Ways to Use Mind Mapping to Overcome Information Overload

A recent study discovered that 94 percent of knowledge workers have felt overwhelmed by information to the point where they felt powerless in their positions. The current data levels that we're exposed to daily is equal to consuming 12 hours of news every day. Unfortunately, having to process this much information can significantly diminish our attention span and focus, while hindering our ability to be creative. Fortunately, you can use several mind mapping techniques to help transform the flood of information into something meaningful.

Find the Facts and Cut Down on Clutter
When you are brainstorming a new idea or starting on a long-term project, you need a strategy for reviewing the essential information you gather without becoming overwhelmed and forgetting important information. With mind maps, you can break down large volumes of data into more manageable chunks. On your main branches, use single keywords that capture the most crucial details. 

Understand Complex Topics
Often when you have a significant amount of information you have to be able to draw out common themes to determine if it is relevant to your task. A mind mapÕs pre-structured framework can help you gain a clear understanding of the information and create a logical structure. This allows you to focus your mind on the message, without getting off track. 

Overcome Obstacles without Stress
Mind mapping helps you to open up numerous possibilities for solving problems. The mind mapÕs layout mimics the natural way your brain processes information, allowing you to draw out creative ideas through association and imagination. This helps to focus your concentration on the problem you're facing and will enable you to generate limitless solutions.

Discover Hidden Connections
It is vital to be able to spot connections between main ideas, obstacles, and end goals to solve problems efficiently. Creating a mind map can provide you with an overview of the information that you will be working with. This can help you to spot gaps in your examination and determine areas that may need further attention. Having a top-down view of the information, lets you view the bigger picture and find connections that you may have missed.

With the amount of information that we have to deal with on a daily basis, it can start to feel impossible to stay focused on the task at hand and use our energy efficiently. Mind maps can help shield you from information overload and increase your productivity, no matter how much information you have to sort through. 
