Best is if you mind map what is already in your memory first. You know when you have the feeling like it's on tip of your tongue but you can't quite pull it from your inner mind right now? Well, that's when it becomes a good time to just flip to that page again so that you can put it into words.
On the whole mind mapping while you are activating can become problematic because it slows down your activation with the stop start process, as well as the risk of trying to map every thing in too great a detail, (getting bogged down in too much detail).
Deterimining what is important is easier when you have "all" the information, everything seems important when you first see it and yet when you've made the associations it becomes unnecessary to record it, in that great a detail because one key word clicks the rest of the recall.
I usually mind map after activating and I allow myself to review those passages for clarity afterwards so I'll flip pages for the passages that I want to record on my mind map. This is a kind of twice over effect and it sure helps the memory. It's suprising that the mind map can take as little as 5 minutes to get quite detailed from a 20 minute activation pass and that includes flipping pages to review passages or concepts. Add to the mind map after each activation pass.
Really do try and find what works best for you. Do you put your left shoe on first or the right? Watch yourself for a while and you'll discover its something you do consistently. That's what works for you.
Alex
[This message has been edited by AlexK (edited December 24, 2003).]
