Powerful Student's Stories #7 - How I Learn – Mindmapping, Journaling & Building Edenauts

I’ve always been obsessed with organizing thoughts visually. For me, mindmapping is the ultimate way to learn. But not just in the “draw some circles and connect them” kind of way—I mean a dynamic, evolving, long-term process that grows with me over years.

I’ve tried a ton of mindmapping tools—Xmind, various apps, even traditional paper mindmaps—but they all had limitations. They were too static, too structured, or lacked the space and flexibility I needed. What I really wanted was a blank canvas, something where I could place ideas, images, and connections without limits.

And that’s when I found Figma.

It’s technically a design tool, but for me, it became the perfect mindmapping space. Just an infinite canvas where I could throw ideas, move things around, add visuals, and watch how my knowledge grew over time. I even used it live in my philosophy lessons, mindmapping student thoughts as we discussed. It made everything tangible—ideas weren’t just floating in the air; they had shape, position, context.

Mindmapping as a Long-Term Process

Most people think of mindmaps as something you create in one sitting, but my best mindmaps? They’ve been growing for years. I revisit them, tweak them, expand on them with new insights. This is especially true for my Edenauts project, where my mindmaps are both a blueprint and a playground for ideas.

I’ve also built a system to capture ideas on the go:

• A sheet of paper under my keyboard for quick notes—this is crucial because if it’s not there, I don’t write as much down. When it’s full, I take a photo and either archive or transfer key ideas to my Figma mindmap.

• Self-chatting when I’m not home—I literally message myself ideas so I don’t lose them.

• Journaling and mindmapping as two sides of the same coin—journaling helps me get thoughts out, and mindmapping helps me organize them.

And here’s something I’ve realized over time: A good idea is never just one idea—it’s 1000 micro-ideas structured correctly.

The Power of Writing Things Down

So many people have great ideas, but they never write them down. And that’s the real problem—because once an idea exists outside your head, it becomes something you can build upon. This is what separates scattered thinkers from people who actually bring ideas to life.

Even in business, the most successful entrepreneurs don’t just have ideas—they write them, refine them, and train their personal mind(map) like a muscle.

Try This: Design Your Own School

For anyone curious about how they learn best, here’s a challenge: Create a mindmap of how you would organize a school.

How would classes be structured? What would be taught? How would students learn?

This forces you to reflect on your own learning style—because to design the best school for yourself, you need to understand how your brain actually works.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll come up with something even better than Edenauts.