Divergent thinking

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many
possible solutions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of
logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution. Divergent thinking typically
occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive
fashion. Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are
drawn. After the process of divergent thinking has been completed, ideas and information are organized and
structured using convergent thinking.[1]
Psychologists have found that a high IQ alone does not guarantee creativity. Instead, personality traits that
promote divergent thinking are more important. Divergent thinking is found among people with personalities
which have traits such as nonconformity, curiosity, willingness to take risks, and persistence. [2] Additionally,
researchers at Vanderbilt University found that musicians are more adept at utilizing both hemispheres and
more likely to use divergent thinking in their thought processes. [3]
Activities which promote divergent thinking include creating lists of questions, setting aside time for thinking and
meditation, brainstorming, subject mapping / "bubble mapping", keeping a journal, creating artwork, and free
writing.[1] In free writing, a person will focus on one particular topic and write non-stop about it for a short period
of time, in a stream of consciousness fashion. [1]

Mind map
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may
be challenged andremoved.

(January 2009)

A hand-drawn mind map

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around
a central key word or idea. Especially in British English, the termsspidergram and spidergraph are more
common,[1] but they can cause confusion with the term spider diagram used in mathematics and logic. Mind
maps are used to generate,visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid
to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and writing.
The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and
are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections
between portions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall of existing memories.[citation needed]
By presenting ideas in a radial, graphical, non-linear manner, mind maps encourage a brainstorming approach
to planning and organizational tasks.[citation needed] Though the branches of a mindmap represent hierarchical tree
structures, their radial arrangement disrupts the prioritizing of concepts typically associated with hierarchies
presented with more linear visual cues.[citation needed] This orientation towards brainstorming encourages users to
enumerate and connect concepts without a tendency to begin within a particular conceptual framework. [citation
needed]

The mind map can be contrasted with the similar idea of concept mapping. The former is based on radial
hierarchies and tree structures denoting relationships with a central governing concept, whereas concept maps
are based on connections between concepts in more diverse patterns. However, either can be part of a
larger personal knowledge base system.

Contents
[hide]

1 Characteristics

2 Mind map guidelines

3 History

4 Uses

5 Effectiveness in learning

6 Tools

7 Trademarks

8 See also

9 References

10 Further reading

[edit]Characteristics

Mind maps are, by definition, a graphical method of taking notes. Their visual basis helps one to distinguish
words or ideas, often with colors and symbols.[citation needed] They generally take a hierarchical or tree branch
format, with ideas branching into their subsections. Mind maps allow for greater creativity when recording ideas
and information, as well as allowing the note-taker to associate words with visual representations. [citation
needed]

Mind maps differ from concept maps in that mind maps focus on only one word or idea, whereas concept

maps connect multiple words or ideas.

A key distinction between mind maps and modelling graphs is that there is no rigorous right or wrong with mind
maps, relying on the arbitrariness of mnemonic systems. A UML Diagram or a Semantic network has structured
elements modelling relationships, with lines connecting objects to indicate relationship. This is generally done
in black and white with a clear and agreed iconography. Mind maps serve a different purpose: they help with
memory and organization. Mind maps are collections of words structured by the mental context of the author
with visual mnemonics, and, through the use of colour, icons and visual links are informal and necessary to the
proper functioning of the mind map.

[edit]Mind

map guidelines

Mind map of mind map guidelines

Author Tony Buzan suggests the following guidelines for creating mind maps:
1. Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.
3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
4. Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
5. The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic
and thinner as they radiate out from the centre.
6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.
7. Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also to encode or group.
8. Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.
9. Use emphasis and show associations in your mind map.
10. Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy, numerical order or outlines to embrace your
branches.

This list is itself more concise than a prose version of the same information and the mind map of these
guidelines is itself intended to be more memorable and quicker to scan than either the prose or the list.

[edit]History

Pictorial methods for recording knowledge and modelling systems have been used for centuries in
learning, brainstorming, memory, visual thinking, and problem solving by educators, engineers, psychologists,
and others. Some of the earliest examples of such graphical records were developed by Porphyry of Tyros, a
noted thinker of the 3rd century, as he graphically visualized the concept categories of Aristotle.
Philosopher Ramon Llull (12351315) also used such techniques.
The semantic network was developed in the late 1950s as a theory to understand human learning and
developed further by Allan M. Collins and M. Ross Quillian during the early 1960s.
British popular psychology author Tony Buzan claims to have invented modern mind mapping.[2] He claimed the
idea was inspired by Alfred Korzybski's general semantics as popularized in science fiction novels, such as
those of Robert A. Heinlein and A.E. van Vogt. Buzan argues that while "traditional" outlines force readers to
scan left to right and top to bottom, readers actually tend to scan the entire page in a non-linear fashion. Buzan
also uses popular assumptions about the cerebral hemispheres in order to promote the exclusive use of mind
mapping over other forms of note making.
The mind map continues to be used in various forms, and for various applications including learning and
education (where it is often taught as "webs", "mind webs", or "webbing"), planning, and in engineering
diagramming.
When compared with the concept map (which was developed by learning experts in the 1970s) the structure of
a mind map is a similar radial, but is simplified by having one central key word.

[edit]Uses

Rough mindmap notes taken during a course session

A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas,
words and concepts are added.
Mind maps have many applications in personal, family, educational, and business situations,
including notetaking, brainstorming (wherein ideas are inserted into the map radially around the center node,
without the implicit prioritization that comes from hierarchy or sequential arrangements, and wherein grouping
and organizing is reserved for later stages), summarizing, as a mnemonic technique, or to sort out a
complicated idea. Mind maps are also promoted as a way to collaborate in color pen creativity sessions.
Mind maps can be used for:

problem solving

outline/framework design

structure/relationship representations

anonymous collaboration

marriage of words and visuals

individual expression of creativity

condensing material into a concise and memorable format

team building or synergy creating activity

enhancing work morale

Despite these direct use cases, data retrieved from mind maps can be used to enhance several other
applications, for instance expert search systems, search engines and search and tag query recommender.[3] To
do so, mind maps can be analysed with classic methods of information retrieval to classify a mind map's author
or documents that are linked from within the mind map.[3]
Mindmaps can be drawn by hand, either as "rough notes" during a lecture or meeting, for example, quality. An
example of a rough mind map is illustrated. There are also a number of software packages available for
producing mind maps.

[edit]Effectiveness

in learning

Buzan[4] claims that the mind map is a vastly superior note taking method because it does not lead to a "semihypnotic trance" state induced by other note forms. Buzan also argues that the mind map uses the full range of
left and right human cortical skills, balances the brain, taps into the alleged "99% of your unused mental
potential", as well as intuition (which he calls "superlogic"). However, scholarly research suggests that such
claims may actually be marketing hypebased on the 10% of brain myth and exaggeration of the importance of
lateralization of brain function. Critics argue that hemispheric specialization theory has been identified as
pseudoscientific when applied to mind mapping. [5]
Farrand, Hussain, and Hennessy (2002) found that spider diagrams (similar to concept maps) had a limited but
significant impact on memory recall in undergraduate students (a 10% increase over baseline for a 600-word
text only) as compared to preferred study methods (a 6% increase over baseline). This improvement was only
robust after a week for those in the diagram group and there was a significant decrease in motivation compared
to the subjects' preferred methods of note taking. Farrand et al. suggested that learners preferred to use other
methods because using a mind map was an unfamiliar technique, and its status as a "memory enhancing"
technique engendered reluctance to apply it. Nevertheless the conclusion of the study was "Mind maps provide
an effective study technique when applied to written material. However before mind maps are generally

adopted as a study technique, consideration has to be given towards ways of improving motivation amongst
users."[6]
Pressley, VanEtten, Yokoi, Freebern, and VanMeter (1998) found that learners tended to learn far better by
focusing on the content of learning material rather than worrying over any one particular form of note taking. [7]

[edit]Tools

Mind mapping software can be used to organize large amounts of information, combining spatial organization,
dynamic hierarchical structuring and node folding. Software packages can extend the concept of mind mapping
by allowing individuals to map more than thoughts and ideas with information on their computers and the
internet, like spreadsheets, documents, internet sites and images.

[edit]Trademarks

Psychologist Edward Tolman is credited with the creation of cognitive mapping.[8] The use of the term "Mind
Maps" is claimed as a trademark by The Buzan Organisation, Ltd. in the United Kingdom[9] and the United
States.[10] The trademark does not appear in the records of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.[11] In the
US "Mind Maps" is trademarked as a "service mark" expressly for "EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, NAMELY,
CONDUCTING COURSES IN SELF-IMPROVEMENT" other products and services are not covered by the
trademark.

16 Ways to Increase Creativity and Generate Clever Ideas

by S E TH 1 CO MME N T

Were all looking for ways to increase creativity, but sometimes it isnt easy. No matter what kind of work you do, sometimes you run into a wall; the ideas dry up and you feel anything but creative. It happens to
everyone. Dont worry. Youre not alone. You need a break. You need a strategy. You need a saga.

Heres your saga, delivered in 16 steaming hot points. Use

them, abuse them, but do tell me how they work for you.
1. Consistent Effort If you make a consistent effort to create
new things, youre bound to have results. If you just wait
around for inspiration to strike, you could be waiting for a long
time. Inspiration tends to strike those who are already in the
middle of the creative process. A reward, if you will, for your
diligent work.
2. Record Everything Keep a notebook, sketchbook, or
recording device handy at all times. Ideas are slippery as
eels, and if you wait too long, the damn things will swim away.
If you have a smashing idea just before you fall asleep, you
probably wont remember it in the morning, and if youre

driving or rolling on the subway, something else will distract

your attention.
3. Elaborate on Something If youve already made
something cool, go back and see if you cant expand on it.
Especially if some time has passed and an idea has had time
to incubate, youll have new things to add, angles to elaborate
on.
4. Switch Gears If youre doing brain work, do body work,
and vice versa. If youre writing a report, do a puzzle, if youre
building a sculpture of a giant chrome sponge, sing a song.
5. Think Laterally Look for associated ideas, especially while
youre already working on something. As Im writing this, Ive
had ideas for four six more posts. While I wont use them all,
its nice to have them to draw from.
6. Mind Maps Mind maps are effective because they make
the most of lateral, horizontal thinking. They give you a
chance to put a lot of information down about a topic without
worrying about actually organizing the information. This is just
my opinion, but mind maps may be a close representation of
how thoughts are structured. Heres the wiki entry.
7. Dont be Afraid of Bad Ideas When you have a lot of bad
ideas, youre bound to have good ones. Plus, with lots of bad
ideas youll have less trouble telling the good from the bad.

8. Get Emotional Horror movies and comedies come to mind,

but you can also read really sad stories, instigate an argument
with a stranger, walk in a grave yard, whatever. Just apologize
if things get out of hand.
9. Hang out With Friends Depending on your vert
persuasion*, you may need more or less of this, but fun with
friends can be relaxing. Just shooting the shit and forgetting
about things for a while can give your brain some breathing
room (*introvert or extrovert).
10. Sleep On It Whether youre working on a problem or
looking for new ideas, sleep can give your brain the chance to
mull a problem over, give you a new plan of attack.
11. Take a Hike Walking is good, but hiking is better. Mindbody connection, youve heard it before, but it really works. If
youre trying to generate new ideas or feeling stumped, getting
the blood flowing seems to mix things up. When the body
starts working, more neurons start firing. While walking is
good, getting out in the woods is better. Being in nature
reduces stress.
12. Free Write Similar to morning journaling, only more
focused on a single problem. Write about your topic, whatever
youre stuck on, for about fifteen minutes. Dont censor, dont
edit, just write whatever comes to your head. Works best if
the pen doesnt leave the paper.

13. Take a Media Fast Lots of people of written on this, but

theres a reason: its effective. Media, this blog included, can
be a huge time sink; consumption can can stifle creativity.
Taking a complete break can be challenging, but the rewards
are well worth it.
14. Learn a Useless Skill Useless skills are entertaining and
make life more fun.
15. Really Listen To Music. Without other distractions, just
put on a amazing record, put on good headphones, sit back,
relax, and listen. Pick out a single instrument to follow. Feel
the groove, the flow of the record. If the feeling gets you, get
up and dance.
16. Do stuff you find troubling. Shoot a gun. Gamble. Get
sick on liquor. Eat a bloody steak. Give alcohol to a bum. Go
to a strip club. Watch television for a couple hours. Sniff glue
and go to a creepy mega-church (okay, scratch the sniffing
glue part). Going outside of your comfort zone will give you
new ideas.
Weve reached the end of a long list, but Im sure Ive missed
some stuff. What can you add? Dont be shy!

14 More Ways to Increase Creativity and Generate Clever Ideas

by S E TH 0 CO MME N TS

The last post was fun to write, so without further ado about
nothing, lets continue the list. Here we go with 14 more ways
to generate ideas, increase creativity, cure cancer, end all
warsyou get the idea.
17. Travel Travel will give your brain a chance to go wild. New
places, sights, smells, gravitational pulls, all these will give
you a ton of new ideas. Remember, travel doesnt mean going
to the other side of the world. Try going to a nearby town, a
place youve never or rarely been. Or imagine how youd visit
your town if you were a tourist.
18. Screw Off. Give yourself time just to do whatever you like.
Anything. Guilt free. Just get away and have fun.
19. Try a Different Medium (or instrument) Writers drawing,
painters writing, drummers singing (uh, on second thought),

all these things could be messy but useful. Creating in a

different medium, especially with the understanding that its
just for fun, makes you use different parts of your brain.
20. Just Start. Dont worry about making something
awesome. Just make something. Something is better than
nothing. Nothing is perfect the first time or the tenth time.
21. Optimize your Workspace. I just did this a few days ago
by clearing a bunch of crap off desk, duct taping some wires
to the back of the desk, replacing the desk lamp with a little
plant, and getting rid of the dead hookers. Those small
change helped motivate me to clear some old stuff of the todo list.
22. Move Your Space. My wife hates it, but every few months
Ill move the furniture around. Sometimes it works, sometimes
it doesnt, but at least it keeps things fresh. Plus, I usually find
something interesting.
23. Screw Perfection. Perfection is the worst enemy of
creativity. Creativity is play, and play can never be perfect.
Striving for excellence is great, but perfection is an
unattainable goal, sure to kill any creativity. Internal editors
and censors arent youre friends in the first rounds of
creating. Keep them at bay as long as possible.

24. Visualize. Whether in your mind or on paper, seeing

things in pictures rather than thinking of them in words can
give you a different way to look at things.
25. Abandon Stuff Sometimes activities just take up too
much mental power. Focus your energies and drop low-value
brain draining tasks.
26. Get Injured. When I broke my foot, I sat around the house
for a month. While that wasnt the brightest time of my life, I
did get a new perspective on mobility and health, as well as a
few story ideas. Of course, intentionally injuring yourself is
pretty stupid, but if you do get injured, make the most of it.
Make sure you have health insurance (Seriously, dont injure
yourself. I dont want to get sued).
27. Ignore People Some peoplegeez. If you listen to them
long enough, youll believe everything awesome has already
been done, all ideas are rip-offs, and all people are shitheads.
Dont let their negativity, laziness, and failures of imagination
to drag you down.
28. Meditation Im still not 100% sold on meditation, but
millions of Buddhists cant be wrong. If nothing else, just
stepping away from the mundane, closing your eyes, and
doing some breathing is effective. For me, meditation is sitting
on a mountaintop and listening to the wind.

29. Step Away. Adding psychological distance frees up a little

of your brain, giving you a chance to examine a problem as an
abstract problem rather than a concrete issue. Concrete can
be tough to move. For example, why is it so easy to see the
problems of others but so damn difficult to see your own?
Theres no distance.
30. Work in a Different Venue Changing scenery can yield
new ideas and inspiration. Our surroundings influence us
more than we care to admit. Change your surroundings and
youll change your work. For me, this means leaving my
apartment and taking my notebook to the neighborhood pub.
Nobody speaks English there so I get left alone, and they feed
me peanuts. Maybe a pub isnt the best place for everybody,
but I always come up with stuff when Im there.
Photo credit : josefstuefer

ncrease Creativity With Mind Mapping

by S E TH M. BA KE R 11 COM ME N TS

Im not a smart man.

In fact, Im a little dim, like a fluorescent bulb thats about to
die. Sometimes I have a bright flicker, other times I forget how
to tie my shoe.
Yet, to do the things I like to do, I need all the brains I can
get. For this reason, I keep two kinds of journals, make a lot of
lists, take a lot of notes, and use all the mind tricks I
can. Minds maps are one of my favorites. Used in conjunction
with my knockoff moleskine and daily journal, its like having
an extra brain.
I use mind maps because they are fast, visual, and
associative. Using a mind map is like thinking on paper. Why
else use mind maps?

Mind maps help you:

Write faster and with greater ease

Smash the walls of writers block

See a problem in a new way
Organize large amounts of information
Discover new connections between concepts
Solve complex problems
Remember past events with great clarity

About two years ago, I started messing around with mind

maps. Ive used them for fiction writing, note taking, and blog
posts. In fact, almost every post I write starts out as a mind
map. Maybe its because Im lazy and dim, but Ive found using
a mind map or concept map cuts my writing time almost in
half andgives me a more concise final product.
Additionally, researchers have shown that using mind maps
increases recall by 10% among motivated students.
If youre interested, read on

How to Make a Mind Map

First, let me say that I dont always follow the official
instructions to the letter. My maps are usually devoid of
drawings, sloppy, and notoriously monochromatic.
Think of a mind map like the root system of a tree. The central
idea is the tree, and each supporting idea is a root. Each main
root will have several smaller roots growing out from it.

1. Start with a blank sheet of copy paper, oriented horizontally.

Write the main idea in the middle. Since I need to do some
planning for a temporary move to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lets
use that for a quick and dirty example.

2. From the main idea, add the main categories. Silly pictures
helpful.

3. From each main category, add relevant sub-categories.

4. Add supporting information as needed. Making your mind

map will spark new ideas. When I started this, I only had six
main categories, but by the time I finished, I had ten, and Ill
probably add a couple more.

5. If you like, you can add color. Just for fun, I did. The final
product:

For other, better examples of mind maps, check out some of

these: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4
Now that Ive got all this information down on paper, I have a
pretty complete picture of what I need to do to make my
temporary move happen. The next thing Ill do is turn this into
a project list; each category will have its own to-do listbut
thats a post for another day.

Bonus tip: To keep all your mind maps organized, use a

three-ring binder with clear sheets/sleeves. After you finish
each map, date it, give it a page number, slide it in the plastic
sleeve, and make an entry in the index.
6 Easy Ways to Increase Focus

by S E TH 2 CO MME N TS

Focus is as elusive as a ghost

and slippery as a sturgeon, here one minute and gone the
next. We need a high level of focus to do our best work, but
emails, cell phones, and the repo man all beg for our attention
like neglected children.

Here are sixteen ways to increase focus,

attention, and mindfulness.
1. Eliminate Distractions The internet, television, cell
phones, other people. All these things eat away at our
attention and focus. The closer you can come to monk-like

isolation, the easier youll find focus. If thats impossible,

headphones with good music are a viable alternative.
2. Turn off the Inner Monologue If your inner monologue is
hurting and not helping, if your mind is like a wild monkey
jumping all over the place, you need to take steps to quiet it.
Daily journaling will help you increase your focus by reducing
excessive mental chatter.
3. Set a Schedule If you have a set time to do some activity
every day, youll have an easier time settling in that time and
blocking out all else. The benefit of having a clear finish time
will make it easier to say Ill attend to [insert distraction here]
after my time is up.
4. Care About Your Task Doing meaningless work is a recipe
for disaster. If you have something you really dont want care
about but have to do anyway, take the carrot and stick
approach. Promise yourself a steak dinner or a stiff drink
when you finish.
5. Clear Your Head Our mind likes to hold onto stuff, all in the
hopes well remember to do something about it. By writing
things down, youre telling your brain it can relax and stop
holding onto so many thoughts. Take a few minutes and write
down everything you think you need to do and turn it into a
todo list. Be thorough, and dont forget the small items and
things youve been putting off.

6. Know your Body Your circadian rhythms will determine

your best time to work. For me, morning and late at night are
my favorite times to write. I have a couple energy slumps
during the day when my mind shuts down. Fortunately Im at
work during this time.
7. Take Breaks Everyone has a different threshold for how
long their focus lasts. This time also varies from task to task. If
Im recording songs or killing zombies, Im good for hours, but
when Im using my logical brain I need to stop every 45
minutes or so.
8. Go For a Walk (or Hike) A short walk around the block, or
a longer walk in the woods, gets the blood moving and the
brain focused. Take some deep breaths and let your body get
into the rhythm of the walk. Goethe swore by evenings walks.
You should too.
9. Learn about Flow In short, Flow is a state of attention and
engagement where youre totally wrapped up in your task.
When you enter the flow state, you increase your focus by a
factor of ten. As skill level and difficulty increase, the likelihood
of reaching flow increases.
10. Do a Repetitive Physical Task Repetitive physical activity
like scales for musicians, knitting, whittling, or throwing darts
demand focus and can help shut down the internal
monologue.

11. Study Music Learning piano is a great way to develop

concentration, focus, and patience. Using both hands, playing
progressively more difficult pieces, learning the language of
music, all these will teach you soft skills that allow you to
focus longer.
12. Get Plenty of Rest A decent nights sleep can mean the
difference between being a javelin or a jellyfish. If youre
flagging in the middle of the day, a short nap will rest and
refresh you.
13. De-stress and Relax Too much work isnt good for
anybody. If you cant focus, maybe youre overworked, tired,
run down. Besides leading to distraction, too much stress can
cause health problems.
14. Shift Gears If you find yourself staring at your project and
drooling, maybe you need to work on something else. Joyce
Carol Oates, an insanely creative and productive novelist,
says never has less than two projects to work on at any given
time. When she gets stuck on one, she switches to another
one.
15. Have Your Own Space and Set Boundaries If you cant
have a separate workspace/studio where you putter around
undisturbed, set boundaries with the people in your life. Tell
them that the sooner you finish your task, the sooner you can
spend time with them.

16. Begin with the end in mind If you can visualize your
outcome, your brain will fill in the steps between where youre
at and where you need to go; if you know where youre going,
youll figure out how to get there, avoiding distraction due to
uncertainty. Visualizing the end is like knowing your
destination on a long trip.