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Introduction

Do you have trouble remembering telephone numbers, birthdays and anniversaries? Do you struggle to remember a sequence of more than 7 digits? Most people struggle to recall information because they simply don’t yet understand the power of patterns, imagination and association. It is in fact the fusion of the emotional and logical aspects of the human brain that shapes long-term memory and recall of information.

Why Can’t I Remember that Number?

• How do you go about remembering a telephone number?
• Do you try and repeat the numbers back to yourself over and over again?
• Do you attempt to chunk the numbers together into easily manageable groups?
• Or do you try and look for patterns within the numbers that could potentially stimulate recall?

Many people use the above methods when trying to remember telephone numbers or any sequence of random digits. However in most cases, these methods are very cumbersome, and as a result people struggle to lock the numbers they are trying to remember into their long-term memory.

It seems that we tend to struggle with recalling numbers more today than ever before. After all we are living in a world overrun with electronic personal organizers, computers, and mobile phones that store information with a few simple clicks. No longer must we utilize our memory to remember and recall this type of information. Why would we even bother? It is after all only a click away?

Let’s quickly take a look at 3 strategies for remembering numbers that most people tend to use. These methods include:

• Repetition
• Chunking
• Pattern Associations

Remembering through Repetition

Repetition is a relatively effective technique for remembering lists and numbers, however on the downside it can be quite cumbersome and does require a great deal of concentration, effort, and constant rehearsal. When a piece of information is repeated consistently and persistently over a period of time, it will eventually be transferred over to long-term memory.

Remembering through Chunking

Chunking simply involves grouping numbers together into bigger parts or chunks.

What if I was to ask you to try and remember the following sequence of random numbers: 2 5 2 8 9 9 7 2 7 9 2 9

For most people this is quite a daunting task that overwhelms the mind very quickly. However, what if I was to ask you to try and remember the following CHUNKS of numbers: 252  899  727  929

Which list is easier to remember and recall? If you are like most people you will recall the Chunks of numbers (2nd example) much more readily than trying to remember them individually (1st example). The reason for this is that our brain’s short-term memory is limited in capacity. And therefore the better we are able to group information into related chunks the more information we will be able to remember and recall at any one moment in time.

Remembering through Pattern Associations

Another method for remembering numbers is to look for patterns related to significant numbers, dates, birthdays, and other information.

For instance here is a sequence of random numbers: 2 5 1 9 5 0 2 0 0 9

This sequence of random numbers would be rather difficult to remember for most people. However, if you chunk the numbers into patterns that are of significance to you – you will be able to remember the sequence much more easily. For instance #25 could be your age, #1950 could be the year your Mum was born, and #2009 is the current calendar year. So the patterned sequence looks like this: 25  1950  2009.

Is this easier to remember and recall than the sequence of random numbers presented above?

Many times for obvious reasons the patterns of numbers may not be so easily associated to significant events in your life. In such instances you must use your creativity and imagination to find “association chunks” that work for you. Here are some examples:

• The singlet number of your favorite basketball or football player.
• The date of a famous historical event.
• The number of a friend’s flat or apartment.
• The time of a television show you watch on a weekly basis.
• A time of day related to your work schedule.
• The digits of your bank account.
• The number sequence of a password.
• And so forth.

Each of these “digit associations” will help you to remember and recall a sequence of random numbers much more effectively.

The remainder of this post will focus on Rhyme and Shape associations that you can utilize to recall a sequence of random numbers. These two memory techniques are presented within the IQ Matrix Mind Map shown at the top of this post. Please feel free to download, print and distribute this mind map at your convenience.

Number Rhyme Associations

Imagination and association are both critical components of memory and indispensable tools for remembering random numerical sequences. In fact studies have shown that our memories are dramatically improved when we consciously create storyboards of the information we are trying to remember within our imaginations. These storyboards create associations and deep patterns within our minds, that make recalling information easy and effortless.

Number Rhyme Associations allow you to associate numbers with rhyming words. Here are some examples:

• 0 = Hero
• 1 = Bun
• 2 = Shoe
• 3 = Tree
• 4 = Door
• 5 = Hive
• 6 = Sticks
• 7 = Heaven
• 8 = Skate
• 9 = Vine
• 10 = Hen

Once you have taken the time to memorize the numbers and their associated rhyming words, you will be ready to utilize these patterns to remember and recall sequences of numbers through the use of the Storyboard Picture Technique.

For instance, you are at a party, and end up meeting this wonderful person who you would like to get to know a little better. They give you their phone number, however you don’t have a means of recording it on paper or on a mobile phone. Lucky for you, that you are a skilled Storyboarder

The number you are given is: 35216773

Without even thinking, you create a Storyboard of the number in your mind utilizing the Rhyme Associations discussed above. You imagine in your mind that…

You are walking along a path in the forest when you suddenly see a beautiful big tree (#3). As you look up at the tree you notice a hive of bees (#5). You are feeling a little mischievous and decide to throw your shoe (#2) at the hive. As the hive breaks apart a bun (#1) fall to the ground. The bun looks somewhat unusual, which makes you feel a little cautious and hesitant to touch it with your hand. You therefore decide to poke it with a stick (#6). As you begin to poke 2 heavenly angels appear to come out of the bun (#77) and fly straight up your nostrils. The next thing you notice is that you are growing roots, branches and leaves. Yes how ironic, you are turning into a tree (#3).

Having created the quick storyboard in your mind, you should now be able to remember and recall the telephone number within a matter of a few seconds. This Storyboard will stay with you until you are able to write it down or record it into a phone. In many instances you may find that you remember this story for days, weeks and sometimes months with minimal repetition or thought. The key to this type of recall is to make sure that the story is presented within your imagination as vividly as possible, utilizing as much color, movement, and involving as many of your senses as possible.

You can use this technique to save multiple random number sequences at the same time by creating different settings, time periods, backgrounds, and colors for your stories.

Number Shape Associations

The Number Shape Associations work in exactly the same way. However instead of matching numbers with rhyming words, you are instead matching numbers with shapes that in someway resemble these numbers in visual form. Please view the IQ Matrix Mind Map at the top of this post for a visual representation of the relative associations.

Number Shape Associations allow you to associate numbers with related shapes. Here are some examples:

• 0 = Donut
• 1 = Paint Brush
• 2 = Swan
• 3 = Heart (on its side)
• 4 = Yacht
• 5 = Snake
• 6 = Elephant Trunk
• 7 = Boomerang
• 8 = Snowman
• 9 = Snail
• 10 = Cricket

As an example, you are yet again given the following telephone number: 35216773. However, this time you will create a Storyboard by using Number Shape Associations:

As you are walking along a lake you come across a beautiful golden heart (#3) lying face down on the sand. You are about to reach down and pick up this heart, when all of a sudden a large snake (#5) wiggles out of the water and gobbles it up. The snake swims away into the lake when suddenly a swan (#2) grabs the snake by the tail and flings it in your direction. As the snake flies through the air you notice that it has now turned into a paint brush (#1) and it is leaving streaks of color behind it. The paint brush falls to your feet, when suddenly an elephant’s trunk (#6) reaches over, picks it up off the ground and chews it in its mouth. After chewing for a few moments, the elephant spits out 2 boomerangs (#77); flinging them through the air. The boomerangs soon angle back in your direction and end up hitting you on the heart (#3).

Yet again, this story should be easy to remember and recall. And it should only take you a few seconds to piece together when given a random sequence of numbers to remember.

Final Thoughts

Numbers are relatively easy to remember and recall if we take time to learn and master a few simple techniques that enable us to fuse imagination and association together in creative ways. There are of course other more advanced methods for remembering, storing and recalling numbers, however the techniques presented in this post should be enough to get your memory juices flowing, and will hopefully enable you to recall random number sequences far more effectively.

For further memory strategies and techniques, please read Improving Your Memory in 36 Ways Mind Map.

If you have used these memory techniques or any other methods for remembering random sequences of numbers, than please feel free to share your comments below.

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Introduction

Mind Mapping is a visual information management tool that enables us to structure, organize, memorize, arrange, brainstorm and learn information in a highly specialized way. In fact, the last 10 years have brought us amazing insights into the human mind and our limitless capacity to think, comprehend and store large reservoirs of information. If anything, these studies have proven that our capacity to think effectively and quickly is very closely tied to our imagination and our ability to create associations between information chunks.

Mind Mapping has come a long way since the early days when Tony Buzan introduced it to the world. It is now on the brink of becoming a mainstream tool that enables academic students, business professionals and many other individuals to tackle and take control of the overwhelming amount of information that we are forced to absorb every single day. Moreover, Mind Mapping is changing shape and form, turning into a Visual information management tool that brings with it a vast amount of flexibility and affordability.

Visual Mapping has come into its own over the past 5 years. There are now more Visual Mapping software applications out in the market than can be counted on our fingers and toes. The world of Information Organization is definitely changing course, and Visual Mapping is quietly becoming the revolutionary tool that will enable the few early adopters to gain a foothold and advantage within their industry. The question is, “Are you on board YET?”

This article post will introduce you to the principles behind Visual Mapping from a “beginner’s” perspective. It will also present you with several Visual Mapping examples utilizing different Mind Mapping software programs; to enable a visual comparison of the features and graphical appeal of each tool. The bulk of the discussion will however be built around the IQ Matrix Mind Map presented at the top of this post. This IQ Matrix is available as a free full color pdf download from the IQ Matrix Shop.

The 1st Branch of this IQ Matrix provides a definition of Mind Mapping. The 2nd Branch delves into the benefits of Mind Mapping. The 3rd Branch describes a variety of uses for Mind Maps. The 4th Branch identifies the industry accepted process of drawing a Mind Map. And finally, the 5th Branch breaks down the rules of Mind Mapping. These Rules are expanded in greater depth and detail within each of the computer generated mind map images presented towards the end of this post.

Defining Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping is a method of storing, organizing, prioritizing, learning, reviewing and memorizing information. It effectively presents an overview and summary of a body of knowledge that fuses words and pictures; helping simulate logic and creativity for proficient and effective thinking practices involving the 5 senses.

The Benefits of Mind Mapping

The benefits of Mind (visual) Mapping are extensive and far reaching in that it naturally expands our biological thinking capacity and ability to think laterally in any given situation.

Here are some of the prolonged benefits experienced by “serial” Mind Mappers (those who regularly utilize Mind Maps to clarify their thinking and organize their ideas):

• Improved capacity to see the bigger picture.
• Improved capacity to see detailed information.
• Improved capacity to remember complex information.
• Improved capacity to remember related chunks of information.
• Improved capacity to cope with mental clutter.
• Improved capacity to cope and manage periods of information overload.
• Improved imagination.
• Improved memory and retention.
• Improved levels of concentration.
• Improved note-taking ability.
• Improved level of interest in the content or subject one is studying.
• Improved problem solving ability.
• Improved management of study and revision time for Academics.
• Helps unlock hidden understandings within information chunks.
• Helps unlock unexpected creative insights and ideas.
• Helps save time.
• Helps make learning fun.
• Clarifies goals.
• Clarifies plans of action.
• Clarifies ideas.
• Clarifies habitual patterns of thinking.
• Triggers creative associations.
• Triggers comparison of facts, stats, data and ideas.
• And much more that is based upon personal experience, need and ability.

All the benefits presented above are of course open for discussion and interpretation. However, keep in mind that the true benefit lies in committing yourself to the act of utilizing Mind Maps for a period of at least two weeks, and measuring the results for yourself.

Remember that you don’t necessarily need to be a visual thinker in order to benefit from this process. Visual Maps after all don’t require the use of images, and can in fact be built entirely around key words and phrases in a somewhat linear fashion. Either way, they will assist you to better organize and manage the ever growing amount of information that comes your way every single day.

Using Mind Maps

Since the dawn of the Internet age, Mind Mapping has been growing steadily as an accepted means of storing and organizing information. Over this time, many people have shared extraordinary tales of how they utilize this Visual Thinking medium to organize, manage and improve their lives.

Mind Mapping for Work Productivity

Here are some ways people utilize visual mapping at work:

• Planning sales strategy.
• Planning marketing strategy.
• Organizing and managing projects.
• Organizing and managing meetings.
• Preparing for networking.
• Preparing for interviews, and conducting interviews.
• Business planning.
• Research and development.

Mind Mapping for Academic Success

Here are some ways students utilize visual mapping at school:

• Learning languages.
• Learning grammar.
• Preparing for examinations.
• Preparing structure for essays.
• Preparing presentations.
• For teaching purposes.
• Brainstorming ideas.
• Problem solving.
• Thinking creatively and critically about topics.
• Memorizing subject notes, books and materials.
• For general study and revision of information.

Mind Mapping for Life Management

Here are some ways people utilize visual mapping to manage their life:

• Managing time.
• Managing events.
• Goal setting.
• Keeping a diary.
• Holiday planning.
• Financial planning.
• Tracking important dates, events and information.

What can be achieved, and the amount of information we can manage at one time using visual Mind Maps is absolutely extraordinary. And this list only scrapes the surface of what is possible.

Drawing Mind Maps

Drawing a Mind Map is a rather simple process once one has a grasp of the basic structure. It’s in fact a process that requires very little step-by-step explanation. For that reason I will present it here as briefly as possible.

Here are some quick guidelines to help you draw your first Mind Map.

• Take a large sheet of paper and place it horizontally in front of you.
• Draw a reasonably sized (colored) memorable central image that represents the topic you are going to be mapping.
• Draw at least 4 thick organic looking branches radiating outwards from the central image. Make sure to use a different color to represent each branch.
• Write “key topic” words along these branches that represent the central image and the topic you are mapping.
• Draw additional branches that extend from your main branches. The words on these branches are essentially sub-topics of the words you wrote on your main branches.
• Keep expanding the Mind Map outwards with additional sub sub-topics / key words and branches.
• Refer to the Mind Mapping Rules presented within the next section to help improve your memory and recall of the information contained within the Mind Map you are creating.

For more information about drawing a Mind Map step-by-step see Drawing a Mind Map from Start to Finish.

Mind Map Rules

The content of this section is built upon the Mind Map software examples presented within the next section. You will gain significantly by downloading these images and referring to them as you move through the content presented here. These Mind Map software screen captures will also provide you with a visual representations of the key points of emphasis discussed below.

In order to improve your memory and recall of the Mind Map you are drawing, it is important to utilize a number of imaginative tools that will help stimulate deeper associations. Keep in mind that it’s not necessary to use all these suggestions, however by incorporating them, you will build a strong long-term memory of the information you are learning.

• Use symbols to classify different types of thoughts and ideas.
• Use “key words” on lines. Short phrases can also work well.
• Use multi-headed arrows of varying color, size, style and dimensions.
• Use codes to help draw your attention to specific sections of the map.
• Use good spacing between topics to separate your ideas.
• Use stimulating images and colors throughout the map.
• Use images to represent words in a metaphorical, “sound-like”, or direct manner.
• Create boundaries and borders to draw attention to specific branches.
• Create linear hierarchies of ordered numbers, lists and letters.
• Create “line” hierarchies; radiating from thick to thin lines.
• Create “word” hierarchies; varying “word sizes” to emphasize importance.
• Create memorable central image and associative pictures.
• Draw different shapes to represent ideas and segments of the map.
• Draw multi-dimensional words and objects.
• Draw thick branches that radiate outwards away from the central image.
• Vary “word” case. Use UPPER and lower case to emphasize importance of words.
• Vary font styles to separate ideas and topics.
• Vary branch colors in order to separate topics.
• Vary branch endings in order to emphasize words or phrases.
• Vary branch thickness in order to highlight specific ideas.
• Vary image / picture colors, emphasis, and size to enhance memory and recall.

Drawing Mind Maps in this way helps to stimulate imagination while at the same time creating strong associations. And it is these two factors - imagination and association - that stimulate long-term memory and recall of information.

Below is a Mind Map drawn by Paul Foreman presenting the above mentioned Mind Mapping Rules in a visually stunning graphical format.

| View Large Image | Paul Foreman’s Blog |

Drawing Mind Maps in this way allows for greater flexibility and freedom, while providing your mind with avenues for creative expression.

To see more of Paul Foreman’s ever growing collection of creative and inspirational Mind Maps; visit his Mind Map Inspiration Blog. Paul also has a very unique Drawing Tips for Mind Mapping ebook where he teaches his readers how to create Mind Maps from scratch.

For further insight into Paul’s drawing and Mind Mapping techniques, have a read of How I Drew My Mind Maps ebook. Here Paul discusses how he draws his Mind Maps step-by-step in a simple and easy to follow manner.

Comparing Visual Map Software Applications

There are several dozen Visual Mapping software applications available today. For links and information about these software applications, please read Advanced Mind Mapping Study Skills.

Below I have presented the Mind Mapping Rules (discussed above) within 4 leading Visual Mapping software applications. Each one represents this information in a slightly different fashion. A short explanation of each software’s unique features is presented under the images. These images will provide you with a good point of reference of the capabilities of each software application. However, keep in mind that each software also has other additional features and tools that you can only come to appreciate through use and application.

Tony Buzan’s iMindMap

| View Large Image | Download Trial of iMindMap |

iMindMap is a cartoon-like Mind Mapping software applications that most closely resembles the process of hand-drawn Mind Mapping presented by Paul Foreman. This software is designed and created by Tony Buzan the world renowned author who for many years has been a pioneer within Mind Mapping circles.

The software is relatively simple to use, allowing each user the ability to draw and extend branches with their mouse or a computer pen. Content is added to each branch via the keyboard once that branch (line) has been selected. Colors, fonts, images, symbols, and discrete notes can also be added to each branch as required.

The software is quite pleasing on the eyes from a graphical perspective, and is probably most suited to young children and those who are just starting out with Mind Mapping. However, iMindMap does lack quite a number of business, productivity and “information organization” related features that can be found in the other software packages presented within this post.

Personally, I utilize iMindMap to present simple snippets of information in a creative and visually appealing format.

Mindjet MindManager

| View Large Image | Download Trial of Mind Manager |

Mind Manager is a feature rich Mind Mapping application that structures content and information in a very systematic and organized manner. Predominantly utilized for business purposes, Mind Manager is today gaining inroads into educational institutions and the home environment.

Mind Manager provides the user with great flexibility to organize, arrange and categorize information in a variety of ways, while providing seamless Microsoft Office and Outlook integration. The software also allows the user to attach discrete notes to every branch, to insert symbols, images, web-pages, file shortcuts and folder links. The recent version of Mind Manager now comes with an integrated browser and enables users to save their Mind Map creations in an interactive pdf format that can be shared with others who don’t have access to the software application.

I have personally utilized Mind Manager extensively for the past 5 years. I plan out my blog posts, set goals, organize my time, manage the information I am learning on a daily basis, brainstorm ideas, and much more. My life would no doubt be very cluttered without it

NovaMind

| View Large Image | Download Trial of NovaMind |

The Visual Mapping market is very broad, as each software application positions itself within the marketplace somewhat differently. At one end, we have the cartoon-like layout of iMindMap. While at the other end of the spectrum there is the very structured layout of Mind Manager which is primarily utilized for business mapping purposes. There are also 3D applications such as Topicscape which is discussed a little later.

NovaMind seamlessly blends the features found within iMindMap and Mind Manager and improves on them in several respects. Within NovaMind you have the ability to position the branches exactly where you want them (which you can’t do in Mind Manager), while at the same time having the ability to create different branch styles (which you can’t do in iMindMap). On top of this NovaMind also provides the use of many different layout options like the rainbox coloring, FlexiBranches, attached graphics and text, reflections, glassy styles, and high quality images in the graphics libraries, all of which enable the user to make absolutely stunning Mind Maps easily.

NovaMind also allows the user to edit the outline of the Mind Map on the same screen as the Mind Map itself – something that can’t be done within Mind Manager or iMindMap – which helps people who like to work backwards and forwards between the two representations.

NovaMind is great for teaching and learning, as it provides a number of unique and helpful features like the Suggesterator which suggests new ideas related to what you already have on your Mind Map. There is also the BranchStorm capability which helps you blast ideas out very quickly, while providing the user with the ability to print out Mind Maps without text on the branches to assist with note-taking, memorization and revision.

NovaMind also has specialist features for Screenwriting, presentations, and project management, as well as a long list of import and export options, including the NovaMind Connect social Mind Map sharing website.

I’ve only recently been introduced to NovaMind, and on first impressions its ease of use and features have surpassed my expectations. It’s definitely a Mind Mapping software application for the creative mind, and for those who seek a feature packed flexible solution for information management purposes.

Topicscape

| View Large Image | Download Trial of Topicscape |

3D Topicscape is different from all other Mind Mapping software tools, and was included here to show the broad diversity of Visual Mapping software applications.  It is designed to help people who want to organize very large collections of computer files and notes in a Mind Map format, but find that most Mind Mapping software soon runs out of steam.  With large bodies of information, such software easily becomes overburdened, and the screen is so full of information that it is crowded and unusable.

Topicscape takes a different approach.  It builds a landscape that uses the Mind Mapping paradigm, but allows rapid zooming and flying.  You can take a broad overview, instantly zoom in on an area for more detail, and just as quickly zoom back if that’s not what you were looking for.

Thousands of files can be associated with one landscape and Topicscape’s very extensive searching capabilities makes handling these easy.

The Mind Map shown here was imported directly from a MindManager file and in Topicscape terms is very small.

I personally utilize Topicscape when I have vast amounts of information I want to collate, arrange and organize into a simple cataloged format that’s easy to refer to and work from.

To view more images of this Topicscape map, please refer to the Gallery Images presented at the top of this post.

Final Thoughts

I hope that this introduction to Mind (visual) Mapping has helped answer any questions you might have had about the tool that is gaining momentum within both Academic and Business circles. If you haven’t as yet utilized Visual Mapping at home, school or at work, than the chances are that over the next 5 to 10 years you probably will.

Mind Mapping is growing in popularity every single day and gaining an ever greater foothold within niche specific industries where information management is of critical importance. As a result, it will continue to grow and expand as the software tools evolve and adapt to our ever changing needs for information management.

How to Mind Map Video

Free Articles & Online Resources

Here are a number of highly recommended free articles and online resources that will further help expand your understanding about this topic:

• Drawing a Mind Map from Start to Finish @ Mind Map Inspiration
• How to Make a Mind Map @ WikIT
• Learn How to Draw Mind Maps @ Mind Tools
• How to Mind Map @ Squidoo
• How to Mind Map @ Buzan World

Mind Map Software Applications

• Topicscape: Free Trial
• NovaMind: Free Trial
• Mind Manager: Free Trial
• iMindMap: Free Trial

Recommended Books

• Drawing Tips for Mind Mapping by Paul Foreman
• How I Drew My Mind Maps by Paul Foreman
• The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan & Barry Buzan
• Mapping Inner Space: Learning & Teaching Visual Mapping by Nancy Marqulies & Nusa Maal
• Idea Mapping: How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More, and Achieve Success in Business by Jamie Nast
• Mindmapping: Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity & Problem-Solving by Joyce Wycoff
• Mind Maps at Work: How to Be the Best at Your Job & Still Have Time to Play by Tony Buzan
• Visual Thinking: Tools for Mapping Your Ideas by Nancy Marqulies & Christine Valenza
• Thinking Visually: Business Applications of 14 Core Diagrams by Malcolm Craig

If you would like to download a copy of the free IQ Matrix Mind Map presented at the top of this post, it is available from the IQ Matrix Shop.

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Introduction

For those of us who are blessed with the gift of sight, it is easy to understand how critical and important it is to our daily life, decisions and actions. Our visual organs bring forth into our conscious mind a world of color, intrigue, movement and depth. We perceive our reality to be real and true based on our personal perceptions and interpretations of this visual and breathtaking world. Not only do we live within a reality of pictures and moving images, but what is even more profound, is that we dream and think in pictures 24/7. In fact, our entire existence revolves around the concept of visual images passing through the recesses of our mind like clouds moving across the sky. So is it really surprising that mind mapping is considered to be the key to Accelerating our Learning Potential?

Today’s discussion will focus around the concept of Mind Mapping and how it can be applied to the process of accelerated learning. The first branch of the IQ Matrix focuses on the benefits of Mind Mapping. We discuss how it can be utilized for business, academic purposes and our daily life undertakings. The second branch of the IQ Matrix delves into describing and expanding a number of visual mapping methods that you can utilize to clarify, learn and expand upon your ideas. The third branch of the IQ Matrix presents you with a number of informative IQ Matrix reading examples. These will help you better understand how to read through the IQ Matrixes available through this site. The final branch of the IQ Matrix provides you with a number of Mind Mapping Study Tips for homework help as well as for examination purposes. By following this process, you will effectively gain an edge on others and drastically reduce your study time and effort, while Accelerating Your Learning Potential.

Mind Mapping In Perspective

Mind Mapping is an ideal tool that will help us to Accelerate our Learning Potential in a variety of ways. However, its applications have a far wider reach than one might initially have expected. Within this branch of the IQ Matrix we will discuss these applications in some detail. You will discover how Mind Mapping can be applied into a business context, into everyday life management, and into academic circles. However, we will begin our discussion with the benefits of Mind Mapping and the consequences that will result from its application into your day-to-day thinking, decisions and actions.

Benefits of Mind Mapping

The benefits of Mind Mapping are far reaching and therefore somewhat difficult to measure accurately. In fact, the benefits of Mind Mapping extend into just about every area of our lives, helping us to think more effectively and grow exponentially as a result of the improved efficiency of thought they bring forth into our daily reality. The discussion that follows will provide you with an introduction to Mind Mapping and how it can be applied to specific life areas. In a future Mind Map we will break down in detail how you can specifically apply Mind Mapping to Problem Solving, Brainstorming, Goal Setting, Organizing Information, Creativity, Critical thinking and much more.

Provides Global Perspective of Ideas & Information

One reason why chunks of information are difficult to understand is that we fail to see these chunks from a global perspective. It’s like trying to piece together that the earth is round from the ground. It’s only when we pan out and into space and view the earth as a whole, do we begin to comprehend the nature of our spherical and magnificent planet. The same is true of the information we are attempting to learn. Many times we get lost within the details and fail to see the larger picture. Hence, if we are able to somehow zoom out and view this information from a global perspective we will then be better able to see all interconnected pieces interacting with each other in a multitude of ways. For instance, even though this post presents you with a lot more information than you will find within the IQ Matrix, it however presents this information in an ordered manner with very little interlocking between topics, thusly making it more difficult to fully comprehend in one reading. On the other hand, simply spending a few moments over-viewing the IQ Matrix will present you with a thorough global perspective of the subject matter.

Improves Problem Solving Ability

The better you are able to manage and organize your problem within a Mind Map, the more connections you will likely find between seemingly disjointed fragments of information. As a result, this will help you to find answers that normally may not have been evident. To learn more about the process of problem solving, have a read of Awaken Your Problem Solver from Within.

Improves Creative & Critical Thinking Ability

Our ability to think Critically and Creatively is built upon the foundation of how effectively we can piece together seemingly unrelated bits of information within our minds. Mind Mapping is one of the best tools and processes you can utilize that will enhance and encourage the development of this type of thinking. To learn more about the process of creativity and critical thinking, have a read of Unlocking Your Creative Genius Potential and Becoming an Outstanding Critical Thinker.

Improves Concentration

Reading or learning information in a linear fashion puts a lot of pressure on our brain. In fact over extended periods of time it can become quite draining on our mental resources, which can further lead to fatigue and cause our concentration levels to suffer as a result. Many times when you read through chunks of linear information, you will forget most of what you have just read because it fails to excite and enliven the mind. Mind Mapping on the other hand presents your brain with an enlivening stimulus filled with interconnecting pieces, colors, images, symbols and words that work together to energize the brain and improve concentration.

Improves Photographic Memory

Because we think, dream and predominantly imagine our world in pictures, it just makes sense that a Mind Map would in fact help us to improve our photographic memory. If I asked you to think of a donkey… actually close your eyes and think of a donkey… do it now… when done continue. Did you see the words “DONKEY” in your mind? Or did you actually envision an image of a donkey? Most people would see the image of a donkey as this is consistent with the process of how we think about the information in our lives. A Mind Map interlocks and associates words with vivid colors, symbols and imaginative images. When it comes time to recall your Mind Map from memory, you normally won’t first see the words come to mind, instead you will envision the colors, symbols and images that created a lasting impression on your long-term memory. And all this works together to help improve your photographic memory and recall of information.

Improves Flow of Ideas

When we are able to understand the associations, connections and interaction between different pieces of information, this naturally brings forth a spurt of creative and unique ideas that we normally would not have been able to piece together by utilizing a linear process of thinking. This is the primary reason why Mind Mapping is one of the most effective tools for brainstorming ideas.

Improves Ability to Manage Information

It is easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information that we are required to assimilate into our psyche these days. Have you ever attended a seminar where they provided you with a wealth of information that completely overloaded your brain? I have personally been in that situation. It’s not a pleasant place to be, as it makes you feel inadequate, incapable and extremely frustrated. The solution for this is to utilize Mind Maps to better manage all kinds of information in your life. Undertaking this process consistently from the very beginning, will provide you with a sense of control and confidence, helping to improve your effectiveness and efficiency at school, at work and in life. We will discuss specific Mind Mapping strategies on how to go about this process of information management at another time.

Improves Confidence

When you are able to effectively utilize Mind Mapping for all the above, than you will naturally radiate confidence that will further help you to excel with your management of information as you move into the future.

Business Applications of Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping will help you to improve your effectiveness and efficiency in the day-to-day management of your business activities in surprising ways. Not only will it help you to clarify your thinking, but it will also save you time and reduce the overwhelm that we can experience when too much information is thrown our way. Some of these concepts will be broken down in much more detail in a future post.

Communicating Message & Ideas

You may like to utilize Mind Mapping when you are finding it difficult to explain a concept or idea to one of your workmates.

Planning Time

You may like to utilize Mind Mapping to better manage, overview and structure your time around your important and urgent activities and priorities. When you have a global perspective of where you need to spend your most important time, than you will feel more in control and secure in the knowledge that time is relative – it’s what you make of it that counts.

Planning Meeting Agenda

You may like to utilize Mind Mapping to better structure, plan and organize your meetings. Sometimes we come into a meeting a little unprepared and as a result fail to discuss relevant matters that were critical to the meeting. However, when you take the time to draw up a Mind Map of the agenda, you will effectively piece together a comprehensive picture of the issues that need to by addressed and discussed throughout the meeting. This Mind Map may also help others to draw unique insights and ideas that will further enhance the effectiveness of the meeting.

Planning Company Trainings

You may like to utilize Mind Mapping to organize and prepare company trainings. When you are training someone for the first time about specific topics, it is easy to skip over important pieces of information that are necessary for the trainees understanding. By following along with a Mind Map, not only will you be better able to present your knowledge to your recruits, but they will also be better prepared to understand the concepts from a global perspective.

Planning Speeches & Presentations

You may like to utilize Mind Mapping to prepare and present your speeches and presentations. Sometimes we rush, skip-over or forget to present critical components of our presentations due to a variety of factors. Mind Mapping will help you to piece together your speech or presentation in a structured and focused manner.

Planning Negotiations

You may like to utilize Mind Mapping before and throughout the negotiation process. As you are negotiating a deal, simply doodle a diagram of the deal in a Mind Map format on paper. This will help you to gather a global perspective of the issues under negotiation, which may likewise provide you with unique insights and answers that will assist you to pull the deal off to your satisfaction.

Academic Applications of Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping is best known for its application within Academic circles for Accelerating Learning and dramatically enhancing photographic memory. Let’s take a closer look at some of these benefits and how they apply to Academia. Some of these concepts will be broken down in much more detail in a future post.

Used as Revision Tool

Mind Mapping can be utilized as an effective revision tool for class notes. Because Mind Mapping provides a global perspective about a topic, it helps students to build the foundations of strong associations between interconnecting chunks of the subject matter. More about this in the forth branch of the IQ Matrix.

Used for Exam Preparation

When it comes to preparing for examinations, there is no better tool than Mind Mapping. We will discuss the process of how to study and prepare for your examinations within the forth branch of the IQ Matrix.

Used for Improving Memorization of Information

Because Mind Mapping naturally mimics the brains cognitive processes, this makes it an ideal tool for memorizing large chunks of information. When something you are studying is consistent with your patterns of thinking and remembering, it becomes easy to learn and recall.

Used for Overviewing Links & Connections

Mind Mapping interlocks, links together and associates seemingly unrelated fragments of information in a way that makes them easy to remember and recall at a later time. It is therefore the most comprehensive and ideal tool that will help you to gather a global perspective and overview about the subject under study. More about this a little later on.

Used for Accelerated Learning Purposes

Mind Mapping is one of many tools that are critical for accelerated learning. To learn more about the process of accelerated learning have a read of the 7 Intelligences of Accelerated Learning, Accelerated Speed Reading Study Skills and Advanced Multi-Sensory Study Skills.

Life Applications of Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping and daily life management practices don’t usually go hand-in-hand for most people. We understand how it can be applied to Academics and for Business purposes, however we struggle to comprehend how we can implement and utilize it within our day-to-day lives. Moreover, we struggle to see how it could potentially enhance our lives through a process of simplification and better organization. Hopefully this section will assist you in overcoming some of these misconceptions, and will provide you with a few simple guidelines that will help you to apply the process of Mind Mapping into your day-to-day undertakings. Some of these concepts will be broken down in much more detail in a future post.

Used as a Brainstorming Tool

Do you have a sudden problem? Do you need immediate inspiration? Are you trying to work out how to manage a task or activity more effectively? Simply break out some crayons and a piece of paper and Mind Map your thoughts and ideas in magnificent ways.

Used to Organize Lists

Do you have a long list of things that you must accomplish? Do you become easily overwhelmed with all the things that you must remember to do throughout your day? If the answer is “Yes”, than you might find it helpful Mind Mapping your lists on paper in a way that will better organize, arrange and structure them in your mind. Once things are organized and arranged, you will feel a great burden lift off your chest. This new found clarity of thought will enhance your memory and ability to think more effectively about the tasks at hand.

Used to Organize Events

Planning and organizing events can fatigue even the most hardy of souls. It’s sometimes difficult to predict everything that is required, who must be invited, and what must be accomplished at any one moment in time. All of these responsibilities can easily overwhelm and overload our minds. However, with the help of a simple Mind Map you will more effectively be able to manage, plan and organize your event the way you envisioned it within the recesses of your mind.

Used for Lifelong Rapid Learning

I hope that this discussion about Mind Mapping has helped you realize that Mind Mapping isn’t a skill that one learns and utilizes occasionally. It is rather a lifelong commitment you make to yourself that will help you to increase the speed and effectiveness of all your learning as you progress through the transitional cycles of life. With it, the world is your oyster. Without it… well let’s say that there are no pearls if we remain ignorant of this accelerated learning process

Visual Mapping Types and Methods

Mind Mapping is just one of several methods of mapping out information and ideas that one can utilize. Our brains think in unique and exponential ways. Each and every piece of information is best studied and memorized through a structured process of learning that assimilates each chunk of information in the most effective and efficient manner that naturally mimics the brain’s cognitive thinking patterns. Within this branch of the IQ Matrix we will discuss some of these types of maps and their purpose. We will also delve into the computer generated and hand drawn methods of Mind Mapping that you can utilize on a daily basis.

Visual Mapping Types

The following is a quick break down of 7 unique mapping types that can be utilized to effectively represent the information you are learning. How you apply these maps will vary in accordance to the structure of the information you are learning, and upon your purpose, objectives and goals. See the IQ Matrix for visual examples of each of these map types.

• Cyclical Maps – Are used to represent key terms within stages in a cyclic process.
• Radial Maps – Are Mind Map type structures with sub-topics radiating from a central image or word.
• Converging Maps – Are used to represent causes that lead to a single effect.
• Hierarchical Maps – Are used to represent key terms as smaller and smaller parts of a larger topic.
• Interacting Maps – Are Concept Map type structures that interlink with each other in a variety of ways.
• Comparison Maps – Are used to compare two or more things with each other. The central interlocking part represents the object’s shared components or characteristics.
• Linear Maps – Are Flowchart type structures that represent linear stages of a process that has a beginning and an ending.

Mind Mapping Methods

The following is a break down of two popular Mind Mapping methods you can utilize to represent your ideas and the information you are learning. There are benefits and drawbacks to each method, so it is important that you take into account your purpose, goals and objectives before deciding upon the method that you would like to utilize for your learning. However, keep in mind that in some instances one method will be more effective than the other. Therefore sometimes it is best to choose the method you will utilize based on the time you have available, the information you are learning, and the resources you have on hand.

Hand Drawn Mind Maps

Personally, I have been creating hand drawn Mind Maps for years since my University days. I found them to be of great benefit, as they allowed me to expand my thinking and understanding about the topics I was learning in exponential ways.  However, throughout my experimentations with hand drawn Mind Maps I did come across a number of drawbacks that eventually convinced me to make the switch to computer generated mind mapping for specific purposes. Here is a break down of some of the benefits and drawbacks pertaining to this method of Mind Mapping.

Benefits

Hand drawn Mind Maps are flexible in nature allowing you to bend, squiggle and flex the map any way you wish. This enhances the Mind Map’s organic structure making it far easier to remember and utilize as an accelerated learning tool. Another benefit of a hand drawn Mind Map is that it is personal in nature. You physically design it utilizing your gifted artistic talents It is this personal touch corresponding to your natural thinking patterns that will help you to assimilate the information you are mapping out far more easily.

Drawbacks

Hand drawn Mind Maps are limited to the amount of space that is available on the sheet of paper you are working from. Personally I used to always cram the information I was mapping out right near the edges of the page I was working from. Another drawback is that it is time consuming. Hand drawing your Mind Maps with appropriate pictures, symbols and colors can take a great deal of time depending on how thoroughly you design you maps. Within the same period of time you could have potentially created a handful of computer generated Mind Maps.

Examples

Some profound examples of superbly and meticulously hand drawn Mind Maps are available from the Mind Map Inspiration Website. Paul Foreman is one of the most gifted Mind Map artists you will find. His website is chock full of quality Mind Maps about spiritual transformation, personal development, effective thinking, inspiration and health. A couple of months ago he wrote an interesting guest post on the IQ Matrix blog about De-Cluttering Your Life, Environment and Mind. He has recently pieced together a collection of his 60 greatest Mind Maps, which are now available in an eBook format from his website. Please be patient with the loading time of his web page. The welcome page takes a few seconds to load.

Computer Generated Mind Maps

This method of Mind Mapping has generated a lot of interest over the past 5 years. Today there are more software applications for Mind Mapping available than ever before. And it seems that almost every single month there is a new player on the market. Each piece of software or online application has their own benefits and drawbacks. However, for the purpose of this discussion let’s take a quick look at the overall picture, and compare how today’s Mind Mapping software stacks up against hand drawn Mind Maps.

Benefits

Computer generated Mind Maps are collapsible, expandable, structured, multi-dimensional and quick to put together.

Drawbacks

Computer generated Mind Maps are impersonal and rigid. Meaning that you cannot always do what you envision in your mind.

Mind Mapping / Concept Mapping Software Leaders

The following is a list of the Mind Mapping Software market leaders (the first 3 are the major players in the marketplace). Every software package has a number of drawbacks and benefits. Your best option is to try these software packages out for a few weeks (depending on their trial period) and decide for yourself if they serve your purposes.

• Mindjet MindManager – 30 day free trial available
• NovaMind -  30 day free trial available
• iMindMap – 7 day free trial available
• FreeMind – Completely free to download and use
• ConceptDraw Mind Map – 30 day free trial available
• Visual Mind – 30 day free trial available
• Inspiration – 30 day free trial period
• OpenMind – Free trial period available
• Xmind – Free trial period available
• MindMapper – Free trial period available
• SmartDraw – Free trial period available

3D Mind Mapping

The following is a list of 3D Mind Mapping software that is available on the internet. The 3D packages absorb you into the world of your content, and help you to understand the information from an insider’s perspective. You really have to download the trial version of the software to truly grasp a comprehensive idea of what these packages can do.

• Topicscape – 30 day free trial available. Student Edition is Free.
• Nelements – Free paid versions available

Online Mind Mapping Applications

The following is a list of online Mind Mapping and Flowcharting applications that you can utilize to create your own Maps, or to collaborate with others. Each of them have slightly different features, so it is important that you settle on an online software package that best fits your needs.

• MindMeister – Free and Premium versions available
• Bubbl.us – Free
• Mindomo – Free and Premium versions available
• CoMapping – 30 day free trial available
• Mind42 – Free trial period available
• Mapul – Free trial period available
• FlowChart – Online flowcharting in your browser
• Gliffy – Free online diagramming software

Lesser Known Mapping Applications

The following are some of the lesser known Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping software packages available online. Some of these packages are new and have a number of interesting and revolutionary features. While others have been around for a few years and haven’t quite been able to get a foothold within the Mind Mapping Market. However, please don’t discount these software packages. Some of them do have interesting features and may well be worth checking out.

• Cayra – Free trial period available. Concept Mapping software.
• TheBrain – Free and Professional versions available
• Mind Visualizer – Free trial period available
• Pocket Mindmap – Mind Mapping on your pocket PC
• Mind Genius – 7 to 21 day free trial available on 3 versions.
• Cornerstone – 21 day free trial available
• MYmap – Free trial period available
• MindPlan – Combines Mind Mapping and Project Management
• HeadCase – 28 Day free trial period
• MindPad – 30 day free trial period
• BrainMine – Free trial period available
• SparkSpace – 30 day free trial available
• MindCad – Free trial period available
• i2Brain – Free trial period available

IQ Matrix Reading Guidelines

I have somewhat described the process of how to go about reading a IQ Matrix within IQ Matrix 101 – Advanced Mind Mapping Strategies. However, I feel that there are a number of things that I should still clarify and expand upon. Hence, this branch of the IQ Matrix will focus on expanding your understanding about the IQ Matrix reading process. I am hopeful that by reading through this section you will be better able to follow and comprehensively understand each branch of a IQ Matrix more thoroughly. I will not bog you down with details here, but rather just provide you with the critical components that will help you to read each IQ Matrix more effectively and efficiently.

Blockers

At times on a IQ Matrix you will notice small RED DOTS placed onto branches. These are known as “Blockers”. They basically work as punctuation fullstops. Whenever you reach one of these “Blockers” it is important to pause and then continue reading along the branches as though you have started a new sentence.

Colors

Colors are utilized to segregate key chunks or topics of a IQ Matrix from other chunks and topics. They help to distinguish segments of each IQ Matrix making it far more easier to remember and recall.

Images

Images are utilized as a tool to enhance your photographic memory and awareness of key words and pieces of content. I endeavor to include as many pictures as I can within each IQ Matrix without overloading it too extensively. Each and every image utilized within a IQ Matrix is linked to and associated with a key piece of content within its proximity. The images can represent the content either literally or metaphorically. Let’s take a look at the screen-shot above to describe how some these images are used:

• Blockers - An image of a hand is seen as though in the process of halting traffic. Hence, it represents the word “blocking”.

• Colors – An image of a cartoon figure holding a paint pallet filled with different colors represents the word “colors”.

• Distinguish – This one is a little trickier to understand. A cartoon figure of what appears to be a distinguished gentleman is utilized to represent the word “distinguish”.

• Branches – An image of a twig with leaves is used as a representation of the word “branches”.

• Hierarchical – An image of a business woman standing high on podium with others looking up at her is utilized to represent the word “hierarchical”.

• Structure – An image of a pyramid type donut structure is utilized to represent the word “structure”.

• Read – An image of a child reading a book represents the word “read”.

• Following – An image of man (could be the Pide Piper) with a flute. Behind him are three sacks of money following his lead. Hence the image represents the word “following”.

• Arrows – An image of an arrow representing the word “arrows”.

• Path of Branches – An image of a man sitting on and trying to chop off a long branch. The image represents a combination of words “path of branches”. The branches make a path that the man is sitting on.

Think of each image as a landmark on a road. You are traveling in a foreign country by car. You have no idea what the street signs say, however you do have exceptional perceptive abilities and take instructions well. You ask a local for directions (thankfully they speak English). They tell you that in order to reach your destination you must continue down this road until you reach the color pallet. From here you must turn left. When you reach the distinguished gentleman you must take a right turn and continue until you hit the branches, and so forth. By simply remembering the images (landmarks) and the “right” and “left” directions you will be able to reach your destination without any problems. The same is true when it comes to our thinking. As you learn from an IQ Matrix you will discover that you will far more easily recall the images rather than the words. Yet, the images (because they are associated with the words) will help trigger the content of the IQ Matrix as a whole. 

Guidelines for Reading an IQ Matrix

Reading an IQ Matrix is relatively simple and easy to do if you follow a few simple rules. First of all you must begin reading out from the central image into one of the external branches. As you read along the BLACK branches, gently glide your eyes over them as though moving your eyes down a water slide. When you reach a word or phrase just wash over it with your eyes taking into account any associating images, connector words (the white words posted on the branches) or symbols within it’s proximity. Continue reading down the branch into the thinner branches until you reach an ending, and stop. Also be sure to follow the arrows. They will lead you in the right direction if you are confused at any time. As a general rule you should not jump over broken branches otherwise you could lose the meaning of the information. Another important general rule is to move your eyes from thicker branches to thinner branches and not the other way around. There are however some exceptions to this rule that we will discuss another time. For further information about this reading process, please download the free IQ Matrix Beginner’s Guide from the IQ Matrix Store.

Mind Mapping Study Tips

While I was at University, I managed to perfect a method of studying from a Mind Map that dramatically Accelerated my Learning Potential. My learning became easier, was more effective, efficient and for the first time ever, I developed my capacity to achieve photographic memory. This branch of the IQ Matrix details the Mind Mapping methods I utilized using Mindjet MindManager software. I would have loved to show all of you the Mind Maps I created back then, unfortunately I don’t have those files any longer. However, as an alternative I would like to draw your attention to the Litemind website.  Luciano regularly creates some absolutely breathtaking Mindjet MindManager Mind Maps summarizing best selling personal development and business books. Please download his latest Mind Map in order to get a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the capabilities of this software package.

Mind Mapping Software for Homework Help

As discussed above, for the purpose of this example and the discussion that follows I will refer to Mindjet MindManager. However, please bear in mind that there are alternatives available to this software package that are equally as effective and will likewise help you to structure your Mind Maps in a similar fashion. A few other leading examples are NovaMind, Xmind and FreeMind.

Homework Help Mind Mapping Study Tips

The following process represents the Mind Mapping and note taking methods I utilized on an ongoing basis each semester that effectively prepared my mind for photographic memory and recall. This steps outlined here require that you take your laptop (notebook) with you into class.

Before Class Preparation

Find out what topic you will be discussing in your upcoming class and which textbook chapters you are required to read. Once this has been established, spend some time Speed Reading through the chapters picking up on major heading and important pieces of information that standout in your mind. When finished, begin preparing your Mind Map utilizing your Mind Mapping software package. All you are doing at this stage is mapping out the Major Headings, Sub-Headings and the Keywords that standout in your mind. Be sure to organize and arrange them in a way that helps you to better understand the topic you are about to study.

During Class Expansion

Take your laptop / notebook into class and add notes, expand the branches of your Mind Map even further based on the topics discussed within class.

After Class Assimilation

This should be accomplished the very same day if possible. Simply begin by thoroughly reading through the topic chapter within your textbook and handouts. As you read update your Mind Map with additional notes, headings, sub-headings, keywords and personal opinions. Once you have meticulously pieced this Mind Map together, you are now ready to enhance your memory of this Mind Map to another level. Simply begin by adding the following information to your Mind Map:

Memorable images to your keyword, major headings and sub-headings.

Links to relevant computer files such as Word Docs, Excel Spreadsheets, and PowerPoints.

Links to relevant websites and other information.

Links to your calendar and tasks (if required).

Transform your Mind Map by adding different colors to the branches.

Add relevant symbols that will help you to better identify specific pieces of content.

Add highlights to specific sections to indicate their relationship or importance.

Add font differentiations by altering the size, style, look and feel of words. Use Bold, Underlines & Italics.

Modify the thickness of the lines and give them an organic look and feel.

Modify the structure of the “word boxes” by changing them into circles, rectangles, etc, as appropriate.

When you are done you might get something looking like this:

This Mind Map is take from the Medici Effect, available as a free download from the Litemind website.

General Guidelines

It is important that you do not follow the content structure of the lecture notes or textbook you are summarizing within your Mind Map. The purpose of a Mind Map is not to simply regurgitate what your lecturer said or the information that the textbook outlined. Instead, your objective is to organize this information in a way that is easy for you to remember and recall. Hence, you might feel the need to connect topics of different chapters in a way on the Mind Map that makes most sense to you. Other times you might in fact decide to copy the same topic into two sections of your Mind Map because this will help you to better understand and comprehend what you are learning.

It is also important that you combine your entire semester’s work (including your lecture notes, assignments, essays, tests, and textbook notes) into one Mind Map. By having all this information in one place, will encourage greater memory and recall of information. However, don’t just settle on throwing this information together every which way. Actually take time to piece it together, to combine seemingly unrelated pieces, and to structure it in a way that is best suited to how you understand the topic. Hence, your final Mind Map should in essence be a reflection of your thoughts and the process of how you think about this subject, and not a regurgitation of what your lecturer said or your textbook presented.

If you are finding this process difficult to understand than please feel free to ask me further questions about it within the comments section of this post.

Mind Map Examination Study Tips

Having thoroughly prepared your Mind Map based on the instructions presented above, you are now ready to begin the process of revision and study for your examinations. At this stage, you should have everything you need meticulously presented within your Mind Map. All it takes now is to thoroughly go through each of the branches and absorb the content into your long-term memory.

Read through Mind Map Thoroughly

Your first step is to read through your Mind Map thoroughly and meticulously. Go through each branch and follow a similar reading process as was discussed above when I presented you with reading guidelines pertaining to a IQ Matrix.

Introduction to the 3R+T Mind Mapping Study Process

The 3R+T Photographic Memory Mind Map Study Process will help you to thoroughly piece together each branch of your Mind Map in the most effective and efficient manner possible. As you work your way through this process you will slowly but surely (for some people it will be quite rapid) develop the capacity for a photographic memory. As a result, when it comes time to take your examination, you may be pleasantly surprised how proficient you have become at remembering everything you needed to know to excel within this subject area. Let’s break down this process step-by-step, and guide you through its application.

Read

Select one branch of your Mind Map and read it in it’s entirety. As you are reading pay attention to the colors, highlights, symbols, font size, images, etc. Your goal is to associate as much of the content as possible to these physical landmarks on your Mind Map. The more thoroughly you focus and concentrate upon this process, the more effective your results will become. It is also helpful here to set a time limit for this step of the 3R+T Process. This is after all an accelerated learning method, and time constraints are important as they will force your brain to think more efficiently about the material you are studying.

Recall

Now that you have thoroughly read through the first branch of the Mind Map, your next step is to recall it from memory. Simply close your eyes, and picture within your minds-eye the branch you just read through in all its glory. Picture all the landmarks along this branch (images, colors, symbols, highlights, font sizes, etc) that make it standout clearly within the recesses of your mind. Approach this mental journey as though you are walking along a familiar comforting path in a relaxed manner. As you are mentally gliding along this branch see it vividly in your mind and begin describing this journey to yourself out loud. The more emotion you integrate into this process through your mental images and words, the greater amount of neural associations you will stimulate within the recesses of your mind. Again, it is important to set a time limit for this process so that you can move through the entire Mind Map in good time.

Review

Once you have completed your mental journey, simply return to your Mind Map branch and glaze over it with your eyes taking into consideration the segments and sub-branches that you had the most trouble remembering. You may find it helpful at this stage to highlight the sub-branches or words that you found difficult in a vivid and memorable color. This will help these ideas standout in your mind the next time you move through this branch. Take a little time to ponder the branch as a whole before moving into the “Test” phase. Again it is important to set a time limit for this stage.

Test

Once you have reviewed your Mind Map branch, you are now ready to test your knowledge. Testing your knowledge can be accomplished in three ways:

Answering Questions – Here you ask yourself a set of questions about the branch and test to see if you can remember the answer. If you are finding an answer difficult to recall, than simply search for it within your Mind Map, read it over and answer it in your own words. By following this method you will be better able to recall where this answer lies within your Mind Map the next time you transition through this process.

Sketching Mind Map Branch – You can quickly sketch out your Mind Map branch on a piece of paper. This method will help you to stimulate your kinesthetic or physical intelligence, thusly assisting you with far more rapid assimilation of the material you are learning. While you are sketching out your Mind Map pay attention to images, symbols, font differentiations, branch thickness, colors, etc. It is also important that you keep stimulating your auditory senses by talking through your sketch out loud (use a big, emotional and memorable voice). Again, please set a time limit for this process.

Expanding Mind Map Branch – This can only be achieved by utilizing your Mind Mapping software. Most software packages allow you to expand and collapse each of the branch levels. To begin with, collapse all the branch levels so that you can only read the very first major heading. Now recall from memory the sub-headings branching off this major heading. Once recalled, expand the second level or layer of this branch and recall from memory what sub-headings and chunks of information lie within the third layer. Continue this process through the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, etc layer until you have expanded all of the branches successfully. In conclusion, as you are moving through this process, it is okay to go back and forth to try and remember difficult chunks. But be sure to highlight these difficult to remember sub-branches so that you can return to them at a later time.

Repeat 3R+T Process

Once you have completed one branch, simply continue rotating through all the other branches of your Mind Map moving in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction that same day. Repeat the process for a period of 7 days until fully assimilated – making sure to shorten the “learning time intervals” for each section every day. From personal experience I can confidently say that you can effectively assimilate an entire 500 page textbook (achieving 80% to 99% perfect recall) within a few days of implementing the 3R+T process. If my explanation of this process hasn’t been thorough enough, than please forward me your questions in the comments section below.

Below you will find a jpg file of the rough draft I created about this topic in Mindjet MindManager. The draft doesn’t always reflect or mirror the completed IQ Matrix, however it will provide you with the pattern of thinking that I went through during the creation process. If you have any questions about this, than please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Final Thoughts

Mind Mapping is an extraordinary journey of awakening that can dramatically transform the way we manage and process information on a daily basis. It will enhance your photographic memory, recall and dramatically improve your chances of Accelerating your Learning Potential. However, having said that, there is no doubt that Mind Mapping isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If for instance you have a preference for auditory learning (see Advanced Multi-Sensory Study Skills for further information), than Mind Mapping will seem very tedious and somewhat difficult to manage and understanding. That’s completely fine. It just means that your brain has been hardwired somewhat differently. You may like to create your Mind Maps and then talk about them aloud as though conducting a presentation. This will help with the integration process of the information you are learning.

For kinesthetically inclined people who like to utilize their hands and get involved in their learning – computer generated Mind Mapping may not be your best and most ideal solution. However, hand drawn Mind Maps may provide a better and far more absorbing alternative that will help you Accelerated your Learning Potential. And as for the rest of us who are visual learners – Mind Mapping is the key to our continued growth, development and progress as we move through the complexities of daily life. Cultivate these principles and assimilate them into your daily habits and patterns of thinking, and you too will benefit as I have from the extraordinary process of Mind Mapping.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please feel free to share your questions, comments or experiences about Mind Mapping below. I would be interested to hear your insights and perspectives about Mind Mapping and how you utilize it on a daily basis in life, business and academically.

Spotlight on the MasterMind Matrix

The process of Mind Mapping for Accelerated Learning is an important and indispensable component of the MasterMind Matrix.

[ View Larger Image ]

The MasterMind Matrix is a Psychological Chart of Personal Success and Achievement. It is used as an effective Self-Coaching tool that will help guide you through the personal obstacles, setbacks and limitations that may stand in your way as you progress towards the attainment of your goals and objectives in the field of academics, business, career, sports, or life in general.

Each IQ Matrix Mind Map that is available through this website represents a single cell fragment of the MasterMind Matrix. For more information and images, visit the MasterMind Matrix page.

How to Mind Map | Tony Buzan

Free Articles & Online Resources

Here are a number of highly recommended free articles and online resources that will further help expand your understanding about this topic:

• What is Mind Mapping? (and How to Get Started Immediately) @ Litemind
• How to Mind Map @ JCU
• Using Mind Maps Effectively @ Illumine Training
• How to Mind Map for Study Success @ Learning Fundamentals
• Solve Problems, Study, and Brainstorm Using Mind Maps @ WiseBread
• How to Use a Genius Tool for Writers: Mind Maps @ Write to Done
• Mind Map Directory @ Topicscape
• Mind Map Director @ Mappio
• Mind Map Search Directory @ Mind Map Search
• Mindjet MindManager Map Directory @ BiggerPlate
• Mindjet MindManager Enthusiasts Network @ Ning
• Hand Drawn Mind Map Directory @ Mind Map Inspiration
• Software vs Hand Drawn Mind Maps @ Mind Mapping Software Blog
• Business Decision Making Software @ Bcisive
• Mind Mapping for Productive research & Writing @ Geekpreneur
• Using Mind Maps to Solve Maths Problems @ Visual Mapping
• Mind Map Organic Study Technique @ DT Creative Support & Training Services
• Combining iMindMap & Artwork @ DT Creative Support & Training Services
• Learning Mind Mapping Linkfest @ Alec Satin
• WikIT: The Mind Mapping Wiki @ Topicscape
• Using Mind Maps to Learn a Niche @ Geekpreneur
• How to Make a Mind Map at WikIT @ Topicscape
• Mind Mapping with Wikipedia @ Mind Map Blog
• Making it All Work with MindManager @ Mindjet Blog
• Getting Projects Done with MindManager 8 and Google Docs @ Mindjet Blog
• 7 Mind Mapping Examples in 1 Map @ Timeless Information
• 50 Useful Mind Mapping Tools for College Students @ Associate Degree
• For more Mind Map resources, please see the links on the sidebar

Recommended Mind Mapping Software

Feel free to try out this software to see if it suits your needs. All of these companies offer a free trial period.

• Mindjet MindManager – Mind Mapping Software with 30 Day Free Trial Period.
• Topicscape – 3D Mind Mapping Software with 30 Day Free Trial Period.
• iMindMap – Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping Software with 7 Day Free Trial Period.
• NovaMind – Mind Mapping Software with 30 Day Free Trial Period.
• Xmind – Mind Mapping Software with Free Trial Period.
• FreeMind – Free Mind Mapping Software.

Recommended Books

• The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan & Barry Buzan
• Mapping Inner Space: Learning & Teaching Visual Mapping by Nancy Marqulies & Nusa Maal
• Idea Mapping: How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More, and Achieve Success in Business by Jamie Nast
• Mindmapping: Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity & Problem-Solving by Joyce Wycoff
• Mind Maps at Work: How to Be the Best at Your Job & Still Have Time to Play by Tony Buzan
• Visual Thinking: Tools for Mapping Your Ideas by Nancy Marqulies & Christine Valenza
• Thinking Visually: Business Applications of 14 Core Diagrams by Malcolm Craig

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Introduction

Creativity is the hidden capacity to think about ourselves, others, objects, events and circumstances in original and unique ways. Moreover, creativity allows us to overcome great odds, problems and challenges that maybe standing in the way of the success we desire to attain in life. Yes, creativity is indeed a powerful and yet somewhat mystical ability that brings with it a vast array of opportunities and skills that enhance and better our lives. With it, we can move mountains, part oceans and attain the heights of success. On the other hand, without it the challenges of life become more difficult and arduous to bear.

The discussion today will focus on identifying, growing and heightening creativity in order to allow us to further our success in any field of endeavor. The first branch of the IQ Matrix will break down our capacity as creative individuals. We will essentially expand on the concept of creativity and analyze the effect it has on a variety of different – and seemingly disconnected – aspects of our lives. We will also focus our discussion upon the evolution of creativity through childhood, including the process of identifying a creative thought.

The second branch of the IQ Matrix will delve into the mind of a Creative Genius. We will take a look at the indispensable characteristics, belief systems, self-talk and the actions that creative people cultivate on a daily basis.

The third branch of the IQ Matrix will analyze a collection of common Creativity Roadblocks that can sabotage our thought process without a moments notice. We will specifically look at external and internal roadblocks that undermine the creativity process.

Finally, the forth branch of the IQ Matrix will break down some creativity enhancing strategies that will help promote and stimulate creative thought for academic, business, career and life success.

This article post is part of an Effective Thinking Series of IQ Matrix Mind Maps that are designed to help you successfully deal with the problems and challenges confronting your daily life reality. Topics within this series include:

• Part 1: Strategic Life Questioning Tactics
• Part 2: Unlocking Your Creative Genius Potential
• Part 3: Awaken Your Problem Solver from Within
• Part 4: Becoming an Outstanding Critical Thinker
• Part 5: 6 Thinking Hats: Solving Life’s Complex Problems

Unlocking Your Creative Genius Capacity

Our creative ability is very difficult to measure because it can manifest in so many surprising and unexpected ways. As we go about our daily lives, our creativity comes to the forefront to assist us to overcome the problems and challenges that bring excitement and new experiences into our lives. Every time we successfully break through these obstacles we grow and expand our awareness about ourselves, others, circumstances and the world around us. Within this branch of the IQ Matrix we will delve into the dramatic influence that our creative capacity has on our quality of life and daily undertakings. We will also touch upon the evolution of creativity and how it grows and develops through childhood and eventually begins to decline as we grow older, and supposedly wiser. Finally we will quickly touch upon the concept of creative inspiration, and pinpoint some methods that will help you to identify your bursts of creativity.

Our Creative Capacity has a Wide Circle of Influence

In a lot of ways, I feel that we as a society underestimate the value and influence that our creative capacity has on a variety of different aspects of our lives. Our creative capacity is in fact so far reaching that you could effectively come to the conclusion that the quality of our lives is basically determined by the quality of our creative thinking. Let’s now look into this in a little more detail:

Determines Academic Success

Your creative capacity effectively determines your academic success, ability, effectiveness, efficiency and your flexibility of thought. There is no doubt that at school our Logical Intelligence is looked upon with high regard. The better capacity you have to remember key concepts, ideas and make sense of the information you are learning, the better marks you will achieve. However, in the classroom, creativity is in fact as important if not more important than your intellectual capacity. Your intellect might help you to understand key concepts and ideas, however it is your creative capacity that will help you to think in unorthodox ways, – somewhat outside the box – helping you to learn more efficiently, effectively and flexibly at the same time. Intellectuals are somewhat like computer programs that are fed information and data. On the other hand, creative individuals shift, change, expand, and alter this data in ways that will help them to improve their effectiveness and efficiency of learning. To put it another way, an intellectual will follow the instructions of the book to the letter without wavering or making a mistake. However, a creative individual will come up with brilliant ideas and methods that will help them to improve their speed of learning, reading, comprehension and proficiency.

Determines Career Advancement

Your creative capacity effectively determines how quickly you will advance your way up the career ladder. Almost anyone with a passion for a specific niche area, can learn and develop the skills to become proficient and reliable. Companies like to hire these types of people because they have a good sound knowledge base and understanding of their work responsibilities. However, in order to advance up the career ladder it takes a little more than a solid base of knowledge and experience. It actually requires the creative capacity to think outside the box about methods, tactics and strategies that will improve efficiency, effectiveness, grow profits, and enhance customer loyalty. It essentially doesn’t matter where you are currently positioned within your company. If you develop enough creative momentum you can climb up the corporate ladder in very quick succession with only a few groundbreaking creative ideas.

Determines Quality of Life

Your creative capacity effectively determines the quality of your life. First of all, the success you experience within any segment of your life is based upon the flexibility of thought you utilize to overcome daily life challenges. Secondly, your happiness is a direct reflection of the fulfillment and satisfaction you obtain from attaining your life’s goals and ambitions. So effectively, our success, happiness, fulfillment and living out our true full potential as human beings, builds the groundwork and foundation for the quality of our lives.

Determines Quality of Thinking & Idea Generation

Your creative capacity effectively determines the quality and process of your thinking. Our whole lives are build upon the foundations of idea generation. The more creative we are in coming up with clever ideas that will help us get what we want most in life, the better off we will be. The greater the creative capacity we cultivate and grow within ourselves, the better the ability we will have to expand our understanding and awareness about everything that life throws our way.

Determines What we have Access to

Your creative capacity effectively determines your access to information, opportunities and resources. As we expand our minds and begin thinking outside the box, we start to understand and comprehend things from unique angles and perspectives; that we probably never considered before. As a result, this naturally brings forth into our field of awareness new pieces of information, unexpected realizations and opportunities that were previously hidden from our sensory experience.

Determines Our Intrinsic Ability

Your creative capacity effectively determines your intrinsic ability to learn and effectively overcome problems that confront your daily reality. Because of our “web-like” interacting society, it is easy to understand that people will not always agree, that things will not always go as planned, and that unexpected surprises may be lying behind every corner. Given this, we must learn to adapt and adjust our daily tactics and methods of behavior in ways that will get us what we want despite the challenges and obstacles in our wake. This essentially requires a period of learning and adjustment that can only come through our creative thinking process and capacity. Hence, the more creative we are while tackling our daily life problems and obstacles, the faster we will learn and master the challenges that life throws our way,

Evolution of Creativity through Childhood

Science has shown that we are all indeed born with the capacity to think creatively about the events and circumstances of our lives. However, over time this capacity seems to diminish and decline. Why is that? Are we doing something that naturally pushes our creative expression out of our daily life and interactions with others? Or is it something that is done to us by others? Let’s take a look at this in a little more detail:

Expansion of Creativity through Pre-School

For most of us, pre-school was a place where we predominantly had fun and played games. Yes of course, there was no doubt that it was also a place for learning, however the learning didn’t seem difficult or arduous as we were always entertained and involved within a myriad of clever and unique activities that got our creative juices flowing. We also tended not to suffer from the stress, anxiety and overwhelm that riddles our life experience today. Why is that? Maybe it was because we had a childlike approach to every new sensory learning experience. Or maybe it was the encouragement, support and freedom for creative expression that brought about our stress-free existence.

Decline of Creativity through High School

As we grow older and more mature we progress through to high school where suddenly we find our creative capacity squashed against a wall of criticism, judgment and punishment. One of the biggest drawbacks of our current high school system is in its inability to help students develop and expand on their creative capacity and intellect. Within the high school system students are punished for their mistakes, they are judged for their thinking and processing of information, and they are criticized for their weaknesses. All of this leads to a stressful learning environment that predominantly provides group attention and limits learning to only the visual and auditory sensory organs. Psychological studies have revealed that during pre-school 9 out of every 10 kids show a capacity for creative thought. However, as they progress through to high school, that number drops to 3 out of 10. What in the world is happening to our creative capacity? What are we doing wrong? How are we hurting our kids with our teaching methods? This is a long, deep and thought provoking topic that we may discuss in further detail another time.

Identifying the Creativity Spark

Creativity is something that at times seems so very illusive and out of reach. It is something that can come to us without a moments notice, and yet it can also instantly be lost if not harnessed in the correct manner. We will discuss strategies on how to stimulate creativity a little later on. however for now it is important to become aware of our creative tendencies so that we are better prepared for the messages that they send our way. For starters it is important to understand that creativity comes to all of us in a variety of different ways. For some people it comes as a burst of joy, excitement, inspiration or energy, while for others it may come through a subtle means that is more difficult to recognize. In the end, it doesn’t matter through which methods or mannerisms creativity comes to you, the most important thing is to learn to recognize and understand your body’s patterns of communicating the subtle messages that often get obscured by reality. Many creative ideas are lost before they even have an opportunity to harvest within our minds, because we simply fail to recognize the obscure patterns of their subtle messages. The solution lies hidden within our habitual patterns of thinking and behaving. By learning to watch and observe these subtle patterns, you will naturally condition your body to take notice of the creative messages that are coming your way.

Unlocking Your Creative Genius Mindset

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to journey into the mind of a creative genius?

Creative people have a somewhat unique way of thinking about things that allows their creative intellect to come to the forefront when they need it most. These creative individuals essentially work on cultivating certain characteristics and belief systems within their personality that proactively expand their understanding and awareness of the world around them. They also have a tendency to talk to themselves in a specific manner, that naturally encourages their creativity to expand and evolve as they go about finding solutions for their daily life problems and challenges. Finally, creative people take certain daily steps and actions that help them to expand their ability to think in new and unique ways. This branch of the IQ Matrix will specifically target these areas, helping us to gather a thorough understanding of the workings of a creative mind.

The Characteristics of a Creative Genius

A creative genius naturally cultivates within their personality certain and specific characteristics which are essential to the process of expanding their creative capacity. Let’s take a closer look at this creative mind by breaking down each of these characteristics one step at a time:

Flexibility in Thought, Opinion & Decision

A creative genius is flexible in thought, opinion and decision because creativity requires an open mind that takes many perspectives and opinions into consideration at one time. It is from this information that the creative mind is then able to piece together all of the essential ingredients that are required to bring their unique ideas into the physical world.

Possibility Thinker

A creative genius thinks that everything and anything is possible given enough time, thought and reflection.

Risk Taker

A creative genius naturally takes risks in thought and action, that help them to overcome the challenges they face in surprising and seemingly unexpected ways.

Focused Awareness

A creative genius sets clear goals and objectives that naturally enhance their focus and awareness as they progress along their journey towards manifesting a brilliant idea. Through the act of focus they are better able to direct their minds on the most important thoughts, concepts and ideas that will help them attain their end goal and objective.

Courageous Disposition

A creative genius is courageous in thought and action. Being courageous usually requires breaking the rules while going against orthodox methods of thinking and acting. They understand that the fastest way to a brilliant and unique idea is through the process of going against the grain. This is the philosophy they live by each and every day of their lives.

Imaginative Mind

A creative genius cultivates, grows and expands their imaginative methods of thinking each and every day. They understand that to successfully overcome the problems and challenges in their lives, that they must always be thinking in unique ways from a variety of different angles and perspectives. The creative strategies of brainstorming we will discuss later within this post will help you to get a deeper insight and understanding into this imaginative thought process.

Intuitive Perspective

A creative genius understands that the most brilliant ideas don’t usually come from the conscious mind, but rather from deep within the unconscious recesses of their intuitive mind – which is connected to the collective consciousness of all of humanity that is, was and ever will be.

Playful & Curious Nature

A creative genius has a curious and playful nature which naturally expands their ability to think about events, objects, other people and circumstances in unique and creative ways. They effectively approach every problem from a child-like perspective that is innocent (not constricted or limited by past thoughts and experiences) and reflective (always asking insightful questions about their current circumstances and reality).

Persistent

A creative genius understands that the answers won’t always reveal themselves in the first instance. They acknowledge the fact that it may be some time before the perfect idea comes to mind. As a result they approach each challenge as an unfolding journey of learning and experience that must be tackled in a persistent and patient manner.

Independent

Even though a creative genius takes other people’s ideas and opinions into consideration, they are essentially independent thinkers and doers. Through the process of independence they are in essence able to step away and effectively reflect upon the information they have gathered – from others and the world around them – and piece it together without the external pressure that the average populace experiences. Not being swayed by masses of opinion, allows them to think critically about their problems, thusly attracting better and more insightful solutions that will help them to attain their goals and objectives.

Dedicated

A creative genius is completely dedicated to their outcome. Through a dedicated spirit they are able to get more done in less time and with less effort.

Proactive

A creative genius always makes proactive decisions and takes proactive action. Yes, they can sit on their thoughts and ideas for long periods of time – allowing them to cultivate and grow within their minds. However, once an idea has been effectively crystallized within their mind, they will not hesitate, and will take immediate action to bring their thoughts into the physical world.

The Beliefs Systems of a Creative Genius

A creative genius essentially lives by 3 fundamental belief systems that direct all of their daily habits, thoughts, decisions and actions. These 3 belief systems essentially lay down the groundwork for the personality traits that were discussed above.

Belief in Personal Ability

A creative genius has an unshakable and an undeniable belief in their ability to think creatively and overcome any obstacle or problem that stands in their way.

Belief in a Higher Power

A creative genius believes that there is a higher power, a Godlike figure or energy within the Universe that helps to trigger and stimulate their creative potential. They also believe that this High Power connects all living things and matter into a Collective Consciousness of sorts that each and everyone of us can tap into at any moment in time. They utilize this Collective Consciousness to spark creative ideas and solutions to the problems confronting their reality.

Belief that there is No Failure, Only Feedback

A creative genius wholeheartedly believes that there is NO Failure, ONLY Feedback. Every decision and action has an outcome which brings with it specific consequences that we must learn to live with. If the resulting circumstances lead to negative consequences, than the average person will usually perceives these events as mistakes or failures. However, a creative genius only sees the process of Feedback taking shape. Everything that happens, just provides them with a greater array and variety of feedback to help them better their thinking, decisions and actions as they progress into the future. It took the great inventory Thomas Edison approximately 10,000 individual experiments before he successfully found a method that would make a light-bulb light up for an extended period of time. Throughout the course of his research he saw no failure, but rather only a feedback loop that provided him with a deeper insight and understanding into the process of “How NOT to develop a Light-Bulb”.

How a Creative Genius Talks to themselves

A creative genius has a habitual process of talking to themselves (externally and internally through their thought patterns) that naturally enhances their ability to think creatively under significant amounts of pressure and difficult circumstances.

The Language of Creativity

A creative genius’ language is always optimistic and focused on finding solutions to the challenges that are confronting their present reality. Their language is also very reflective in nature which stimulates deep thought about their present life circumstances. Questions are an essential component here, which we expand upon below.

Questioning Tactics of Creativity

A creative genius utilizes Strategic Questioning Tactics to help them think creatively about events and circumstances. These questions are focused on solutions and they always expand the possibilities of reality. It is ONLY through effective questioning tactics that a creative genius is able to bring forth the necessary creativity that allows them to manifest unique and clever ideas. Here is a typical question a creative genius would normally ask:

How can I get the most from every mistake I make?

The Simple Actions of a Creative Genius

A creative genius takes specific conscious habitual actions throughout their day that naturally enhance their creative thought process. Here is a closer look at some of these patterns of behavior:

Incorporating Journaling & Mind Mapping Tactics

A creative genius enjoys journaling or mind mapping their thoughts, ideas, learnings and experiences as it effectively helps them to trigger new insights and concepts that may not have been evident to them before. They understand that only through the process of turning a thought into a written word or diagram can they effectively take control of the vast amount of ideas that are continuously flowing in and out of their mind.  One of the greatest inventors of all time, Leonardo da Vinci was an avid note taker. He understood that it was very difficult to make sense of his ideas if they weren’t concretely presented on paper and laid out in front of him in a logical manner. It is through this diligent and dedicated process that he brought to life some of his most famous and well known inventions.

Proactive Learning

A creative genius understands that the process of creativity requires the constant and proactive habit of learning from every person, event, circumstance and experience. They diligently take time each day to learn new things and pick up unique perspectives and ideas from other people and their environment. All of these new insights and learnings help them to further expand their creativity and awareness on a daily basis, thusly improving their ability to successfully overcome the obstacles and challenges in unique and far more creative ways.

Process Orientation

A creative genius has an objective or goal in mind at all times, however, they are not fixated on their outcome, instead they focus their energy on the process of creation and the journey of transformation. They meticulously absorb themselves within the present moment or task they are currently working on. All of their thoughts, questions, energy and actions go into improving this process and bringing forth the ideal outcome that is consistent with their goal and objective.

Expanding Lucid Dreaming Ability

A creative genius understands that dreams can unlock doors to magnificent insights and ideas that the conscious mind cannot even comprehend. Moreover, they realize that only through the process of tapping into the unconscious mechanics of their inner mind, can they effectively solve the pressing problems that are confronting their reality. Given the importance of dream mechanics, they have taught themselves the process of Lucid Dreaming to help them tap into the unlimited reservoir of resources and ideas contained within their unconscious mind. We will discuss the process of Lucid Dreaming in a future Mind Map. If you are not familiar with the process of Lucid Dreaming, than please read this article.

Common Roadblocks Sabotaging Creativity

When it comes to stimulating creative thought, it’s sometimes not what you do but rather what you refrain from partaking in that will most heavily influence the creative thinking process. Within this branch of the IQ Matrix we will discuss some common external and internal roadblocks to creativity. As you read through these roadblocks, identify which ones are most applicable to your present circumstances or frame of mind. Most of them have already, or will be broken down in some length within a future IQ Matrix. However, for the purpose of this discussion let us quickly identify some of these roadblocks to help you better understand the obstacles of creativity that may currently be hindering you along your journey.

External Roadblocks

These are roadblocks that come from the external environment. Let’s take a look at 3 common creativity culprits.

Messy Environment

A messy disorganized environment leads to a messy and disorganized mind. We think with a greater clarity of thought when the environment we work, live and play in is spotless and systematized. In order to spark new creative insights the mind needs to be sharp and focused on only the process of attaining its goal and objective. If the external environment is messy, this leads to an overwhelming amount of sensory distractions that lead to ineffective thinking and unproductive habits.

Too Much Clutter

Clutter is closely intertwined with the previous point. However, the difference with clutter is that it can actually be organized and systematized in a way that improves our effectiveness and work efficiency. Yet, from another perspective, clutter can also become an overwhelming distraction because it forces our minds to work through too much “stuff”, which undermines the creative thinking process. A creative mind must have clarity of thought. It must have the ability to think freely and openly without falling into the web of a cluttered lifestyle and environment. Decide today to clear the clutter from your life, and you will open the doors to new creative insights and ideas.   

Sensory Distractions

A creative mind cannot think in creative ways if all it thinks about are the sensory distractions that get in its way. To enhance your creative output, make sure to remove all sensory distractions from your external environment. Sensory distractions could be people, unnecessary movement of objects, unpleasant smells, sounds, and even inappropriate temperature settings that lead to discomfort and inefficiency of thought. Have a read of Developing Smart Study Habits for further information.

Internal Roadblocks

These are roadblocks that come from internal thoughts, habits and patterns of behavior. Let’s take a look at some of the most common creativity culprits.

Fear of Criticism

We cannot think creatively when we fear that others will criticize us for our thoughts and ideas. Avoid this fear at all costs.

Fear of Making a Mistake

We cannot think creatively when we fear that we will make a mistake. This fear will literally paralyze our process of thinking and therefore lead to hesitancy and doubt, which sabotages the creative thinking process.

Fear of Breaking the Rules

We cannot think creatively when we are afraid of breaking the rules. A creative genius does not worry about standardized rules of thinking, acting or behaving. In fact, they acknowledge and understand that without breaking the rules, they will fail to develop their full creative potential.

The Emotion of Frustration

We cannot think creatively when we are suffering from the emotion of frustration. Frustration informs us that we have the ability to think and do things in a specific way, however due to unexplained circumstances, we cannot seem to get what we want when we want it most. Learn from your frustrations and alter your methods, strategies and tactics in order to help you achieve your desired outcome in quick succession.

The Emotions of Anger

We cannot think creatively when we are suffering from the emotion of anger. In many instances anger manifests as a result of ongoing long-term frustrations that we just cannot seem to overcome. Manage anger through a process of deduction. Simply identify the source of your anger. Next, develop some simple strategies that will help you to better manage and control these objects, people or events. And finally work on logical and tactical methods that will move you forward in a proactive and productive manner. We will discuss the process of managing anger in a future Mind Map.

The Emotion of Overwhelm

We cannot think creatively when we are suffering from the emotion of overwhelm. We become overwhelmed when we are dealing with too many tasks, have too many responsibilities or lack clarity through our thoughts and actions. First of all, take some time to gain clarity on the outcomes that you would like to achieve. Secondly, chunk your tasks and responsibilities down to make them easier to manage, delegate or let go of. And finally, systematize, learn to manage your time more effectively and take timeout to rejuvenate and clarify your thinking in a proactive manner that will help you to stimulate creative thought. We will discuss how to take charge of emotional patterns of behavior in greater depth in a future Mind Map.

Thoughts of Indecision

We cannot think creatively when we are indecisive. Indecision comes from a lack of clarity. Do some research, set some goals and objectives, and gain clarity on the outcome you would like to achieve. Once clarity has been obtained, indecision will tend to wane, and your creativity will flourish. We will discuss the process of Effective Decision Making in a future Mind Map.

Thoughts of Pessimism

We cannot think creatively when we are riddled with pessimistic thoughts. A creative mind constantly thinks about possibilities, solutions, and seemingly improbable answers that help them to break down obstacles and barriers with a string of creative ideas. Work through your pessimistic nature by beginning to focus ONLY on solutions, answers and possibilities to the problems that are currently shaping your reality. We will discuss strategies and tactics on how to cultivate a Positive Mental Attitude in a future Mind Map.

Practical & Logical Thinking

We cannot think creatively if we continue to think about things practically. A practical mind attempts to break down the validity and feasibility of an idea. This tends to stifle and paralyze creative thought, essentially limiting the flow of ideas and inspiration that creativity brings forth into our minds. To move through this roadblock successfully, simply ask yourself possibility questions that will help you to focus on solutions and answers.

Premature Judgment

We cannot think creatively if we persistently judge or jump to quick and rushed conclusions about the ideas that are harvesting within the recesses of our minds. To help you move through this roadblock it is important to remember not make quick judgments or conclusions before having fully allowed an idea to grow and cultivate within your mind.

Following the Rules

We cannot think creatively if we just follow the standardized rules of thinking and doing things. Instead think outside the box, think creatively about every event, object and circumstance in a way that hasn’t been thought of before, and break every rule within the rulebook along your way.

Lack of Belief

We cannot think creatively if we have a lack of belief in our own creative abilities. Your belief systems effectively determine the decisions and actions you make on a daily basis. This is why it is absolutely critical that you work on building an abundant amount of references (personal experiences) that will help you to gain confidence about yourself and your personal ability to be creative at all times. We will discuss methods, tactics and strategies on how to cultivate and develop empowering belief systems in a future Mind Map.

Lack of Confidence

We cannot think creatively if we lack confidence in our ability to bring forth a creative idea. The foundations of confidence effectively evolve from the quality and strength of our belief systems. Transform and grow your belief systems, and they will help you to build the self-confidence you need to unleash your creative potential. Confidence is also closely tied to our self-concept, which we will discuss in further detail in a future Mind Map.

Lack of Inspiration

We cannot think creatively if we suffer from a lack of inspiration. Inspiration comes through us in a variety of unique and individualistic ways. Whether you find inspiration in music, nature, within other people, while watching plants grow, going to the movies, reading a motivational book, or through the simple process of smelling flowers – it simply doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are able to tap and unlock this inspiration within yourself when you need it most, thusly enabling you to stimulate instant creativity. The NLP process of Anchoring is also another great method for stimulating the electricity of inspiration within your body. It basically involves the process of creating an emotional bodily anchor (through the process of touch) that automatically triggers an inspirational state of mind to help stimulate your creative abilities. We will discuss the process of Anchoring in further detail in a future Mind Map.

Lack of a Concrete Vision

We cannot think creatively if we lack clarity about the future outcomes we would like to experience within our reality. This doesn’t mean that we must be meticulously specific about our approach towards obtaining these outcomes. In fact, in order to stimulate more profound creative thought, it is actually recommended that we are flexible with our approach, while at the same time being specific with the outcomes and visions we would like to realize within the physical world.

Lack of Energy

We cannot think creatively if we lack the physical energy to get out of bed in the morning. If you suffer from this unfortunate habit, than have a read of Keys to Creating Abundant Energy.

Simple Strategies that Enhance Creativity

The creative process is a very personal experience. In fact, the creative methods of thinking that work well for one person, may indeed lead to a great deal of frustration for another person. This is why it is so important to develop your own personal style of thinking that will help you to expand on your thoughts and ideas in creative and unique ways. However, if at the moment you do not believe that you are very proficient in expanding your creative processes of awareness, than the following suggestions will hopefully help you to gain a few unique insights and understandings that will encourage you to think creatively. As you are reading through these strategies, be sure to expand upon and restructure these methods in your own unique way. By taking ownership of these strategies you will effectively work through any problem and challenge that confronts your reality with greater proficiency and speed.

Conscious Stimulation of Creativity

As you go about your day it is important to stay focused and centered on your creative visions and objectives. In order to help you with this process, here is a list of some simple methods you can utilize to stimulate your creativity throughout your day:

Day Dreaming

This is a wonderful method of bringing forth creative ideas to the forefront of your mind. Simply write down a question you are seeking an answer to on a piece of paper, then rest back on your chair and close your eyes. Clarify the question within your mind by repeating it over and over again in a variety of ways. After a couple of minutes just settle back and relax without longing for an answer. For the next 20 minutes or so, Just enjoy the pleasant thoughts that flow across your mind like clouds floating through the sky. If you create enough focus and intention, you will usually find that fragments of the answers you are looking for come to you as visions within your mind. Sometimes these visions will be somewhat obscure or metaphorical in nature. However, they will no doubt hold hidden clues to the answers you are seeking.

Pleasant Music

Music that relaxes and calms our mind naturally disarms us and stimulate the natural flow of creative thought. Whenever you seek inspiration, simply remove yourself from all external distractions, close your eyes and play your favorite piece of music. As the music plays, reflect on a pressing question that you seek answers to. Once the question has been posed, just lay back and simply pay attention to the patterns of the music that is absorbing every cell of your being. Believe it or not, you may actually find that your answers will come to you in visions reflected within the music you are listening to.

Laughter

Laughter is a great stimulator of creativity because it essentially relieves stress and the built-up tension that we carry around within our body. Therefore find as many ways as you can to laugh and be happy throughout your day.

Gaining Clarity

If in doubt, your creativity will not sprout. Therefore constantly work on gaining clarity about the outcomes you desire to experience throughout your day. The greater your clarity the more effectively you will think about the events and circumstances within your life, and this will likewise help to stimulate the creative spark within your mind.

Challenging Assumptions

As we go about our day, we tend to make an infinitesimal amount of assumptions about the events and circumstances of our lives. Assumptions that are not questioned or challenged effectively setup roadblocks that prevent us from progressing forward with our lives. The worst part about this, is that we are blinded by many of these roadblocks because we never questioned them in the first place. Hence, begin today by questioning even the most obvious of circumstances, and you will effectively open the doors to a surge of creative energy.

Thinking Like a Child

As previously discussed, children are very inquisitive, and this naturally stimulates a creative flow of energy that they bring forth into their daily actions. In order to keep this creative flow of energy circulating throughout your body, it is important to cultivate a constant and persistent curious nature as you go about your day. This will assist you to overcome the problems and challenges that are confronting your life, and help raise your emotional levels of awareness about the world around you.

Thinking in Metaphors

Metaphors are essentially the windows to the creative mind. Many times we will fail to fully comprehend an idea when it is presented to us in a logical manner. On the other hand, when the idea is articulated within a story focused on metaphorical concepts that are familiar to us, than it is instantly assimilated and understood. This takes practice, however, the more often you think about the problems and challenges within your life from a metaphorical perspective, the greater your capacity for creative thought will be realized.

Thinking in Possibility Questions

As you go about your day you MUST cultivate the habit of thinking in terms of possibilities. The best and most effective way to do this is by repeatedly asking one simple question:

What if…?

Enhancing Creativity Through Strategic Questioning

The problems and challenges we face every single day are nothing more than perspectives of our judgmental minds. They are only problems because we do not yet perceive them as being anything else. They are in fact overwhelming aspects of our lives, because we feel as though we lack control, the willpower and skill to deal with them in an effective manner. However, what most of us probably don’t realize is that our problems can easily be overcome if we just learn to ask ourselves the right kinds of questions that will expand our understanding and awareness about the problem from a variety of different angles and perspectives. We must essentially obtain a full 360 degree overview of the problem before unleashing our creative juices. This process involves a 3 pronged attack that we briefly discuss below:

Identification Questions

These questions help identify the circumstances of the problem, which help you to see it from a variety of different angles and perspectives. Here you would essentially ask Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? questions to assist you in identifying the circumstances and events that created the problem.

Time Specific Questions

These questions help identify the Time Specific effect of the problem. They essentially delve into the Past? Present? and Future? impact of the problem under question. The more thorough of an understanding we have about the Time Specific circumstances and impact of the problem, the more creatively and effectively we will be able to manage it.

Awareness Questions

These questions help to identify the personal impact that the problem has upon the individual – given the skills, resources, and tools that the individual has at their disposal. The questions focus on the Spiritual? Mental? Emotional? and Physical? impact of the problem under question. When we have a comprehensive understanding of the problem’s impact on our “being” – given everything we have at our disposal – than we will be better prepared to clear the path for the creative solutions that must follow.

Once you have completed this Strategic Questioning Process, you are finally ready to take the plunge into the Creative Cycle which we discuss below.

The Creativity Cycle

The following is a quick summary of a recommended process of creativity that will help you unlock a deep reservoir of creative ideas:

Settlement Phase

In order to bring forth creative inspiration, your first objective is to settle yourself within a motivational and relaxing environment that naturally stimulates the creative thought process. For further insights and ideas on how to create this environment, have a read of Developing Smart Study Habits.

Rejuvenation Phase

Once you are settled and relaxed within your creative environment, you must now close your eyes and bring forth into your mind past creative successes and achievements that will help inspire and put you into a state of “creation”. The greater the emotional intensity you bring forth here, the more inspiring the surge of creative energy you will feel expanding outwards from your body.

Creation Phase

At this point you are now ready to apply some of the creative strategies we will discuss below in order to bring forth unique, ingenious and brilliant ideas that will spark instant creativity. It is important here not to judge the concepts that you bring forth into your mind. Instead become a possibility thinker who persistently expands upon their ideas in many surprising and unexpected ways. Take out a piece of paper and mind map the creative visions that are forming within the recesses of your mind.

Synchronization Phase

Having already conceptualized some brilliant ideas, you are now ready to draw out a plan of how you will bring these ideas into the physical world. Begin now by thinking logically about your thoughts and ideas in ways that will help you to make sense of them in the real world. This stage essentially involves drawing up a plan of action that will help you to implement your ideas with great proficiency within the final stage of the Creativity Cycle.

Implementation Phase

Having conceptualized an idea and drawn up a plan of action, you are now ready to take the necessary steps that will help you to bring your ideas into the physical world. In order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your plan, it is important that you stick to a flexible approach and constantly expands your thinking and awareness about the possibilities and opportunities that you could take advantage of at any moment in time. For more information, please read Awaken Your Problem Solver from Within IQ Matrix.

The SCRAMPER Technique of Creative Thought

SCRAMPER is a creative problem solving technique that will help you ignite new insights and ideas about the daily challenges and obstacles you face. This post will only provide you with an introduction to this process. If you seek further insights into this technique than please have a read of Creative Problem Solving with SCAMPER. Luciano has put together a very thorough analysis of this technique. As a bonus he is also giving away a free downloadable reference Mind Map and provides a link to an online questioning strategy tool that will help you overcome your daily life problems and challenges.

Before proceeding with this method of creative thinking, bring to mind a problem that is currently causing you a little difficulty. As you read the questions one at a time, keep in mind that your goal is to stimulate creative thought, new insights and understandings that will assist you to view the problem from a unique angle and perspective. Every step of the SCRAMPER technique will bring to light some intriguing solutions that you must further develop and expand upon in order to attain the outcome you are after. Hence it is paramount that you do not stop at this technique, but rather utilize all the strategies discussed up to this point.

Substitute

Here your creative goal and objective is to replace a part of your problem with something else. You can effectively change things, places, people, ideas or even your emotions. Each and everyone of these “substitutions” will effectively provide you with a new insight and understanding that will help you reach an effective and creative solution to your problem. Here are some questions you may like to ask:

How can I replace or change the parts of this problem with something that will best help me attain my desired outcome? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can I somehow replace the people involved within this problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can the rules be changed in someway in order to make this work? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can I change my feelings and attitude towards this problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

Combine

Here your creative goal and objective is to combine different aspects of the problem in a unique and imaginative way that will help you to effectively solve the dilemma that is confronting your reality. The key here is combining seemingly unrelated ideas and concepts with the problem under question. Here are some questions you might like to ask:

What ideas or parts of this problem could I potentially combine? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can I shift and combine different aspects of this problem in a way that will provide me with a solution? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can I merge this problem with other objects in a way that will provide me with a solution? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

Random Input

(This is an addition to the standard SCAMPER process) Here your creative goal and objective is to essentially input random attributes of other objects, circumstances or problems in order to reach an effective creative solution. Here are some questions you might like to ask:

How can I utilize the attributes of a newspaper (or any other object, circumstance, problem or person) to efficiently solve this problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

As an example, a newspaper has the following attributes: has a large area, is printed, is flexible, is made up of separate pieces, is soft, light and porous. Now, your goal is to take each of these attributes and randomly input them into your problem. Remember that your outcome is to stimulate creative thought, it’s about finding an effective solution at this moment. Moreover, you have to keep in mind that as you move through this SCRAMPER technique that it’s not one single idea that will lead you to a solution, but rather a combination of ideas that will spark the answers you need, to overcome this problem successfully.

How would I effectively deal with this problem if it was larger than I initially expected?

How would I effectively deal with this problem if it was flexible in nature?

How would I effectively deal with this problem if it was made up of separate bits and pieces? etc…

Adapt

Here your creative goal and objective is to adapt an existing idea in such a way that it will help you to successfully solve your problem. Here are some questions you might like to ask:

What else is like this? How could I use it? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

Is there something similar to my problem, but in a different context?

What solutions does the past bring to light about the current problem?

What could I copy, borrow or steal from other approaches that were made in an attempt to solve this problem? – these approaches individually may not have worked. However if you combine a few of them together you may be surprised by the results.

Whose characteristics, strategy and methods could I model or emulate in order to successfully overcome this problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

Magnify

Here your creative goal and objective is to figure out ways you could effectively magnify or exaggerate your problem in a way that could potentially bring to light some weaknesses or unique insights and perspectives. Here are some questions you might like to ask:

How can I magnify and make this problem larger? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can I exaggerate and overstate the problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How can I increase the frequency of this problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem? What hidden solutions may this bring to light?

How can I duplicate this problem in another area of my life? - the process of duplication may bring to light some amazing insights as you try and replicate the “creation process” that initially triggered the problem.

Put to Other Uses

Here your creative goal and objective is to see how you could potentially put the problem to other uses from alternative perspectives. Here are some questions you might like to ask:

How can I utilize this problem to my advantage in order to bring forth an effective solution? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

How would a child effectively approach this problem? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

What other potential perspectives could exist that would provide me with effective solutions?

Eliminate

Here your creative goal and objective is to eliminate or minimize different parts of the problem. Here are some questions you might like to ask:

How can I simplify this problem right down to its basic skeletal structure? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

What parts of the problem can I control and effectively remove or eliminate altogether? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem? Could it lead to a solution?

Rearrange

Here your creative goal and objective is to rearrange your problem in such a way that effectively spins the problem on its head and provides you with a unique and different perspective.  Here are some questions you might like to ask:

How can I rearrange the problem in such a way that I successfully minimize its negative consequences? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

Can I change the speed, time, or location of this problem in order to successfully minimize its negative consequences? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

What potential solutions come to light if I viewed the problem back-to-front? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

What potential ingenious solutions could I bring to light if I did the exact opposite of what I thought? What effect would that have? How would it effectively transform my perspective about the problem?

Final Thoughts

From an outsiders perspective, creativity can seem like an omnipotent ability that is somewhat mystical in nature. The great thinkers of this world make it seem so easy and natural as they go about their daily lives bringing seemingly impossible concepts into physical reality. Yet there is a lot more to creativity than at first meets the eye. It is effectively a habitual process of thought and reflection about the world, that brings to light new learnings, perspectives and understandings. It is also a structured process of ongoing development, that is at the same time very flexible in its nature. And yet it is simply a “process”, that can be learned, mastered, and perfected.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have utilized any of these creative thinking strategies, or would like to share some of your own, than please feel free to comment below.

Spotlight on the MasterMind Matrix

The process of Creative Problems Solving is an important and indispensable component of the MasterMind Matrix.

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The MasterMind Matrix is a Psychological Chart of Personal Success and Achievement. It is used as an effective Self-Coaching tool that will help guide you through the personal obstacles, setbacks and limitations that may stand in your way as you progress towards the attainment of your goals and objectives in the field of academics, business, career, sports, or life in general.

Each IQ Matrix Mind Map that is available through this website represents a single cell fragment of the MasterMind Matrix. For more information and images, visit the MasterMind Matrix page.

Edward de Bono’s Thoughts on Creativity

Free Articles & Online Resources

Here are a number of highly recommended free articles and online resources that will further help expand your understanding about this topic:

• Your Creative Genius Mindset: The Essential Qualities for Outside the Box Thinking @ Lifehack
• Creative Problem Solving with SCAMPER @ Litemind
• 8 Ways to Spark Your Creativity @ Positivity Blog
• 5 Creativity Videos on YouTube @ Abundance Blog
• Remove Your 10 Blocks to Creativity @ Attraction Mind Map
• The 3 Pillars of Creativity @ Change Your Thoughts
• How to Create Ideas – Lessons from Idea Generators @ Life Optimizer
• 25 Audacious Creativity Tools @ Abundance Blog
• 6 Powerful Tools to Breakdown Your Idea Brick Walls @ Life Optimizer
• 9 Lessons Richard Feynman Taught Us About Creativity @ Life Optimizer
• 20 Tips for Accelerating a Creative Flow @ Scott H Young
• 21 Not So Quick Tips to Improve Creativity @ Scott H Young
• 20 Creative Thinking Techniques @ Abundance Blog
• 30 Tips to Rejuvenate Your Creativity @ Lifehack
• 4 Steps to Unleash Your Creative Genius @ The Change Blog
• Think Like a Genius @ ZME Life Tips
• 75 Creativity Quotes @ Abundance Blog
• 10 Imaginative Ways to Pump Your Mind for Ideas @ Cultivate Greatness
• How to be More Creative at Work the Homer Simpson Way @ The Daily Mind
• 45 Unforgettable Quotes about Ideas @ I Need Motivation
• 22 Great Quotes on Curiosity @ I Need Motivation
• How to be More Creative @ Illuminated Mind
• 10 Ways to Develop Your Creativity @ Schaefer’s Blog
• Develop Your Creative Genius with Tony Buzan’s Advice @ Personal Development
• 18 Ways to be Uber Creative @ Abundance Blog
• 30 Ways to Increase Your Creativity @ Abundance Blog
• 10 Great Ways to Jump-start Your Creativity @ Dumb Little Map
• 30 Creativity Cards: A Gift I Made for You @ Abundance Blog
• The Secret of Unbridled Creativity @ Abundance Blog
• 16 Top Tips for Awakening Creativity & Innovation @ Urban Monk
• 5 Imaginative Ways to Generate Ideas @ Abundance Blog
• Lateral Thinking: Think Out of the Box @ Abundance Blog
• The Powerful Link Between Creativity & Play @ I Need Motivation
• Creative Thinking Techniques: The Playful Edition @ Abundance Blog
• 100 Powerful Web Tools to Organize Your Thoughts & Ideas @ Online College Blog
• A Simple Tip for Finding Good Ideas @ Life Optimizer
• The Power of Curiosity @ Scott H. Young
• 101 Creativity Innovation Books: Your Creativity Library @ Abundance Blog

Recommended Products

Mind Dynamics – For the executive, manager, programmer, salesperson, student, teacher, administrator, artist, laborer, housewife or househusband – no matter what you do or who you are – Mind Dynamics is a program that can help you achieve your deepest aspirations. It contains time-tested techniques that will lead you to results that seem magical. As Sidney says, “You will make the impossible possible, you will make the unattainable attainable, and you will even make the unbelievable believable, effectively unlocking your creative genius potential.

Jump Start Your Brain! – Perhaps it’s time to awaken the dormant creative spirit that lies within you! In his powerhouse program Jump Start Your Brain! 50,000 Volts of Ideas for Cranking Your Cranium and Turning Your Dreams Into Reality, Doug Hall takes you on a fascinating adventure. A journey in which your brainpower is not only awakened, but is enhanced. His counterculture approach to creativity urges you to break through existing stagnating rules with childlike abandonment – and have fun doing it.

Recommended Books

• Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko
• Creativity in the Classroom: Schools of Curious Delight by Alane Jordan Starko
• The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life by John Daido Loori
• Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko
• Creativity Revealed: Discover the Source of Inspiration by Scott Jeffrey

If you would like to download a copy of this IQ Matrix, it is available from the IQ Matrix Shop.

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Introduction

Accelerated Learning is a method of learning that helps you to organize, arrange and assimilate information at rapid speeds. If you have read through the 7 Intelligences of Accelerated Learning and the Advanced Multi-Sensory Study Skills, than you already understand how important it is to learn new chunks of information utilizing a variety of sensory cues and creative learning strategies that stimulate all 7 of our Intelligences.

Ever since the creation of the printing press, it’s hard to argue with the fact, that most of the information we are exposed to on a daily basis is presented to us in the “written word”. With the ever increasing influence and expansion of web multimedia services, the “written word” is somewhat losing a little ground, however it is still the most prevalent and popular way of presenting information in the modern era. Moreover, it is also the number #1 culprit of the societal epidemic known to us as “information overload”. This epidemic is sweeping the world and putting extensive pressure on information gatherers who are doing their very best to try and make sense of the world around them. Given this, it is critical that we learn to collect, absorb and completely assimilate the “written word” in a way that will save us time, energy and most importantly keep us “sane” within the ever expanding world of information.

This IQ Matrix will delve into the intricate details of the reading process, and help to identify its importance in relation to Accelerating our Learning Potential. Secondly, the IQ Matrix will break down the Speed Reading process of Accelerated Learning, including a step-by-step explanation on how to utilize a combination of Speed Reading and complimentary study skills to obtain a thorough and comprehensive understanding of an entire text book in rapid succession. Thirdly, we take a closer look at a subconscious method of Photo Reading, which can enhance your learning and understanding of information at a profoundly deep unconscious level of awareness. And finally, the IQ Matrix will present you with some examination, study tips and strategies that incorporate the Photo and Speed Reading Accelerated Learning principles.

Reading Facts, Stats, Methods and Benefits

From a very young age, we are conditioned and trained to assimilate the “written word” in a variety of different ways. The vast majority of us are first taught the methods of pronunciation one letter of the alphabet at a time. Next, we are introduced to short words and instructed to pronounce each letter of the word as an individual character – before verbalizing the word as a whole. As we grow older, and gain more experience with reading, we naturally progress to larger words and learn to verbalize them in “whole” chunks, which essentially enhances and improves our speed of reading. However for the vast majority of the population, this is where our reading progression essentially stops in its tracks, and this sets up a lifelong pattern of inefficient reading habits that present us with ineffective strategies for assimilating large amounts of information into our psyche.

Key Reading Facts & Stats

Here are some interesting statistics about reading which are relevant to the discussions that will follow further down this post:

• The average reader only reads 150 words per minute (wpm).
• Only 5% of readers read more than 400 wpm.
• Most of us can only assimilate what we hear when it is presented at 250 wpm.
• Most of us can assimilate what we see at 2,000 to 10,000 wpm.
• 4% to 11% of the text you read carries 80% of the meaning.

Two Methods of Accelerated Reading

Within this post we will be discussing two methods of Accelerated Reading that will help you to improve your assimilation, comprehension and understanding of the information you are studying. Here is a quick look at the two principles of Photo Reading and Speed Reading.

Speed Reading Principles

Speed Reading involves the process of skimming, chunking, identifying and filtering specific pieces of information in order to Accelerate Learning. You skim over information in a way that will allow you to acquire an overall picture of the topic without losing yourself within the meticulous details. You would chunk relevant aspects of this information together, following the same process you utilize when chunking individual letters into words. This helps to absorb sentences and paragraphs in quick succession. And you would likewise identify or filter out aspects of the information you are reading that aren’t relevant or necessary to further your understanding of the topic. Given all this, it is important to understand that Speed Reading isn’t just about reading quickly. It rather involves an analysis process of information assimilation that will Accelerate Your Learning Potential. We will discuss this in further detail in the next section.

PhotoReading Principles

PhotoReading involves a pre-conscious level of awareness that naturally stimulates creativity, rapid information assimilation while opening the doors to non-judgmental learning. While Photo Reading, you are essentially shutting-off the conscious “critical mind” from the learning cycle. Even though the conscious mind is essential for stimulating your short and long-term memory, it however can become a hindrance due to its habitual preconceived ideas and notions about the information you are learning. More about this a little later on.

Benefits of Accelerated Reading

Learning to read at an accelerated and rapid speed utilizing the methods described within this IQ Matrix, can dramatically reduce your study time and efforts, while enhancing your speed of comprehension and assimilation of new information.

Principles of Speed Reading

Speed Reading is far more than just a process of rapid reading. It rather involves an intricate method of learning that will help you to become a smarter and more effective learner. Within this branch of the IQ Matrix we will break down the Speed Reading process in detail, providing you with essential guidelines that will help you to rapidly assimilate this method of learning into your study regime. We will conclude our discussion with an overview of two processes of learning that incorporate the methods of Speed Reading to help you assimilate information at a faster rate.

Speed Reading Uses

As previously mentioned, Speed Reading is a conscious process of Accelerated Learning that is best utilized for skimming large chunks of information in a structured and proactive manner.

Speed Reading Guidelines

There are some simple yet fundamental rules for Speed Reading that we must abide by if we seek to rapidly Accelerate Our Learning Potential and get the most out of this study technique. Learn to utilize and apply each of these methods progressively and you will begin to rapidly accelerate your speed of reading to ever higher levels. The key however is to be patient. You will not learn these skills overnight. Years of reading and learning from an early age have conditioned you into specific patterns and habits of information assimilation that you will progressively need to breakaway from. It simply takes time and diligent effort. However, if you commit yourself to your desired results and objectives, than you will no doubt be rewarded for your efforts.

Read in Chunks & Blocks

As kids we learned to chunk letters into whole words. As a Speed Reader we must now take this process to the next level and begin chunking individual words into “multiple word blocks” that must be read as a whole. These “word blocks” can then be chunked further into larger “word blocks”, “sentence blocks”, and later whole “paragraph chunks” that can be read and comprehended within a single glance. If you are not familiar with this process, than it might at first seem like a daunting task. However, you must remember that when you were a child, chunking letters into words at first seemed rather difficult, however you persisted and learned how to read more proficiently. Simply begin by reading chunks of 2 words at one time. Once you become comfortable with this method of reading, take it to the next level and read in 3 or 4 word chunks. Over time, your conscious brain will adjust to this process and you will see a rapid increase in the speed of you reading. Every time you progress to a larger chunk, you are effectively accelerating your reading speed anywhere from 50% to 75%.

Utilize Incomplete Sentence Scanning Method

This method assumes that the first and last 2 to 3 words of every sentence are not significant or important to the underlying meaning of the entire sentence. You can therefore simply skim over these words without reading them, and you will still acquire a comprehensive understanding of the content. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 20%.

Only Move Eyes while Reading

Have you ever seen a typewriter in action? It moves from left to right, and when it reaches the edge of the page, it is pushed left once again. This is in essence how some people read. They are in effect suffering from the “Typewriter Reading Syndrome”, moving their head left to right then right to left as though their book stretched across the entire horizon Did you know that any movement of your head will slow down the reading process quite dramatically? This is why it is suggested that you only move and rotate your eyes back and forth across the page while you are reading. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 20% to 30%. You can further accelerate your reading speeds by incorporating your peripheral vision into your reading strategy. Your peripheral vision will allow you to see more of the page in one glance without having to move your eyes across the page left to right. In fact, the most proficient speed readers actually only move their eyes down the center of a page, while incorporating their peripheral vision to capture words and phrases that lie off-center.

Sweep Hand Across Page while Reading

When it comes to Speed Reading, it is important to guide your eyes across and down a page at a patterned speed and rhythm. The best way to do this is to utilize your hand as a “guiding pointer” progressively leading your eyes down the page. Think of your hand as a guide dog leading a blind person down the street. Wherever the guide dog points, that is where your eyes must follow. Establishing a rhythm is also very important here, as it will allow you to progressively increase your reading speed over time. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 100%, depending on how effective you become in assimilating yourself into the rhythm of your hand motion.

Reduce Amount of Skip-backs

We naturally slowdown our speed of reading because of simple skip-backs, which involves rereading words and sentences over and over again. Many of us partake in this time wasting habit, because as children we were told by our teachers that we must go back and reread words that were mispronounced. As adults, even though we don’t normally verbalize these words aloud, we nevertheless still utilize skip-backs as an unconscious way of righting the wrongs of incorrect word pronunciations. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 25% to 50%.

Reduce Fixation Time

Throughout the reading process, many of us have an unfortunate habit of staying fixated upon a word for an extended period of time. This was okay when we were children learning to read and recognize word patterns. However, as adults, this habit dramatically slows down the reading process. The next time while reading a book, identify if you have a habit of staying fixated upon certain words for longer than is necessary. Only once you have become aware of this habit, can you make the necessary changes to overcome it successfully. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 50%.

Don’t Move Lips or Make Noises while Reading

When we were kids, we were taught to read and say our words aloud so that our teachers could hear our pronunciations clearly and make the necessary corrections accordingly. This was fine, as it taught us language skills that have since become indispensable to our ongoing growth as social connectors. However, the downside of this method of teaching is that we continue to pronounce our words internally, or through simple methods of moving our lips, while we are reading. Our eyes can recognize words and sentence structures far more quickly than we can articulate them aloud. Hence, if you are verbalizing the words you are reading inside your head or through the process of just moving your lips, than you are dramatically slowing down your speed of reading. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 50% to 250%.

Don’t Read “Filler” Words

“Filler” words are essentially meaningless words that add very little substance to the overall sentence you are reading. These words can include “the”, “and”, “is”, “that”, “this”, “what”, “a”, and many others. Through practice and over time, you can teach yourself to quickly skim over these words without ever consciously reading them. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 50% to 100%.

Alternate Your Reading Speed

As you progress forward with these Speed Reading guidelines, it is important to test and move out of your comfort zone by progressively challenging yourself to read at faster accelerated speeds. All of us have a natural comfort level of reading that feels just right. Once we go beyond these comfort levels our comprehension and understanding of the information we are reading naturally begins to plummet. However, we must come to understand that this is only temporary, as our brain takes some time to adjust to these increased speeds of reading and comprehension. When you were a child your initial reading speeds weren’t very impressive, in fact it might have taken you a whole 30 seconds to read a short sentence from a book. However, at the time, this felt comfortable and it allowed you to fully grasp and comprehend the information you were reading. In time, you accelerated your speed of reading to a new level of comfort that you experience today. And there is nothing stopping you from transitioning to the next level by testing and challenging your reading speeds on an ongoing basis. Utilizing this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 1,000% or more.

Form Mental Visual Mind Maps while Reading

In order to improve your comprehension of the information you are reading, it is important to form ongoing visual mind map images of each sentence, paragraph, topic and chapter throughout the reading process. This topic is beyond the scope of our discussion here as it doesn’t specifically relate to the process of Speed Reading. However as a general rule, it is important to incorporate as many methods and strategies for comprehension into your Speed Reading regime.

Practice, Practice and Practice

Finally, you will not improve your reading speed by thinking about these techniques and strategies. The key is to practice, practice and practice each and everyday. Through consistent practice over time you will progressively accelerate your reading speed beyond its present capabilities and limitations.

SQ3R Process of Learning

This is a simple method of learning that will help you to assimilate the information you are studying in a more structured and effective manner. I have presented it here, because a part of this process requires you to Speed Read through the information you are learning. We will discuss the methods presented here in greater depth and detail another time, however for the purpose of this discussion, here is a quick introduction to each stage of this learning process:

Survey Stage

This stage involves taking in a thorough overview of the material you are about to learn. Here you must make sure that you have all your necessary tools and resources on hand before you begin moving through the Survey Stage. Begin by overviewing your material, taking into consideration key words, topics, headings, chapters and other important pieces of information that will be relevant to your understanding of this topic.

Question Stage

This stage involves questioning the material you are about to read and learn in a way that will expand your perspective and awareness about the topics in unexpected ways. The better and more insightful questions you ask, the more thoroughly you will prepare your mind to understand the topic under question.  At this stage, it doesn’t matter if you cannot answer these questions, all that matters is that you open your mind to the possibilities that these questions will need to be answered as you move through your learning regime. Essentially your questions must highlight important unanswered aspects of the information that are critical to your understanding of each topic.

Reading Stage

Here you will spend time Speed Reading through the material by following the guidelines discussed above and by utilizing the methods and strategies that will be mentioned within the sections that follow. As you are Speed Reading it is important to keep in mind the questions you posed yourself in the previous stage. You should essentially be looking for answers to these questions while you read through the material.

Reciting Stage

This stage involves answering any outstanding questions and organizing the information you have read in a way that will help you to further your understanding of the topic or book.

Review Stage

The final stage helps you to lock the information you have been learning into your long-term memory. Simply spend time reviewing the information you have collected utilizing your 7 intelligences or multi-sensory strategies in order to lock everything away for future recall.

Speed Reading Book Analysis Process

Finally, let’s quickly touch on a simple method you can utilize in order to rapidly assimilate the content of a single book in quick succession using Speed Reading strategies as well as other accelerated learning tactics of information scanning. It is important as you move through this process that you stick with the time constraints presented below. They are there to guide you through an accelerated form of learning that moves through time specific stages that must be adhered to for best results. This is in fact a great method for cramming before examinations, as it will assist you in assimilating large chunks of content in much less time than you normally would by reading a book from cover-to-cover.

Index Analysis Stage

Your first objective is to gather an overview of what the content of this book is about. Hence take your book and spend 2 to 3 minutes just scanning the index pages. Keep an eye out for unfamiliar words and word patterns that signify specific themes and issues that will be discussed in further detail throughout the text. As a general guideline, keep in mind that the more unfamiliar words you identify through the Index Analysis Stage, the longer it will naturally take you to thoroughly learn and grasp the topics presented within the book. It may also be a good idea to highlight some key unfamiliar words and “word theme patterns” as you move through this process.

Overview Information Stage

Your next objective is to quickly overview the contents of the book in order to grasp a thorough understanding of the information and difficulty of the material you are about to learn. This stage will also assist you in identifying important patterns within the information, thusly allowing you to take study shortcuts as you progress through the learning cycle. You should effectively spending 5 to 10 minutes quickly perusing the book from cover-to-cover. As you are moving through each page of the book, keep an eye out (even make a few notes) for key diagrams, pictures, graphs, major headings, subheadings, bolded text, bullet points, patterns within the information and its overall structure. The more thoroughly you are able to comprehend all of these elements, the quicker you will be able to assimilate all of this information into your long-term memory.

Quick Scanning Stage

Here you should spend about 7 seconds per page just scanning the content and material of each chapter in a little more detail. As you are undertaking this process ask yourself “How…? When…? What…? Why…? Who…? questions to help you to further clarify the relevance and importance of the information you are about to learn. In fact, jot down some important questions that come to mind on a piece of paper as you are progressing through this stage. The better quality of questions you are able to bring to mind about this material, the more thoroughly you will prepare your mind for the Speed Reading and learning stages that follow.

Sketching Analysis Stage

Having now overviewed the content of the book utilizing three different methods, you are now ready to begin sketching out your knowledge about the material through the use of diagrams, pictures, and mind maps. Throughout this Sketching Analysis Stage, it is still very important to keep asking insightful and thought provoking questions about the material in order to stimulate your thinking and creativity. Approach the book one chapter at a time and begin sketching out your knowledge and understanding of the material in 3 minute intervals per chapter. By the end of this stage you will have quite a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the topics presented within the book. Moreover, the ongoing associations you are forming will enhance your ability to piece the information together far more thoroughly than you normally would by simply reading the book.

Speed Reading Stage

I suppose this stage doesn’t require any explanation as we have already discussed the process in detail. As a general rule though, you should spend about 30 seconds per page reading through the chapters of the book. You will find that your understanding of the material is quite extensive at this point because you have already gone through the book four prior times utilizing different comprehension methods. Stick to the time limits, however focus a little more time on areas that are difficult to understand or comprehend. At the conclusion of each chapter you may also like to add a little more information to the diagrams and mind maps you created within the Sketching Analysis Stage.

Review & Learning Stage

The final stage simply involves reviewing what you have learned in a way that will allow you to lock the information away into your long-term memory. This method is best achieved through utilizing your 7 Intelligences and Multi-Sensory Study Skills.

Principles of PhotoReading

PhotoReading is an Accelerated Learning method first presented by Paul Scheele. It involves a somewhat mysterious method of learning that taps into the unlimited powers and resources of our unconscious minds to help Accelerate our Learning Potential by improving our memory and recall of information. Within this branch of the IQ Matrix we will just briefly introduce you to the methods and principles behind the process of PhotoReading. This is by no means intended to be a thorough analysis, but rather an overview of an intriguing method of learning that is rapidly growing in popularity. On a personal level, I have utilized this process to some extent and have experienced some rather surprising and welcoming results. It is best not to judge the process, but rather partake within this method of learning for a few weeks or months without any preconceived expectations. The PhotoReading process only works if you let go of your inhibitions and step into it wholeheartedly with an open mind.

Before proceeding, it is important to understand that our unconscious mind remembers absolutely every single visual experience that we have ever perceived. Because we cannot remember something, does not mean that it never existed. Your unconscious mind is essentially a storehouse of all the sensory stimuli that ever touched your life experience. This is why within a deep hypnotic trance people are able to remember incredible details from their past that they never actually took the time to consciously acknowledge. This unconscious information lies dormant within our brains until it is brought forward into our conscious mind through life triggers that stimulate associative memories about people, events and circumstances. PhotoReading works on the same principles by instilling a deep learning state of unconscious awareness that can later be brought into the forefront of our minds on the conscious level. Let’s now take a look at it in a little more detail.

PhotoReading Uses

PhotoReading is best utilized for rapid unconscious level learning that expands creativity and assists with problem solving.

PhotoReading Guidelines

Before undergoing the PhotoReading process it is important to keep in mind the following set of guidelines:

Gain Clarity on Goals & Objectives

For PhotoReading to be successful you must first clarify the goals and objectives that you seek to obtain as you undergo the PhotoReading process. Only once you are clear on your primary goals and objectives, should you move forward.

Stay Focused & Relaxed

Focus and relaxation are the two key fundamental aspects of the PhotoReading process that will help you to sink into a deep state of unconscious awareness that is necessary for accelerated learning. This essentially requires shutting out all external sounds and distractions, while slowly moving beyond conscious repetitive thoughts that tend to sweep through the recesses of our minds. We will discuss strategies, techniques and methods on how to achieve deep states of relaxation in a future Mind Map.

Hold Book at 45 Degree Angle

Before beginning the PhotoReading process you must sink yourself into a comfortable seating position and hold the text book you will be PhotoReading at a 45 degree angle in front of you at a comfortable reading distance.

Utilize Photo Focus

Getting into a Photo Focus State is explained in great depth and detail within Paul Scheele’s Photo Reading audio course. However, for the purpose of this discussion it basically involves centering your focus and attention on the middle groove of the open text book you are about to PhotoRead. By “groove” I mean the middle central margin that connects all of the pages of the book together – only visible when the book is open in front of you. While your focus and attention is directed upon this groove, you must work on creating a “fuzzy vision” of sorts, while expanding your peripheral awareness of the two pages that are laid out in front of you. It is important to understand, that you will not at any time be consciously reading specific words from a page. Instead, you will be reading at an unconscious level of awareness, thusly the reason for the “fuzzy vision”. For best results, the Photo Focus State also requires that you fix your attention on the top back part of your head while you are PhotoReading.

Utilizing Affirmations

In order to help you to develop the right frame of mind, it is important to utilize a few powerful affirmations to assist you to get into a deep PhotoReading state:

As I PhotoRead my concentration is absolute.

All that I PhotoRead makes a lasting impression on my inner mind.

I desire this book to help me accomplish my purpose of…

I am fully absorbing and assimilating this material into my being.

Stick to Time Constraints

Within the next section, I will briefly touch upon the PhotoReading process. Please be aware, that some of these steps are time specific, and that it is highly recommended that you stay within these time constraints for best results.

Do Not Judge or Rationalize

Finally, the biggest drawback to standard “conscious levels” of learning is that it is riddled with rationalizations and judgments. Because we have a tendency to judge and rationalize the information we are learning, this indirectly influences our beliefs, values, self concept and the decisions we make about our learning in unexpected ways, that could essentially do us more harm than good. This drawback likewise tends to inhibit our natural learning abilities and creative expression. This is why it is very important and critical that throughout the PhotoReading process that you do not rationalize or judge the method or the potential results for even a split second.

PhotoReading Book Analysis Process

The following is an abbreviated overview of the PhotoReading process:

Preparation Stage

Before undertaking PhotoReading one must become clear on the goals and objectives one seeks to obtain by undergoing this process. You must essentially gain clarity on your most important learning objectives. Ask yourself the following set of questions:

What do I expect to know or do differently after PhotoReading this material?

How important is this information to me?

What specific value does this information have for me?

What level of detail am I seeking to gain from this material?

How much time am I willing to commit to accomplish my purpose?

Preview Stage

This stage basically incorporates the Overview and Scanning Stages described within the Speed Reading branch of the IQ Matrix. Your most important objective here is to ask insightful questions that expand your understanding and awareness about this material, while identifying 20 to 25 key “trigger” words that are essential to your comprehension of this information. Spend about 5 to 10 minutes moving through this stage. Once complete ask yourself the following three questions:

What is this information really about?

Does this information fit my current purpose and outcomes?

In what ways must I further clarify my purpose and outcome to better fit the content I am about to PhotoRead?

PhotoReading Stage

Follow the PhotoReading guidelines presented above and begin to PhotoRead through the book at a rate of 2 seconds per page. It is suggested that you PhotoRead from the front cover to the back cover, and then from the back cover to the front cover, while chanting a mantra that will put you into a deeper state of relaxation. A good relaxing mantra to begin with involves a simple yet continuous “Hmmm…” or “Ahhh…”. More about this another time in a future Mind Map when we will discuss the process of meditation in further detail.

Incubation & Activation Stage

This stage involves the process of fully assimilating the information you have just taken into your unconscious mind through the PhotoReading process. In order to encourage incubation of the material it is suggested that you sleep or meditate on the information. Utilizing affirmations that will assist you in triggering future insights and understandings are also of importance here. Here are a few examples:

I acknowledge the feelings I have used within this book.

I release this information for my body and inner mind to process.

I am curious how many ways my mind can demonstrate that this information is available to me.

I found through personal experience that activation is triggered when one enters a deep and relaxed state of meditation the very next day, and asks questions of the material one PhotoRead the day before:

What is important to me about this information?

What are the main points that I must know?

What is in here that can help me regarding…?

What must I know in relation to…?

The depth of your questions will help you to unlock deeper and more meaningful insights from the information you PhotoRead the previous day. Patience is the key, and it is critical that you also do not expect to receive immediate answers. At other times I found it helpful to ask a question and then simply physically scan the book for an answer. I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Questioning Stage

The final stage basically involves an analysis of the PhotoReading process. Here you would ask yourself a set of question that will help you to improve your PhotoReading methods the next time around.

In conclusion, please understand that there is a lot more to the PhotoReading process than what has been presented within this branch of the IQ Matrix. It is a rather extensive and interesting topic that we may give more time and attention to in a future IQ Matrix. However, for the time being, if you would like to learn more about this Accelerated Reading Study Skill, than please visit the Learning Strategies website for further information.

Accelerated Learning Study Strategies

To finish off this post, I thought it might be appropriate to briefly discuss how you can incorporate these Accelerated Reading Study Skills into examinations and for class preparation purposes. We will be discussing this topic in great length and detail another time. However, for now here is a brief overview:

Examination Study Strategies

The way you approach your examinations must be structured utilizing methods presented within this post. You should effectively be looking for patterns within the information you are reading. Patterns will reveal hints and snippets of information that will help you to answer questions more efficiently and effectively. However, more about this another time. For now, before you begin your examination you should essentially move yourself into a deep relaxing learning state similar to the one that was presented within the PhotoReading branch of the IQ Matrix.

The second step is to begin PhotoReading your examination paper from front to back and then from back to front, all the while following the methods presented within the PhotoReading branch of the IQ Matrix. Once PhotoReading has been completed, apply the Speed Reading principles discussed within this post. At the same time, keep your eyes out for key pieces of information, word and question patterns that could give you an edge in answering these questions. Remember that in many instances the answers to many of the questions within your examinations can be obtained from other questions presented on your examination paper. You must essentially expand your awareness and understanding that this possibility could exists, and work from there.

Finally, once you have completed the Speed Reading process, “regular read” through your examination paper one question at a time, continuously looking for specific patterns within the information.

Before Class Preparation Strategies

Before heading into a lecture it is important to prepare your brain as well as your physical notes accordingly, so that you are completely within the “right thinking frame of mind” about the topic your lecturer or tutor will be discussing. Your first objective is to move through the PhotoReading process focusing in on the chapters your teacher will be discussing in class. Secondly, Speed Read through the appropriate chapters utilizing the Speed Reading strategies discussed within this IQ Matrix. Finally, create a Mind Map representing the main chapter headings and subheadings of the topics under discussion. For further information, please read Advanced Mind Mapping Study Skills IQ Matrix.

During Class Learning Strategies

As a general rule, you should always record your lectures just in case you need to clarify the information that was discussed at a later time. Also bring your mind map into class and expand on the headings and subheadings in further detail creating new interlinking pieces of information that will help you to gather a more thorough understanding of the topic under discussion. During class, your number #1 objective is to do all you possibly can to chunk information into related – easily manageable – categories that will help you to remember and recall the topic readily at a later time.

After Class Assimilation Strategies

That evening after class, schedule time to overview your recording of the lecture and expand on your mind map accordingly, integrating all the disconnected pieces of information together into a comprehensive “learner friendly” guide that leads to rapid assimilation of the information you are studying. Finally, conclude your studies by applying some of the learning strategies presented within the 7 Intelligences of Accelerated Learning and within the Multi-Sensory Study Skills IQ Matrix.

Final Thoughts

Accelerated Reading Study Skills are far more than just a set of effective learning strategies that will help you to become a better student or academic. They are in fact indispensable survival techniques and methods of information assimilation that will help us to better deal with the ever growing amount of written content that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Without effectively applying these tools, we might as well resign ourselves to a life of mediocrity and ignorance, however with them, the world is our oyster and the impossibilities of tomorrow become the possibilities of today.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have used any of these photo reading or speed reading principles and would like to share your learning experiences, than please feel free to comment below.

Spotlight on the MasterMind Matrix

The process of Accelerated Speed Reading is an important and indispensable component of the MasterMind Matrix.

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The MasterMind Matrix is a Psychological Chart of Personal Success and Achievement. It is used as an effective Self-Coaching tool that will help guide you through the personal obstacles, setbacks and limitations that may stand in your way as you progress towards the attainment of your goals and objectives in the field of academics, business, career, sports, or life in general.

Each IQ Matrix Mind Map that is available through this website represents a single cell fragment of the MasterMind Matrix. For more information and images, visit the MasterMind Matrix page.

Accelerate Learning Using Mind Maps

Free Articles & Online Resources

Here are a number of highly recommended free articles and online resources that will further help expand your understanding about this topic:

• How to Recall an Entire Book in 5 Minutes of Less @ Litemind
• 7 Pleasurable Ways to Improve Your Reading Ability @ Pick the Brain
• Process Information 3 Times Faster with PhotoReading @ Pick the Brain
• How to Start Remembering Everything Your Read @ Student Hacks
• Web Based Speed Reading Program @ Zap Reader
• 7 Ways to Remember What You Read @ Schaefer’s Blog
• Learn to Speed Read in Just a Few Hours @ Learn This
• Speed Reading Successfully: A Starting Point @ Life Hack

Recommended Products

Howard Berg’s Maximum Speed Reading – Absorb all of the material you need to read with unbelievable speed, comprehension, and recall! Are you overwhelmed by the amount of written material you’re faced with each day? Do you find you spend most of your day slogging through the memos, reports, articles, books, and websites that are critical to your success, but that drain away your time and energy? Maximum Speed Reading is an incredible new program that will help you to read and comprehend massive amounts of written information – in any subject area – with unbelievable speed and remarkable retention and recall.

Recommended Books

• Breakthrough Rapid Reading by Peter Kump
• 10 Days to Faster Reading by Abby Marks-Beale
• Power Reading Course Book with Audio Coundown Timing CD: The Best, Fastest, Easiest, Most Effective Course on Speed Reading and Comprehension Ever Developed by Rick Ostrov
• PhotoReading 4th Edition by Paul R. Scheele
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading by Abby Marks Beale

If you would like to download a copy of this IQ Matrix, it is available from the IQ Matrix Shop.