How do you know what you want to achieve in your life? You need clarity. And these creative mind map ideas can help you find it.

You need to know what you want and where you’re going if you’re ever going to make a change. But clarity can be tricky... especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused. That’s where mind maps come in handy.

Mind maps get your thoughts and ideas in order, mapped out on the page, ready for you to move forwards. Get started today with these creative mind map ideas.

What is a mind map?

A mind map is a method of organising all the thoughts and ideas you have inside your head. Usually based around one central idea, a map or bubble diagram is drawn to represent the related ideas.

Often, smaller bubbles are formed around sub-topics. This allows you to organise information that might otherwise be overwhelming or unstructured, into an easily understandable format. In simple terms, a mind map is a way of mapping everything that’s going on inside your mind!

What is the purpose of a mind map?

Mind maps have several different purposes. From life planning to creative ideation to project planning, mind maps are popular with business owners, students and employees alike.

Although various types of mind maps and mind map ideas have been developed, I always recommend approaching your mind map in whatever way feels natural to you. It’s your mind map, so you can create it however you wish!

I use mind maps to help my life and business coaching clients map out what their perfect life would look like. It’s a bit like a vision board, except far more practical. You can explore different areas of your life and what each area means to you, whilst detailing what you want each of those areas to contain.

The beauty of the mind mapping process is that you can take a holistic view of your life. Our work lives and personal lives are more intertwined than we care to admit. From personal happenings influencing our professional interests, to work stress affecting our personal relationships, there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes.

As long-time readers know, I’m a huge fan of taking a holistic approach to your life planning. Because, only then, can you create a life that truly feels like your own.

How do you create a mind map?

You don’t need much to start creating your mind map. Just a few blank sheets of paper, some pens (multiple colours if you’re feeling creative!), a good chunk of time to yourself and somewhere quiet and cosy to dive deep into your thoughts.

Get comfortable. Put your favourite playlist on (I like Maroon 5 for mind map sessions!) and light a candle.

Step one: Start with your core ingredients

In the middle of your page, write down “my dream life”. This is the central point of your mind map, everything else will link off from here.

Now, you’re going to want to start creating the offshoots of your mind map. These are the core ingredients of your dream life and can be interpreted in whatever way feels best for you.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Once you’ve mapped out your core ingredients, let your mind map sit for a day or so whilst your ideas process in the back of your mind.

Step two: Fill in the details

When you’re ready, come back to your mind map and fill in the details.

I find that this is the true beauty of mind mapping, as you can explore different thoughts and ideas. You can, quite literally, go wherever your mind takes you. You don’t need to start with the end in mind!

Paint a picture of each area of your life. What do you want it to contain? How do you want to feel? What do you need to feel that way?

Write everything down on your mind map. You can get as granular as you need to, feel free to create mini-offshoots and extra bubbles as needed.

Step three: Reflect and digest

Once you’ve got everything mapped out, set aside some time to reflect on your mind map a few days later. I always recommend blocking this time out in your diary so you hold yourself accountable!

Ask yourself if there’s anything extra you want to add? Is there anything missing, or that needs tweaking a little? Often, once we’ve planted the seed, our thoughts process in the back of our mind even if we’re not focusing directly on them. So, feel free to add anything extra that feels right to you.

Creative mind map ideas

Feel like upgrading your mind map? These creative mind map ideas are designed to help you add a new level of detail to your mind map. Let’s make it memorable.

1. Illustrate your mind map - if you’re a visual person, you might find that it’s easier to express your thoughts with imagery than it is with words. Get creative and add doodles, sketches and illustrations to your mind map.

2. Start with the feelings - it’s often more effective to consider how you want to feel in each area of your life before adding in the things you need to create those feelings. When you start with the feelings, you’re more likely to remember why this dream life matters to you so much.

3. Try colour coding - experiment with using different colours that reflect how you want to feel in each life area. For example, you could use blue for your home life if you want to feel calm there, red for your career if you want to feel vibrant and energised, and green for your physical health if you want to feel natural and organic.

4. Mind map within your mind map - don’t be afraid of getting detailed with your mind map, if it feels natural to you. For example, if financial freedom is an important life area for you, you could break this down into multiple bubbles with passive income, earned income, and so on.

5. Explore fonts and typography - play around with different font sizes or weights to emphasise key areas of your mind map. You might find that certain life areas feel more important to you than others, so add a bold text or make these sections larger on the page to stand out.

Now that you’ve created your mind map, keep it somewhere safe. Ideally, you should be able to draw on your mind map every day. Use it to guide your decision making and ask yourself “is this moving me closer to my dream life?”.

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