• HOME
  • Planning
    • Planner Newbie
      • New to planning? Start here
    • Planning Tips & Inspiration
    • 52 Planning Systems in 52 Weeks
      • My weekly spreads
    • Planner Index
    • Planner Reviews
      • Horizontal Weekly
      • Horizontal 1 Page Weekly + Notes
      • Vertical Weekly
      • Hourly Planners
      • Categories Weekly
      • Daily Planners
      • Discbound Planners
      • Teacher Planners
      • Planner Roundups
      • Happy Planner (MAMBI)
      • Budget Planners
    • Planner Comparisons
    • Bullet Journal
      • Bullet Journal Reviews
      • Bullet Journal Spreads
      • Bullet Journal Tips
    • Planner pens
    • Highlighters
    • Planner Stickers
    • Digital Planning
    • Household Binder
    • Stationery Shopping
    • Rachael’s Favorites
    • Blogging & Online Business
  • Graphic Design
    • Photoshop Tutorials
    • Microsoft Word
    • Microsoft Excel
    • Canva
    • Silhouette Studio
    • PicMonkey
  • SHOP
    • Shop at Etsy
    • Online Store
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • ECOURSES
    • Ebooks
      • 54 Mistakes Etsy Sellers Make (And How to Fix Them)
      • 1200 Blog Post Ideas
        • 1200 Blog Post Ideas (Exclusive Download Content)
      • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (For Any Type of Blog)
        • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (Exclusive Download Content)
    • Feedback & Testimonials
    • Planner Supplies (my sister’s shop!)
    • Shop my favorite planner supplies on Amazon
  • Learn
    • ECOURSES
      • Free Graphic Design Video Tutorials Library
      • How to Make Planner Stickers
      • How to Make Printables in Photoshop
      • How to Make Printables in Microsoft Word
      • How to Make Printables in Microsoft Excel
      • How to make digital planners and notebooks in Microsoft PowerPoint
      • How to Make Labels in Photoshop
      • How to Make Patterns in Photoshop
      • How to Make Party Printables
      • How to Write Product Descriptions
    • Ebooks
      • 54 Mistakes Etsy Sellers Make (And How to Fix Them)
      • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (For Any Type of Blog)
      • 1200 Blog Post Ideas
  • FREE
    • FREE Printables
    • Free Printables Library – Subscribers Login
  • Travel
    • Travel Planning
    • Europe
    • Australia & New Zealand
  • About
    • Browse All Posts
    • FAQ
      • What is a Printable? What happens when I purchase a printable from you?
      • Printing Tips
      • Printable Planner Stickers
      • Downloading Files
      • How to Open Zipped File Folders
      • What does EDITABLE mean?
      • Monogram Etiquette

All About Planners

Printable planners to organize your home, business and life!

June 24, 2017

Color coding your planner: how to choose which colors to use

I love color coding my planner – it makes the weekly spread nice and colorful and makes me more productive 🙂 If you want to try color coding your planner, here are some things to consider:color code your planner how to choose colors for color coding planning ideas inspiration tips choosing pens best supplies

How many colors should you use?

I recommend no more than 5 colors, anymore than than and it’s get a bit much to try and coordinate especially if you’re using multiple types of planner supplies (e.g. stickers and pens).

If you have a lot going on you may need to use more than 5 colors. That’s totally ok to use use more colors, you may find later on you want to add more categories or combine some – there’s no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ number of colors to use!

Related: 50 Category Ideas for Color Coding Your Planner

how to color code your planner choose category planner ideas setup a new planner bullet journal bujo planner time inspiration diy plum paper color coding-min

While most people color code by category, there are other ways to color code including:

  • By Time
  • Priority
  • Steps / workflow
  • By person

Related: 6 Ways to color code your planner to increase productivity

how to color code your planner to increase productivity time management organization planner inspiration ideas color coding diy tips tricks hacks haul

WHICH COLORS SHOULD YOU USE?

Use colors that are readily available in the planner supplies you want to use. I prefer to use pens as my main planner supply when color coding. I also use planner stickers and sticky notes.

I tend to avoid colors like teal and red as they aren’t available in a lot of planner supplies (typically only pens).

If you’re just starting to color code your planner, go with cheaper color coding supplies to start with (i.e. pens!)

These are the colors I recommend you start with (in this order) if you want to color code your planner:

Blue

Most planner pen brands will always have a blue in the pack. The basic everyday pens such as PaperMate Kilometrico and other ballpoint pens that are cheap 99% of the time come in black and blue making them an affordable and readily available color

how to choose planner pen brand inkjoy papermate gel writing planning supplies essentials getting started no bleed smudge ballpoint papermate flair

Green

If you want to color code within the category e.g. using light green for social media and dark green for blog post planning, green is a good color to use as it tends to be in 2 shades in rainbow pen packs (blue also tends to come in light and dark blue colors as well)

how to color code your planner using pens papermate inkjoy gel ballpoint writing smooth best good favorite no smudge

Pink 

Because it’s pretty ? and it also tends to be included in multi-colored pen packs and is a bright color that stands out on the page.

favorite planner pen brands pink pilot frixion artline smoove papermate inkjoy gel ballpoint no smudge smear erin condren glossy label matte

Orange

Tends to always look the same shade of orange no matter what pen brand you use

best planner pens orange color coding how to color code your planner inkjoy paper mater milan frixion artline staedter review

Purple

The shades of purple from light to dark vary more than the other colors in this list. So if you’re OCD about using the same/similar shade of purple then use purple as your 5th color.

The Papermate Inkjoy gel, in particular, writes in very dark ink even though the pen color is a medium purple (it’s the 6th pen from the left in the picture below).

best pens for writing in planners inkjoy papermate gel cheap no bleed smudge see through erin condren fine tip medium plum paper review

Red

You can use red but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are intending to color code ONLY using pen. I don’t color code in red pen (unless it’s an urgent task) because I color code with other planner supplies including sticky notes and highlighters which typically don’t come in red.

favorite planner supplies for color coding that cost less than 5 dollars back to school accessories washi tape planner stickers highlighter

CHOOSING PENS FOR COLOR CODING

Things to keep in mind when choosing pens for color coding is:

  • Make sure you choose pens that are readily available. I live in Australia and if you do to, it’s probably not a good idea to buy a pen and get addicted to it if it’s only sold overseas with shipping so expensive!
  • Try cheaper pen brands first such as the Kmart pens, you may find those are sufficient for your needs and that you don’t need to buy expensive pens
  • That being said, some of my favorite pens for color coding are the PaperMate Inkjoy Gel – they aren’t cheap but they write really well – if you’re going to be color coding all the time, you may want to splurge ?

favorite planner pens review planner accessories papermate inkjoy sarasa pilot g2 fine tip gel flair le pen triplus

Looking for planner pens? My sister has tons of pens and other planner supplies (including the Happy Planner, Kate Spade and stickers!) in her shop

The colors I use for color coding:

  • Pink = blog posts about planning
  • Blue = graphic design blog posts & video tutorials to record
  • Green = blogging & online business blog posts
  • Purple = social media & behind the scenes
  • Orange = tasks relating to making products (free and paid)

Want more tips for color coding? See these posts:

  • Planner Organization: How to color-code your planner (so you’ll actually use it effectively)
  • Favorite color coding planner supplies for less than $5
  • Ultimate list of the best planner pen brands and how to choose colors for color coding 
  • 50 Category Ideas for Color Coding Your Planner
  • How to organize and color code your notes for school, college or university 
  • Color coded monthly meal planning using sticky notes 
  • 6 Ways to color code your planner to increase productivity

Liked this post? Pin it!

color code your planner how to choose colors for color coding planning ideas inspiration tips choosing pens best supplies

You may also be interested in...

  • Favorite color coding planner supplies under $5Favorite color coding planner supplies under $5
  • Ultimate list of the best planner pen brands and how to choose colors for color codingUltimate list of the best planner pen brands and how to choose colors for color coding
  • Planner Organization: How to color-code your planner so you’ll actually use it effectivelyPlanner Organization: How to color-code your planner so you’ll actually use it effectively
  • FREE Printable To Do Checklist Planner Insert (For Erin Condren or Any Planner)FREE Printable To Do Checklist Planner Insert (For Erin Condren or Any Planner)
  • 6 Ways to color code your planner to increase productivity6 Ways to color code your planner to increase productivity
  • How to color code bill paying in your planner (7 different ways)How to color code bill paying in your planner (7 different ways)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Posted In: Planning Tips & Inspiration · Tagged: affordable planner pens, alternatives to planner stickers, ballpoint pen, best college planner, best colors for color coding, best gel pens, best pens, best pens for color coding, best pens for planners, best pens for planning, best pens for the plum paper planner, best planner for busy mom, best planner for etsy shop, best planner for school students, best planner for students, best planner pen, best planner pens, best rainbow colored pens, best tools for color coding, bullet journalling, cheap ballpoint pens, cheap gel pens, cheap planner pens, cheap rollerball pens, choosing colors for color coding, color code ideas, color code planner, color code planner stickers, color coded office supplies, color coding, color coding 101, color coding by category, color coding pens, color coding planner stickers, color coding planner supplies, color coding tips, color coding using pen, color coding your planner, color coding your planner using pens, colors to avoid when color coding, etsy shop planner, favorite color coding pens, favorite pens for color coding, favorite planner pens, favorite planner supplies, FREE planner stickers, how color coding increase efficiency, how I color code my planner, how to choose a planner, how to choose colors for color coding, how to color code planner for moms, how to color code your planner, how to set up a new planner, how to set up a planner, how to set up a weekly planner, how to set up weekly spread, how to use a planner, how to use a weekly planner, introduction to color coding, ombre planner spread, papermate inkjoy gel review, pen review, pens versus highlighters which is better for color coding, planner color code system, planner color coding ideas, planner essentials, planner ideas, planner inspiration, planner organization, planner organization for moms, planner pen review, planner printable, planner productivity, planner resource, planner reviews, planner spread, planner supplies for color coding, planning by category, rainbow colored pens, rainbow pens, rainbow planner spread, rollerball pens, should you use planner stickers, simple planner layout, time management, tips for using a planner, what colors to use for color coding, what is the best planner, which pens write best in the erin condren, which pens write best on label paper, which planner should I choose

Welcome

Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

Subscribe and join 60,000+ others on the quest to find planner peace!

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Search

Subscribe

free printables library sign up all about planners blog image graphic subscribe

Shop At Etsy

The photos and content on this site are the property of All About Planners. They are not allowed to be used without permission from All About Planners.

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Artful Agenda Digital Planner review
  • Peter Pauper Press Essentials Dot Matrix Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)
  • ARC Punch versus Happy Planner versus the Levenger 1-2-3 Punch: Which is better?
  • Clever Fox Planner Pro Weekly Review
  • Simple Christmas themed weekly spread with washi tape and stencils

Disclaimer

All About Planners is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Popular Posts

  • 130+ functional ideas to use blank notes pages of your planner or an empty notebook
  • Setting up a new planner: 70 Tasks to add
  • Planner Organization: How to color-code your planner so you’ll actually use it effectively
  • Bullet Journal Ideas: 26 Weekly Spread Layouts to Try
  • 100 things to put in your habit tracker of your planner or bullet journal (plus free printable habit tracker)

Printables

  • Learn How to Make Printables
  • How to Make Planner Stickers
  • Resources & Tools I Recommend

Subscribe to access the free Printables library

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Privacy

Copyright © 2021 All About Planners · Theme by 17th Avenue