How to read MindManager® maps

A map is information and knowledge drawn in a picture instead of written out in paragraphs of text.

The Central Topic is at the heart of a map. Every map has one and only one Central Topic. The Central Topic is like the cover of a book.

Connected to the Central Topic are Main Topics, identifying the principal subject areas of the map. Main Topics are like the chapters of a book.

From the Main Topics, the Subtopics break down into more detail. These are equivalent to the paragraphs within each chapter. The detail can be broken down again and again to smaller and smaller elements by using deeper levels of subtopic.

In addition to their title text, Topics in MindManager maps can carry

• Topic Notes - an extra page of information for each topic
• Hyperlinks to other documents or web pages
• Graphics and Icons to add meaning
• Relationships linking them to other Topics
• Action information such as dates, people and priority

Maps are fast and easy to create, develop and improve. To change the meaning of something, you just move it to a different place. To add more detail without losing the big picture, you just add some subtopics.

Maps are much more easily understood than their equivalent contents in linear text. You can capture everything about a book, a project, or a seminar and much more in just one picture, which is easy to navigate and work with.