Be it an intensive studying session,

or just skimming through your materials

identifying certain bits of information

just by the color can help you on the long run.

Firstly, you will save tons of time reading

just because you are trying to find something within the text.

Also,

reading only highlighted or color coded text

can give you an overall view of the materials

without having to read the notes in their entirety

Whenever you decide what is your color code

you have to choose between a code with colored pens or highlighters.

Picking both of them

will turn your notes into a mess of color

and you will lose sight of what is relevant or not.

Highlighters are a good choice if you wish to write all in black or blue during class

and color code only when you have more time.

They are also perfect to use with typed notes.

Your pens of choice should be fine tiped and smudge proof

to avoid mistakes and drama while writing.

I suggest swatching all of your colors first side by side.

This gives you a good overview

of which colors are the most intense

and pigmented.

Avoid dark and soft colors like

brown, grey or yellow.

Unless you are writing your main notes with black

you should stay away from blue and colors with blue undertones

like purple and blueish greens.

Color Theory helps you decide

which colors you should chose for your color code.

Because I've studied Arts for a few years,

I got acquainted with color theory

and how complementary colors,

this is,

colors which are opposite in the color circle

create the strongest contrast when placed next to each other.

You should choose a combination of two opposite colors in the color circle.

In the picture, you can see how the blue and orange circles

seem to have such intense colors

and how the circle with orange and red

cancels itself.

turning the inner orange circle

into an apparent darker color.

I also highly suggest you

to pick only two colors for your color code.

Complex notes never benefit too much color.

2 colors plus your main text color

like black or blue are the perfect amount

to maximize your abillity to retain information.

I know because I've made that mistake myself.

The final step

is just to assign your chosen colors

to referenced information.

Basically,

you need to understand, according to your subject,

the pattern in which information pops out

as you take your notes.

If you are taking science or maths

it's probably important to use a color for formulas and equations

so you can easily find them on a page.

for someone who is studying law, like me,

we're constantly referencing the law in class

so I always use a contrasting color to

name paragraphs and articles of the law

as well as referencing statutes.

Think beforehand of what is important, in whatever you are studying

and try out different combinations.

Last year, I bought a ton of colored pens and highlighters

and I completely overdid my color coding scheme.

As you can see in the video,

I mixed highlighters, colored pens

and things just stopped making sense.

It makes a pretty page

but, when you're studying,

all that color will just distract you,

and you won't even understand what's important and what is not.

A studying aesthetic is not all that important in the long run.

And, although it can help you feel motivated and inspired all you study,

the fact is, sometimes,

it won't help you achieve the results you are aiming for.