Choose the method that you will use to create your mindmap. You can use something as simple as a piece of paper and a pen or you can choose a software program to help you create your mindmap. Any software with basic drawing tools, such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, could potentially be used to "draw" a mindmap.
Choose the topic for your mindmap and print or place its name in a box in the center of your new mindmap. For example, a mindmap on "how to change a habit" would put the title "Change Habits" in a box in the center of the page.
Brainstorm to think of all of the potential issues surrounding your topic. In a mindmap on "how to change habits" you would create a series of boxes in a roughly circular fashion surrounding the central topic, "Changing Habits." For example, ways you might change a habit could be setting goals, telling family and friends, joining a group, rewarding yourself or taking away temptations. Each possible way that you could change your habit would then be placed in its own box.
Diagram the next level of your mindmap by further exploring each possible way that you have identified to change your habit. In a section of the page surrounding the sub-topic "Setting Goals" you could create as many ways as you can think of for what specific goals you want to set like "Stop smoking in 30 days" and "Get up 15 minutes earlier." The idea is that the mindmap will move from the broad, general topic to more specific levels in the outside boxes.
Connect boxes together with lines according to their relationship with each other and their level on the mindmap so that the mindmap can be "read" in a sequence. For example, "Changing Habits" would have a line leading to "Setting Goals" and "Setting Goals" would have lines leading to each specific goal box.
Add colors, pictures, art or change the shape of the diagram boxes, however you prefer to customize your mindmap.
Edit your mindmap by moving text boxes and reconnecting lines to new text boxes or by deleting information you don't need. If you are using pencil and pen, you might need to cut and paste to edit your mindmap once it has been created.
Review all elements of your mindmap for clarity and completeness and add any additional ideas. You can always go more in depth on a second page or start a new mindmap if you have too many ideas to fit on one page.