, do you do everything that you can randomly and just try to organize and put together the project in the end, when you gathered have enough material?

If you have chosen the first option, then you may not be making the most of your mind’s potential. Making a linear, step-by-step list of the things that you need to do in order to accomplish a goal is much like how a computer’s ‘brain’ works.

On the other hand, if you have chosen the second option, then you have a wider array of choices when it comes to the paths that you can take to achieve your goal, since this is basically how mind mapping works.

Mind mapping is a concept or technique wherein your thinking process will be externally reflected in the form of an illustration or diagram. This was developed by Tony Buzan, who, in his web site www.imindmap.com, encourages people to “unleash the remaining 99% of their brain” through mind mapping.

This concept essentially follows the natural way that the human brain works. For example, when you think of or visualize the color red, your brain instinctively associates the word ‘red’ with apple, blood, cherries, a scarlet shirt that you may have worn at one time – anything that is associated with the color is what comes to your mind instead of just the word itself. So, from just one root word, your brain will immediately associate it with other words to broaden the scope of the topic.

This natural working of the brain, when illustrated on paper, is mind mapping. You can start by writing in the center of a piece of paper one word, representing one idea. From there – through the process of association – you can come up with several branches which all connect to your central idea.

The relationship between the main idea and all the branches that will stem out from the central theme is how the end process will look like. With mind mapping, you can organize your thoughts more coherently, new ideas will be better expressed and developed, you can retain information faster because of the fact that visual illustrations that you mapped out yourself is easier to remember than any list – all these and more are the benefits of mind mapping.

Aside from these benefits, there are hundreds of instances at work and in your home life where you can make use of the process of mind mapping to maximize your brain’s potential and save you a lot of time and effort when planning.

After going through 2 years of junior college, I had a total different perspective about excel in exams. I don’t really need to be hardworking – I can still have fun, relax and still score distinctions. Here’s some details of what I went through.

1. 7. It took me 7 months of hard work to improve my grades from C, D, E to A, A, A.
2. 3.5. I spent an average of 3.5 hours to study daily. Sometimes I studied lesser and sometimes I studied more. (4 – 6 pm & 10:30pm to 12 pm)
3. 1. I had 1 girlfriend during the 2 years and I talked to her every night from 9 pm to 10:30 pm. I would continue study after that if I’m not too tired. She came from the top 5 colleges while I’m not. Because of this, I had a tendency to work even harder.
4. 1159. Sleeping time was around 11:59 pm. I can’t sleep too late when I’m in college because I’ve got to wake up at 6:15 am.
5. 11. I had 11 books for 3 subjects (Maths, Physics, Chemistry). It includes the past year questions and textbooks but it does not include my notes.
6. 13. I’ve completed a total of 13 papers for each subject from 13 different colleges before I went for my exams. I know it sounds crazy, but I was desperate to get distinctions for every single subject.
7. 6. I was always with the same group of 6 friends. And amazingly, most of us scored full distinctions for our ‘A’ Level Examinations. Sticking with friends that will support you helps in your studies.
8. Saturday – It’s one of the days I went out and have fun. Watching movie and playing games. “Work hard and play hard”.
9. 10. Even 10 days before the teachers teach a new topic, I had already done the tutorials and look through the homework. I was never on a hurry to finish up my homework because I was 10 days ahead of everyone. That is also why I can have fun on Saturday.
10. Sunday – It’s usually the time when I planned the week ahead. Plan what to study, what homework to complete, and what are things to revise.
11. 7. I watched television from 7 pm to 8 pm after school. Sometimes I watched and study at the same time. It’s very unproductive.
12. 8. I spent around 8 hours in school everyday. My school ended around 3pm (sometimes 4.30). There are several breaks in between. I usually spend the time doing tutorials and homework. That explains why I study so fast ahead of everyone else.
13. 53. I was the top 53 students in my college when I’ve gotten back my final grades.
14. 46. My average grades for my first tests were 46. I scored something like C, D, F. Some friends said I was quite good for my first tests.
15. 90. I started revising all my subjects 90 days before my final exams. But mind you, it’s a bit too late to revise. I studied in a consistent basis and hence revision was a breeze to me.
16. 11. I had a total of 11 notebooks, scrapbooks, organizers and planners. Around 3 Scrapbooks to draw Mindmaps for each of the 3 different subjects. I had 3 notebooks to write down all the notes. And I had around 5 organizers and planners.
17. 0. I had 0 tuition teachers when I’m in college. If I don’t understand the concepts, I would ask the teachers.
18. 5. I was 5 days behind schedule even I had planned my revision plans. Fortunately, I had allocated some days as buffer.
19. 4. 4 things you can learn from reading this.
    1. Planning. I had 5 organizers and planners. Why do I buy so many if they are not important?
    2. Being consistent plays a big role. You can have fun and excel in your studies if you are consistent.
    3. Friends can make you or break you. Sticking with the right friends will help you in getting good grades.
    4. Having a relationship doesn’t necessary affect your studies.