Highlighting: It's not just about hair anymore

And now, for my most nerdy post ever.

Chances are, you won't want to read this. It has to do with how to strategically color-code (i.e., highlight) textbooks, scholarly articles, etc.

So, if remembering the information you read isn't your thing, then click the back button immediately.

Go ahead and click.

No, seriously.

Still here?

Okay, here's the deal: About six years ago, I developed a highlighting strategy that has significantly upgraded my ability to read and retain information. Best of all, it is simple and works across a broad range of literary genres.

In a nutshell, here's the system:

Highlight key terms in pink.
Highlight key names in green.
Highlight key themes and "signposts" in orange.
Highlight whatever else you find interesting in yellow.

It's that simple.

Of course, the colors are arbitrary. Use what suits you best.

While key terms and key names are obvious, let me briefly explain the types of statements that I am likely to highlight as orange:

"The most important argument for..."
"The basic theme of this chapter..."
"My main reason for writing this book..."
"My central idea..."

When I review something that I've read, such as a book that I haven't picked up in a few years, I'll look at the orange statements first because they capture the most important themes.

I also use orange to highlight "signposts" like this: "There are four essential characteristics of..." Then, I will underline (in orange) the words "first," "second," etc., as they unfold in the reading. This makes it easy to find key points.

I've found that this system works well in textbooks, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, biblical literature, and even novels.

Occasionally you might need to adapt the colors to the particular needs of a specific genre. For example, I also use blue to designate organizations when I'm reading through business literature, and I use purple to indicate statistical techniques when I'm working through scholarly research articles.

I'll end with a caveat: Following this system may slow your reading down, if for no other reason than having to mess around with multiple highlighters. I think it's worth it, though.

If enough people are interested, we can get together for a highlighting party. I'll bring my 5-pack.