i’ve seen many posts with study tips saying highlighting is ineffective because it lets you become a passive reader, but since i personally find it useful when done correctly i wanted to make a post specifically about highlighting effectively! note that these are all my personal tips and you should always go with what works for you :]
the big NO: passive highlighting
the “highlight everything that’s important” technique where everything seems to be important
don’t do it!!!
you’ll end up with pages of yellow text not knowing what u just read
this doesn’t help u study at all
when should i highlight?
reading in advance for a class or sth, you have a really long text + you want to be able to recall important parts easily later – not necessary to colour code
you need to extract information from a text to answer different questions or similar – colour code: different colour for each question
you’re studying for a text and want to make a study guide - colour code: vocabulary + definitions, dates + people, etc
don’t highlight when the information is already very compressed, short + to the point, but you can make annotations if you want
colour coding
the art of highlighting
colour coding your notes
colour code and highlight efficiently [+ scientific evidence]
how to colour code
colour coding notes 101
colour coding annotations
example of a key
another example
yet another key
create your own key to suit you best!
use different keys for different subjects
tips + advice
keep your key somewhere visible, like a post it note, an index card, the highlighters themselves, etc
is there something important that u feel like u may not remember or don’t understand? highlight it, make a note on the side
don’t highlight titles/subtitles bc they’re usually already made to stand out. same with already bold words, but do highlight the definition/explanation
you don’t need to highlight the whole sentence either – figure out what’s important in the important information
accompany highlighting with annotating to engage more + make it more effective – why did i highlight this part? do i have any info to add? personal comment/reminder?
don’t think just because u highlighted a chunk of text u’ve already studied it/know it – highlighting shouldn’t at all work as a study technique on its own
if you have few highlighters but want more colours, mix them!
highlighting supplies
very cute pastel highlighters!!
oh - so - famous - mildliners
candy color marker pens [actually highlighters]
cheap + good bic highlighters
clear view sharpies!!
stabilo boss wallet of 8 highlighters
soft colours + window!!!
muji twin tip highlighter
+ masterposts
studyblr-ing 101
apps for ur life
how to mind map
studying better
diy notebooks
i hope i was any help at all and that u never fall in the grips of passive highlighting!! happy studying!
- sofi xx
