HeadTidy12 mind map examples worth copying
A blank canvas is not inspiring when you are already overloaded. Start with one of these structures, then delete anything that does not fit your situation.
Written by Rene Reede Updated 30 August 2026
Examples for getting organised
Centre: This week. Branches: Must happen, Work, Home, People, Health and Waiting. Put only commitments under Must happen; everything else can move.
Centre: My life now. Branches: Work, Health, Money, Home, Relationships and Play. Add what is active, not every possible goal.
Centre: On my mind. Branches: Do, Decide, Remember, Worry and Maybe. The categories turn mental noise into different kinds of action.
Examples for work
Centre: Project outcome. Branches: Scope, Deliverables, People, Milestones, Risks and Open questions. Every open question should eventually become a decision or task.
Centre: Meeting purpose. Branches: Context, Questions, Decisions, Actions and Parking lot. Give every action an owner and date before the meeting ends.
Centre: Launch. Branches: Product, Audience, Message, Channels, Operations and Measures. Add a pre-mortem thought under each branch: what could make this fail?
Centre: Person + date. Branches: Wins, Blockers, Feedback, Growth and Commitments. Keep sensitive detail in private notes rather than crowded labels.
Examples for thinking and learning
Centre: The choice. Branches: Options, Must-haves, Trade-offs, Evidence, Unknowns and Reversible steps. Separate evidence from assumptions.
Centre: Subject. Branches: one per major topic, with concepts, examples and unanswered questions underneath. Write questions instead of copying headings.
Centre: Book title. Branches: Main claim, Key ideas, Evidence, Disagreements, Quotes to revisit and Actions. Summarise in your own words.
Centre: Reader promise. Branches: Problem, Context, Argument, Examples, Objections and Conclusion. If a branch does not support the promise, cut it.
Centre: Observable problem. Branches: Symptoms, Causes, Constraints, People affected, Experiments and Measures. Do not let a guessed cause masquerade as a fact.
How to adapt any example
Keep the centre specific, limit the first level to roughly four to seven branches, and make each branch answer a different question. Add detail only where it helps you act or remember. A useful map is allowed to be incomplete.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good first mind map?
A weekly map or simple brain dump is easiest because you already know the material. Use four to six clear branches and stop before it becomes decoration.
How many branches should a mind map have?
Four to seven main branches is a useful working range. More can work, but the overview becomes harder to scan.
How do I choose the right mind map example?
Choose by the job you need to do, not by how attractive the example looks. A weekly map protects commitments, a project map exposes scope and risks, and a decision map separates evidence from assumptions.
Can I combine two mind map examples?
Yes. Keep one clear centre, then borrow only the branches that answer a real question. Combining every possible category usually hides the overview you wanted.