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I always color-code my planner. It’s the best way to keep me organized and focused. Here’s why color-coding your planner could work for you, but also why it might not.
Colod-coding my planner* or diary is something I’ve done for years, ever since I was in high school. I would pick a certain color for each subject, making it easy for me to see at a glance which tasks needed to be completed.
It’s something that I now do in my everyday life. Each of my children and dogs has a color of their own, and the tasks I do personally has a different color. Then my work planner is color-coded for each of my clients and websites.
You can color-code however you want. The question first is whether color-coding your planner is even right for you.
Why color-coding your planner could work
If you have a brain like mine, you’ll find that colors work to help keep you organized. You can look at something with just a glance and know what you’re doing.
For example, in my work planner, I’ll use purple for an Outlander site that I write at. That site’s color is purple, so I immediately connect to that. For this blog, I write everything down in pink because that’s the color I associate with it. There’s a reality show site that I write at, and all that work is color-coded in blue. I just know what needs doing and when.
If you work with that sort of brain where you connect colors to tasks, then this is a great way to organize your diary. It’s fun, and you don’t need to pay too much attention to the details at first.
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You can tell when you’ve got tasks done
You don’t need to color-code by task. You could opt to color-code based on when you’ve completed the tasks and when you’ve done everything needed in a day.
I know someone who color-codes their planner* when they’re working on their finances. They have a target of making a certain amount each day in side income, and if they make it, they color that day with a green highlighter. If they fail, they color it with a red highlighter. It allows them to see at a glance how they’re doing for the month.
You could do it with tasks instead. You can highlight when they’re completed or when you’ve failed todo them. It’s that way of seeing how you’re improving each day, and you can get that motivation boost each day if you need it.
Color-coding your planner makes it look pretty
There’s just something pretty about color-coding a planner. Color can boost our emotions, and it can certain make us more productive. Just seeing colors like orange and bright pink can help to get us in the mood to do more each day.
You’ll want to look in the planner a lot more. This helps you stay on track with the tasks at hand.
When color-coding a planner won’t work
Not everyone is suited to color-coding planners*. If you’re colorblind, well, it’s pretty obvious that this probably won’t work for you. But it can also depend on the way your brain works. I have OCD, so color-coding my planner makes it much easier to remain focused. I know which tasks I’m on. If you can’t work with color and it makes you too distracted, then you’ll want to find another way to get the tasks done.
Some people prefer to be able to scratch out the task they’re doing. Others prefer to have pictures or stickers in their planners instead.
In the end, you need to do what works for you. Consider color-coding, though, if that’s the way your brain works.
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How do you keep yourself organized? Share in the comments below.
