According to the autumnal equinox, fall 2022 is right around the corner. With the first official day of fall being on September 22nd. However, schools and universities around the country have already gone back to classes for the fall semester . Now, I don’t know about you but when I was kid, back to school meant one very exciting thing: pens! And pens! And even more pens galore! In my experience, and I think I can speak for a big chunk of the people out there; buying school supplies was one of the most fun parts of going back to school. Sure, seeing your friends again and having new and exciting classes to take are all good fun, but can you really compare that with the satisfaction of opening up a fresh notebook and colour-coding all your new classes with different colored pens, markers and highlighters? I think not.
Even if you are not going back to school for the fall semester, I know I still love to use all different colored pens and highlighters to organize different aspects of both my personal and professional life. Whether for school, university, your job, or just everyday life; pens, pencils, markers and highlighters are a must for anyone who is looking to get organized, stay organized, or even just to inject a little bit of fun and colour in your everyday life.
Colour-Coding Organizational Strategy
I believe that pens, markers and highlighters are all tools that we tend to overlook when expressing ourselves and our creativity in our everyday life. They seem like such a mundane thing, with little consequence or importance in our lives. But I can promise, once you set a colour-coding system in place that works for you, you will never want to go back to the world of mismatched colored pages. It’s a very simple organizational strategy that can help an individual or internal team optimize their processes. Plus, there is something so dull about staring at a page written exclusively in blank or blue ink. It tends to have a boring look that inspires no part of the brain to continue reading. Nor does it make it particularly easier to find relevant or useful information.
Want a quick organization trick that will make your life a thousand times easier when going through your notes? Even if you are not a big colored pen person and tend to stay on the more toned downside of things, simply using a highlighter to highlight titles, subtitles or any particularly important or useful information in your notes can make a big difference in the long run. Believe me, your future self will thank you for this! Colour coding is extremely useful for separating and organizing information.
Keep it Simple and Be Consistent!
Another insight I can give you concerning colour coding is that it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be complicated. A great way of reaping the benefits of colour coding while keeping it simple is to pick 3 to 5 different categories you want to separate or organize and then pick colours you find most appealing to go with these categories. You can really tailor this concept to your preferences and needs, making it as simple or as complex as you want. Whether you use colored pens for titles, markers for underlining or highlighting relevant information, it’s up to you to decide what you like and what works best for you.
Finally, I am going to let you in on the most effective tips to reaping the benefits of using this powerful business tool. My first tip is to be consistent with the system you set in place. Nothing will make sense if you use blue for internal meeting notes one day and then use the same colour for something completely different the next. My second tip is to keep it clear and simple. The clearer and simpler your system is the less likely you are to get confused or forget what something was meant to stand for. A colour key can really help with this. Lastly, my third tip is to incorporate colour theory into your system so the colours make more sense to you. Certain colours generally evoke certain emotions. For example, red is usually an alarming colour, so that could be great for urgent tasks, while on the other hand green can be used to signal tasks you have already completed.
The Psychology of Colour
There can be many benefits to using tools such as pens, markers and highlighters to colour code and get yourself organized. It has been proven that colours have an influence on how you learn, as well as positively impacting your concentration levels. According to colour psychology, colours are powerful psychological triggers for the brain that help users learn better by changing their perception and evoking emotions. This is such an effective theory, that colour psychology is even a very powerful tool used commonly in marketing. So clearly using colours to our advantage in the workplace is not a new concept by any means.
Purchasing Made Easy
One of the best things about pens, markers and highlighters is that they are inexpensive and easy to find anywhere. One of the easiest ways you can invest in these tools in order to start right away your new organization journey is to order your pens, pencils, markers and highlighters online on eSupply Canada’s website. No matter where in Canada you are located, eSupply Canada can reach you and deliver your items right to your doorstep. eSupply Canada has distribution centres in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, allowing swift delivery to any business in urban, rural and remote locations.
When you purchase from eSupply Canada, not only are you set with all your office supply needs, but you would also be supporting a growing indigenous owned company. By placing your order through eSupply Canada, you can have an even greater impact than you would through supporting the same old big-box retailer that is more concerned with cutting costs and maximizing shareholder value. At eSupply Canada we're doing things differently. Come find out for yourself and place your order today!