How to create an effective colour coding system
Colour coding is a simple method of helping you learn and memorise material. When used effectively, it not only helps with your understanding but looks pretty! Setting up a colour code that works for all your subjects and can suit highlighters is often tricky, but these are my tips for creating and utilising your own personalised system!
Don’t over complicate! You don’t need to have 20 different colours but around 7 or 8 so it’s still easy to remember. Identifying what areas you want to highlight (for general and subject specific) is a great way to start. This can include terms, formulas, dates, etc!
Gather your supplies. Obviously you’ll need an assorted pack of coloured pens to start your system. I use Staedtler Stick 432 Ice Ballpoint Pens and Stabilo Swing Cool Highlighters since the colours are very similar and therefore work for both writing and highlighting. You could also use coloured post-it notes for annotating!
Use examples to sort your own code! Seeing what other people are doing and applying your own twist is good way to get started. My colour code was created for general use but mainly for business and legal studies. My system is as follows:
Black - for general notes.
Yellow (highlighter only) - for important information that outlines the point.
Light blue (pen and highlighter) - for terms and their definitions/synonyms.
Red (pen only) - for sentence points and key ideas in my study notes (usually not class notes).
Dark blue (pen and highlighter) - for businesses, agencies, legislation, etc.
Light green (pen and highlighter) - for quotes, case studies.
Dark green (pen only) - for people’s names or important dates.
Purple (pen and highlighter) - for books titles, publications, reports.
Pink (pen and highlighter) - for statistics.
Avoid over-doing-it. Write mostly in black. It is easiest to keep your general notes in a dull colour so the important parts stand out. Try not to make your page a rainbow! You only want certain parts to stand out so limit what you’re writing or highlighting. Also, changing pens every minute is a waste of time, so keeping everything brief and minimal is the best way!
Finally, remember your code! Write down somewhere the meaning behind each colour. This could be on your phone, in a planner or at the beginning of each notebook - whatever works for you! After a while you’ll just know what the colours means and that will make finding material and information much easier.
I hope this advice post helps you, and you’re able to use mine or create your own colour code. Tag me in your posts if start to use my code, I’d love to reblog your photos. You can check out my posts where I’ve used my colour code here!
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