About item connections
Each item in Mind Collected can have any number of connections to other items.
All connections are two-way (symmetrical). This means that when you connect Item A to Item B, then the Item B will be also connected to Item A.
Connections are important and powerful feature of Mind Collected – it might’ve been as well called Mind Connected instead.
Item connections have two main purposes –
- Mental association – when you connect two items, then in your brain, you will form mental association of these two items. This will help you remember both of these items better and longer. Every time you view one of these items and see its connected items, you will reinforce your mental associations.
- Navigation – tags are not the only way to navigate in your database. Connections make navigating in your database faster and more efficient. Connected items are often the place where you want to go next when viewing an item.
Adding item connections feels good, because it makes your database (and mind) more inter-connected and “wholesome”.
In our own biological brains, associations are often one-way (asymmetrical). For example, when you see a baby, you probably won’t think of a stork, but seeing a stork might make you think of a baby.
In Mind Collected, connections are always two-way (symmetrical). This means that it will help you form more associations and make your existing associations stronger. This results in healthier brain and better memory.
Once you start connecting items, you will get repeatedly pleasantly surprised when you discover some new associations that used to be just one-way for you.
How to connect two items
To connect the currently selected item to another item, click the Connect button in the main toolbar. Alternatively, you can double-click inside the connected items area (located below notes), or press Ctrl+WMnemonic hint: connect With.
This will open the Select Item window, which enables you to find the item you want to connect the current item with. Just start typing the name of the item you want to connect. When it gets shown and selected, press Enter to confirm.
Even easier way of making connections is to simply Drag and Drop one item onto another. You can do this only when both of these items are present in the current view, though.
Deleting connections
To remove a connection, simply select it in the connected items area, then press the Delete key. Or, right-click the connection, and click Delete connection in the popup menu.
Hyperlinks to items in notes
You can link to items from item notes as well. When you create a hyperlink to item in notes, the linked item will get automatically connected.
Learn more in help chapter Notes – Hyperlinks