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When you’re writing important information such as schedules, study notes or something you really need to remember, using a single colored pen to can get dull and difficult to track. The good news is you can incorporate more creativity in your notes and journal so that it is interesting to go through them during revisions and you can trick your brain into remembering things successfully. One method you will learn today is the importance of writing notes in color. Let’s get started!
Colors have a positive effect on memory performance. Writing notes using colorful pens and highlighters allows you to memorize information. The more attention you give to something, the longer you can remember it. So, use as many colors as you can to write notes.
As a beginner, you may find it difficult to use various colors, or struggle where to start, but with time, you can get hold of it. In this article, we will help you understand whether writing notes in color will help you to remember and you will also learn some tips for writing color-coordinated notes.
Writing Notes in Color Aids in Memorization and Recalling
Having a good memory is a blessing, but some people are not so blessed and need to put a bit of extra effort into remembering things. These types of people have to spend hours memorizing something for exams, or struggle with regards to organizing their life without writing everything down. If you are one of these people, writing notes in colors can make it easier for you.
Remembering something is similar to learning something and there are two types of learners: auditory learners (who learn through listening) and visual learners (who learn through pictures, graphs, colors, etc.). It is very helpful for visual learners to write notes, and writing notes in colors is a great way to remember the information you need.
When you write notes in color, it becomes super easy to remember the important and highlighted information. The colors improve your attention span and help you memorize. The colored notes leave images in your mind that help you recall the information stored in them much better than plainly written information.
Importance of Writing Notes in Color
There are several benefits of writing notes in colors, here are just some of them:
- Colors quickly grab the attention and leave an impression of the information that stays in mind. They improve your focus and do not let your mind divert its attention resulting in long-lasting memorization.
- When you open the color-coded notes and organize all the information, revising and reviewing the information becomes easier. They stimulate the mind of visual learners and aid in quick learning.
- It saves your time and energy while improving your productivity. You will not have to spend hours memorizing the information.
- The bright colors in the notes also help you track the important points and memorize them. If you use a single color throughout the notes, you will struggle to find specific information.
- You will not get bored while memorizing. The colors will be interesting for you to look at.
- Colors are extremely helpful for children with special needs such as dyslexia, autism, etc. You can use colors to motivate such children to learn and understand better.
Cons of Color Coding the Notes
There is only one disadvantage of color coding the notes: expenses. The colors required to make these notes, such as highlighters, crayons, pens, etc., can get quite expensive. However, you can lower the cost if you do not go overboard and spend your money intelligently. You should invest in the colors that you are sure about using.
6 Tips for Writing Notes in Color
You need a good sense of aesthetics to color code notes, so they are neat and attractive. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we have some tips for you to make your notes visually appealing and easy to memorize.
1. Stationery Shopping
When shopping for stationery items, especially pens, markers, or highlighters, test them on a piece of paper. Once you test them, buy the most pigmented and bright ones. Do not invest in dull or less pigmented colors because they will make your notes boring. Light and faded colours don’t stand out, reducing the effectiveness of using colors in the first place.
Moreover, do not buy too many pens and colors. Getting too many colors will not only become a burden on your budget but if you are indecisive you might spend all your time trying to decide what color to use. So, do not waste your money; only get pens or highlighters in colours you love and are going to use regularly.
2. Use Highlighters
Color coding of notes can also be done after taking notes of a lecture or session. If you try to color code during lectures or seminars, you will not create neat and clean notes. Taking notes during the lecture without using colors is better. Once the lecture is over, when revising, use different colored highlighters to color code your notes.
Highlighter helps mark the key points in a text, so you can quickly give attention to that point and revise it. However, ensure you are highlighting the important information only, do not highlight all the text.
3. Give Each Color a Task
To efficiently color code your notes, you should give a task to each color. For example, blue color for highlighting dates, red for facts, and green for reasoning. Or in a schedule or to do list, hightlight the most urgent things in one colour, less important in another, and so on.
To remember the task of each color, you can make a table and put it in front of yourself. This is especially easy using a page in your bullet journal to hightlight your color system. You can save a lot of time using this technique.
4. Limited Number of Colors
Do not overdo the colors on your page because they will become messy and hard to read. Select 3 to 4 colors and use them throughout the notes to make them easier to revise. Moreover, it will be easier to remember the purpose of each color in your notes.
5. Be Mindful
If you’re color coding things like study notes; it is important to color the useful information only. It will help you to revise the highlighted points even if you are in a hurry. So, never highlight all the text because it will be too confusing to review.
6. Be Creative
Creativity is the key when color coding the notes. You are free to use shapes, charts, tables, or anything else to help you remember the information. It is up to you and your creativity how much effort you would like to put into it.
Colors and Their Meanings
Psychologically, each color has a different purpose and unique meaning. When color coding something, it can be helpful to understand the science behind colors to choose the correct colors according to its purpose. Here is a table of colors and their effects on people:
Colors That Improve Memory
The colors that specifically help in the improvement of memory are red and blue. Blue is said to boost creative thinking leading to innovative ideas. It is a calming color that deletes the noise in your mind and helps you focus on the highlighted point. Moreover, it increases productivity by decreasing the time and energy spent memorizing something.
On the other hand, the red color grasps attention and improves focus, resulting in memorization. It is better for remembering small details and information. Since you become attentive to the red color, you will think faster and get creative ideas.
Using red and blue colors in your notes can drastically increase the chances of long-term memorization. You can find it easier to remember information by using these colors in your notes. Instead of using a single color throughout your notes, mix it up to highlight important points.
Colored Notes Help Children With Dyslexia
Children with dyslexia have learning problems. They find reading, writing, and memorizing difficult compared to someone without it. It is a problem that requires attention and care. Dyslexia is a lifelong condition, but you can tackle it with patience and some techniques.
Research has proven that colors can help improve the memory of some children with dyslexia. They remember information that is described to them using various colors. Hence, colored notes are extremely beneficial for children with dyslexia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Colors are Most Helpful in Boosting Memory?
Red and blue colors are great for grabbing your attention and improving your memory. You can use both these colors if you want to remember specific information for a long time. If you want to excel in your academic career, then it is best to use blue and red pens while taking notes.
How to Remember the Purpose of Each Color?
You can make a table of the purposes of all colors and paste it in front of your study table. You can view the table throughout your study session and use all the colors accordingly.
Is Highlighting All the Text a Good Idea?
Not at all; highlighting all the text will make the notes extremely messy. You will not be able to find the most important information when you are in a rush, making reviewing difficult. Hence, do not go overboard and only highlight the crucial points that must be remembered.
Conclusion
Colors positively affect the brain by stimulating it and improving attention, focus, and memory. If you are someone who struggles with memorization, try our tips above and start color coding your notes, and see for yourself how helpful it can be!
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