Color Coding Calendar simply means assigning different colors to your events according to pre-defined rules.
Some people assign different colors to indicate different priorities. Some assign colors for energy level. Everyone has their own method. Here is one I found on LinkedIn.
The definition can be anything you want. The main point is you have some definition and then use it consistently. Once you do, the colors will provide a visual summary of your week.
How I Color Code My Personal Calendar
I have decided to use color to define the type of task. I use Google Calendar and it has a limited set of colors. I use the following colors:
- Default Calendar Color: These are actual events, e.g. movies, concerts, friends’ birthday parties, any event involving someone else, etc.
- Tomato: Time for family and partner, e.g. date night.
- Grape: Time spent doing activities for general survival, e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner, chores.
- Flamingo: One of the important tasks that require focus, e.g. planning a vacation, filing tax returns. If it doesn’t need focus, it’s probably just a chore.
- Sage: Time spent working to earn money. It’s a chunk of 8 hours. I have a separate work calendar with its own color code definition.
- Graphite: Commute time. I exclusively use it to mark time spent commuting to the office.
- Banana: Time spent working on my goals/values, e.g. hobbies, blogging, reading, writing, etc. This is what I try to maximize on my calendar.
A total of 7 colors are being used at the moment. Sage and Graphite are used for one exclusive activity so I play with the 5 other colors most of the time.
Don’t use too many colors. Simple system work better than fancy ones.
What About The Gaps? What Do They Mean?
The gaps mostly mean free time without any particular intention. I typically do more survival tasks during those phases, rest, react to events, etc.
I don’t try to eliminate every gap on my calendar. Trying to schedule/plan every action is tedious. It’s fine to leave gaps to indicate “miscellaneous”.
Just make sure your life is not full of miscellaneous blocks.
Final Thoughts – Keeping It Simple
Color coding is a very cool concept. It’s really nice to see how I have spent my time at the end of the week. Trying to maintain it is a burden so I try to keep the number of colors and activities I track to the minimum.
For example, I don’t try to track the Grape color too much. I have some recurring events and it’s fine if those are inaccurate. The Tomato color and Banana color is important to me so I try to track them as accurately as possible.
If at any point you notice that you are struggling to keep your calendar synced with your life, it’s an indication that you are trying to track too much. Pause and re-evaluate what matters to you the most and simplify.