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organization || The Mistral Method: Colour-Coding and Note-Taking Overview

IoanaMay 21, 2017

Okay. Before I go ahead and publish a general overview of my modified Cornell note-taking system (A.K.A. my proudest innovative creation, a masterpiece which I not-so-humbly call the “Mistral Method”), I think there’s one critical thing that needs to be established.

The colour coding system.

[EDIT: I recently released an updated VIDEO about my bullet and colour coding system. You can check it out here.]

In any note-taking system, the colour coding system forms the backbone. In my case, my colour coding system is both simple, aesthetic (I stick to blues and pinks, as a rule, because I like those colours), quick to use, and can adapt to my handwritten notes as well as my typed notes (hence its “duality”).

I keep my colour coding system on two sticky notes in my bullet journal. One is for my highlighter colours and one for my pen colours.

This way, if I ever make modifications (which occasionally, I do), I can update the sticky notes. If I forget what my latest additions were, I can always refer to the sticky notes.


NOTE: I try to correspond colours for different categories of information to keep my notes as logical as possible. For example, blue highlighter is definitions I need to memorize and turquoise is formulas or dates to memorize. Similar type of information means similar colours. When I look back at my notes, I look for blue hues if I’m memorizing.

To keep it organized, I also don’t double up by having a category have both a highlighter colour AND a pen colour. Over time, I’ve developed this system to make logical sense so that the categories represented by pen colours are specifically things I’d want to write by hand, and the categories for highlighters are things I might want to emphasize or make stand out later (not necessarily the moment I am writing or typing my notes). This way, in both my handouts and my handwritten notes, definitions are black text highlighted in blue.


Highlighting Hierarchy

I have a hierarchy for the highlighting system. Sometimes things might fall under multiple categories. For example, if something is “important” but it is also a “formula”, I will highlight it in the “formula” colour not the “important colour”, as determined by my “hierarchy”.

The hierarchy is the circled numbers on the right.

Handwritten Notes

For handwritten notes, my colours have rather general meanings. Later, I will go in and highlight to identify specific elements of the notes like definitions and important information.


NOTE: I mentioned earlier that, for example, definitions doesn’t have both a pen colour AND a highlighting colour. HOWEVER, I often like to write definitions in capital letters in black pen and then highlight in blue to make them stand out even more. Plus, if I determine something isn’t a definition after all but it was still a key concept, I’ve still got it in capital letters so it’s still “important”.


Typed Notes

I have my own Microsoft Word template that has pre-set Styles, fonts and colours. Although I don’t colour font pink or red like my “pen” colour system suggests for handwritten notes, I do have a preset shortcut that makes font a light blue, and I use it for things that I want to stand out in my notes. Generally, though, I just type them up in an organized way and then highlight. My pen system is mainly meant for typed notes, which can’t be organized and thus need some immediate organization by colour. (HOPEFULLY that makes sense. :-P)

Handouts

Occasionally, I get printed handouts from my teachers, and it helps a lot with absorbing information if I highlight them as I read. Then, when studying off of them I can easily just read what’s important and not have to read the whole handout again.

Sticky Notes

I also use sticky notes a lot in my notes, and although lately I don’t exactly stick to a specific colour system for these, I do have a general colour coding system for them, too.

However, since I often run out and also not all sticky note colours are available in all sizes, it’s impractical to ALWAYS expect certain information to be on specific sticky note colours.

You’ll see that the sticky note colours correspond somewhat to my pens and highlighting colours.


Check out my post on my general note-taking system to see how this colour coding system gets put into effect!

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Comments (21)

  • Christine Loeffler

    September 29, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    Your posts are extremely well thought out, and I’ve enjoyed reading and re-reading the. I’m curious about the actual pens, paper, pencil pouch, tools that you are using. Can you post a list of those, please??

    Reply
    1. Cari Cymric

      October 15, 2017 at 2:35 am

      I’m curious about these too!

      Reply
    2. Ioana

      November 5, 2017 at 5:50 pm

      Hello! Thank you for the kind words! And so sorry for the late reply, I was looking through my comments and realized I never got back to you. 😉

      I plan on making a “what’s in my pencil case” post and video soon, but for now I’ve also got a fairly extensive list of everything I use in this post, check it out here:
      https://mistralspirit.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/how-to-start-a-bullet-journal-setting-up-for-2017/

      Reply
  • Farah

    November 28, 2017 at 2:03 am

    Have/will you consider sharing your Word template for your typed notes? I am very curious to learn more about this!

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      November 28, 2017 at 12:30 pm

      I have! I’m still trying to work out how I can do it without the file being automatically modified by the computer used to download it. But for sure, when I post about my typed system I’ll share the template too. (If anything, I’ll share the settings so you can replicate them yourself!)

      Reply
      1. Farah Davie

        November 29, 2017 at 12:36 am

        Thanks so much 😊😊😊

        Reply
      2. Nawal Amir

        December 6, 2017 at 8:01 am

        You can try and save it as a PDF!

        Reply
      3. nameless

        August 24, 2019 at 3:57 pm

        Did you share the template for Word at the end? I am very curious about it!

        Reply
  • silvermist

    December 8, 2017 at 12:43 am

    I don’t know if you’ll ever read this but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Mistral method! Ever since you posted your videos on youtube, I’ve been hooked! I really like the whole concept and I’m thinking of applying it when I start medicine on August 2018, which is such a long time I know; but you can never be too ready right? XD The problem is they don’t usually sell grid or dotted note-taking paper in my country and no one’s even HEARD of the Cornell method here! So far, I’m having no luck finding paper like yours either in a physical store or online ;( So I was wondering if you had any printables? I really want a dotted Cornell note template w/o the summary at the bottom (I kinda think it’s useless to rewrite stuff again too!) or whatever you have available would be amazing. Gosh, I hope you’re able to read this. You’re like my note-taking idol! Shoutout from the Philippines! <3

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      December 30, 2017 at 1:13 pm

      Heyy!! 😉 Sorry I’m a little late! 😛 My blog’s commenting system is a bit hard to manage sometimes so I don’t keep up with it as much (though I should)! Thank you so much for reaching out and for the kind comment! I am so so glad it’s helped you with your goals! As for grid or dotted paper, you can find printables online, there’s a ton of great websites for it. Here’s one that’s pretty good: https://incompetech.com/graphpaper/square.html

      Lots of love from Canada and all the best with your medicine studies!! <3

      Reply
      1. Bena

        January 14, 2018 at 7:42 am

        I don’t care if I sound uncool when I say my eyes literally popped out when I saw you replied to my comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me, you’re like one of the few study youtubers who’s ever replied to me XD I wish you luck too with school, your blog and youtube channel! I hope you post more study and note-taking videos soon cause I absolutely LOVE them!

        Reply
      2. Bena

        January 14, 2018 at 7:42 am

        I don’t care if I sound uncool when I say my eyes literally popped out when I saw you replied to my comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me, you’re like one of the few study youtubers who’s ever replied to me XD I wish you luck too with school, your blog and youtube channel! I hope you post more study and note-taking videos soon cause I absolutely LOVE them!

        Reply
        1. Ioana

          January 15, 2018 at 7:57 pm

          Aww! You are so sweet! Of course I’ll take the time to reply. 😛 And I sure will make more!

          Reply
      3. silvermist

        January 14, 2018 at 7:45 am

        I don’t care if I sound uncool when I say my eyes literally popped out when I saw you replied to my comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me, you’re like one of the few study youtubers who’s ever replied to me XD I wish you luck too with school, your blog and youtube channel! I hope you post more study and note-taking videos soon cause I absolutely LOVE them!

        Reply
  • Brandi

    June 10, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    Any chance you have the settings for your note taking template on Word? It looks so interesting and I feel like it would really help me with my note taking

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      June 19, 2018 at 10:42 am

      For sure! I actually now use Google Docs to take notes, and I’ll look into sharing the template for that. However, for Word I haven’t been able to export the template. Here are the settings I have in Word:
      – Franklin Gothic size 10 font
      – colour scheme blue warm
      – Heading 1 is Felix Titling size 14 and centered, with the text outlined rather than normally filled
      – Title is Castellar size 20, also centered, and also outlined but the fill is black instead of white (this makes it look bold)
      – for questions and whatnot, I colour the text with Blue-grey accent 4

      Hope that helps! 😉 Play around with it, I changed it a ton of times before settling on these settings that I’m happy with for both printing and typing.

      Reply
      1. nameless

        August 24, 2019 at 4:00 pm

        I just saw this reply, can you post an example of it doing a screenshot?

        Reply
  • organization || my universal bullet, signifier and colour code system + FREE printable – Mistral Spirit

    July 2, 2018 at 4:39 pm

    […] old post on my colour code system can be found here. This is a written blog post with pictures explaining how I (used to) take notes and highlight […]

    Reply
  • Emma

    July 11, 2018 at 7:15 pm

    I was wondering where you get your colored pens from? and the website link.

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      July 11, 2018 at 11:26 pm

      Hey! They’re from a store called Muji. You can find them on Amazon, or on their website at http://www.muji.com/

      Reply
  • 10 Ways of Taking Better Notes to Get That A+ – My Vivid Life

    August 13, 2020 at 3:01 am

    […] mistralspirit.comthe credits go to its […]

    Reply

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Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

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ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
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Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
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- dilettante
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Pls note: photos taken “while reading” are obviously not as impromptu as they may appear on Instagram. They’re usually when (a) you’re on a reading intermission because you either haven’t started or are getting a bit tired of reading for so long or (b) there’s a long period of descriptive text that doesn’t necessarily represent the quality of the book and is a good time to hashtag let-me-take-a-selfie. So don’t read this one page and form an opinion about the book. Instagram isn’t reality. 😜

Pls also note I’m only 40% through the book so my review isn’t definite. I’ve been burned before by jumping too excitedly to recommend a book (in this case, TV show) to everyone around me before realizing it gets WEIRD later on. So take my moment of excitement with a grain of salt - more thoughts to come!
Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and @leuchtturm1917 @leuchtturm1917canada! 👀 Here’s a closer look!

Can you tell I had so much fun unboxing this 😅 It’s my new desk pen for days that I want to feel a little ✨fancy✨

#gifted #pen #amwriting #bulletjournalleuchtturm1917 #gelpen #journal #journaling #planner #studygram #aestheticstudy #bujo #bulletjournal #bulletjournalpen #bujopen #minimalistplanner #bulletjournaling #bulletjournalcommunity #penlover
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