Color Your Life

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Green means go. Red means stop. You buy yellow roses to wish someone well. You buy a pink teddy bear for the proud parents of a new bouncing baby girl. Color can evoke feeling, emphasize a point and elicit a response. It permeates our entire lives, and now it's time to use it to help us get organized.

I'm no stranger to color. My nails may or may not have been painted deep blue for months when I was 12. My light brown locks may or may not have been dyed a midnight black junior year of high school. Fashion faux paus aside, I realized early on that color is a stellar organizational tool (I have gone so far as to color code my day planner).

Get inspired to use color today at home, in the office and beyond.

At Home

• Use color iron-on labels to sort your children's clothing and belongings. If your daughter or son has the same backpack as someone in their class, you'll always know they're taking the right one home.
Eco Tip - Assign each family member a different colored cup to use throughout the day. This way, you're not using paper cups or creating unnecessary dirty cups for the dishwasher.
• Use freezer-safe stickers to organize a week's worth of meals you've frozen in your fridge. Use yellow stickers to indicate chicken dishes, for example, and green for side dishes.
• Use colorful storage bins to separate your cleaning supplies and sponges. You don't want to use the kitchen sponge to clean your, ahem, throne. Keeping cleaning products and brushes separate prevents icky cross contamination.
• COLORFUL IDEA - Use color to represent days of the week or better yet, get colored sticky notes and help your kids use color to organize their homework assignments and class worksheets.

At the Office

• Every office has file folders. Some cubicles have mountains of disheveled folders while others have organized and easily accessible files. The difference (besides using a filing cabinet) is using color file folder labels.
• Color coding reaches across industry boundaries and can be especially helpful if used at law firms, medical practices and financial services companies.
• Does your business cater to clients in a variety of industries? Use color binders to keep track of contracts and invoice hard copies.
• Colors with good, bad and neutral connotations can help alert you to problems with accounts receivable. Think your deadbeats (red), in process of collections (yellow) and day to day files (blue).
• COLORFUL IDEA - Color for days of the week or month. Does your marketing firm have a big branding project due for a client? Use the office white board along with color dry erase markers to show priority of due dates.
• Use to organize your electronic contact management of virtual business cards or client database.
• Use to identify workers' files by department or function.
• Color can easily be applied to your computer or desktop calendar. High profile meetings can be highlighted in red while your lunch break can be highlighted in a calming blue (because we all know you deserve a few breaks throughout the day!)

Give your business a new hue

New businesses often rush to choose colors for logos and branding, but what some neglect to consider is the hidden message certain colors convey in everyday life. While previously established logos can be changed, don't forget that your initial choice sets the tone for your image.

Did you know? - According to a Loyola University Maryland study, color increases brand recognition up to 80 percent.

Find out the hidden meaning behind your favorite colors

Blue - This color is peaceful and tranquil and creates a calming response

Red - It's the most emotionally intense color and can signify anything from rage to romance

Yellow - It can be overpowering but is also revered as a cheery color

Orange - This color is said to combine the energy of red and the happiness of yellow

Purple - The color of royalty can symbolize wealth and sophistication

Pink - This color can indicate innocence and femininity

Green - The color of nature can also create a relaxed vibe in a house and is easy on the eyes

Black - This hue signifies power and authority

-Melissa T.