When I was a kid, every time I play the violin, I couldn't be fully concentrated on practising. That's when every other things besides playing the violin itself appeared to be more attractive to me.

So, one-hour practise could turn into two hours. Not because I played hard, but because I was too busy doing something else.

I'm well aware that music is beautiful. But honestly, when you play the same piece over and over again, it can get really exhausting.

Funny thing is, at first, I procrastinate to feel better. But I didn't. As it turned out, avoiding from reality only made things worse. The more time I wasted, the worse feeling I fell into.

For quite a long time, I couldn't have a better solution until I start mind mapping. It has totally changed my way of thinking and behavior.

Why I find mind mapping helpful to curb procrastination?

A mind map is usually connected by keywords and images to help you visualize information. Now it's various in forms. But it's always keywords and associations by nature. So it's easier to start with, also easier to stick to it. Here's why you'll love it and how it helps to overcome procrastination:

My unwillingness to practise is largely attributable to the lack of joy while playing. So the simple solution is to bring back that joy. Have fun playing or in your case, studying.

Why mind maps fun?

A mind map is basically an image. We love images in a way you hardly notice.

Emily Mills mentioned in her book The Art of Visual Notetaking that "sixty-five percent of the population identifies as visual learners".

Apart from that, a mind map helps to boost creativity as it involves both your left brain and right brain to work actively at the same time.

Therefore, a process of creating a mind map actually adds more fun to your current work.

When your study volume gets too overwhelming. it's quite common that you want to put it aside. It's just easier this way.

However, things might not be that complicated after all if you cut them into smaller chunks. It's quite simple do it with a mind map.

Say you plan to study for 3 hours this morning. That's THREE hours, with no breaks. How can you not say no to this.

But if you divide it into 30-minute study time slot with a 5-minute break in between. How does that sound?

A mind map simplify your task by breaking a big task into smaller pieces so that you're more likely to take instant action.

The first time I created a mind map, it didn't work. It was only later did I realize that I had missed one thing: I forgot the associations. A mind map doesn't work well with keywords and images only, it's also important to connect them.

Associations not only directs your thoughts, but also leading you to even more solutions.

If you haven't try mind mapping before, I strongly recommend you to make one. If you haven't been studying yet, create a mind map to enjoy studying right now.