How Color-Coding Your Work Improves Your Memory

In Buckets, we use colors to better manage our work and differentiate one task from the other. There are numerous ways to do this such as; grouping tasks according to team member, priority status, or Project phase. But why do we do this and how does it actually work?

There have been a number of studies conducted over the years on the human memory capacity and the majority conclude that use of color can dramatically improve our memory process. This then results in a marked increase in our productivity and efficiency levels. This impact is very evident in the realm of task management because of the visual aspect involved. It has been proven that your brain will recognize a color and associate it with a task before taking the time to read and analyze a text, which influences your overall productivity.

Effective Use Of Color-Labeling

Color increases our memory capacity by making us pay more attention to the information being presented. Using Labels to tag Cards and Projects in your task management system gives your brain an easy ride as it can get an instant visual of what you need to do with minimal effort required. Whether you’re working collaboratively, independently, or both, having a routine way to manage your tasks is a great way to instantly improve your productivity. And adding color-coding into the mix will make even more of an impact.

The general scientific belief is that we can only hold 3 to 4 items in our working memory at once. Of course, many people have incredible memory capacity, but this appears to be learned rather than an inherent human ability. Studies have revealed that whilst color stimuli enhances processing in the brain, the cognitive response varies according to the specific color and the area of the brain being targeted.

In fact, a study by Mehta and Zhu (2008) found that participants performed better on a word recall task when the words were presented on a red background, while they performed better on a creativity task when it was displayed against a blue background. So there’s definitely a left/right brain differentiator at play.

In one particular study, it was revealed that a clear color contrast “will attract more attention and better visibility of an object or information”. Our neutral white UI background in Buckets makes it even easier to utilize the use of color in your task management by creating a distraction-free space for you to work. You can utilize colored Labels in 4 specific areas of your Buckets Project Management:

• Column color options
• Card Labels
• Checklist item Labels
• Custom Notifications

As basic example within a Buckets Project, you could use colored Labels to group tasks into work/personal and priority/non-priority. These Labels appear front-facing on each Buckets Card, so you don’t even have open the Card to view its status. You can also add Labels to Checklist items within each Card by hovering over the item and clicking on the Label icon that appears.

If you’re using Labels to color-code work within a Project, it’s also useful to create a Card containing a list of Labels and what each color represents. This avoids any confusion for new members who aren’t yet used to your system.

In your Custom Notifications, Labels can also be used to indicate specific areas of work updates — i.e. design, development. Assigning Custom Notification colors like this makes it easy to filter through your updates when they appear in your feed.

Making It Work For You

There’s no right or wrong way to utilize color in your task management process, but it’s definitely worth giving a go based on the evidence we’ve outlined here. Give it a go and let us know how you get on!

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