Posted by Note taking is one of the most useful things you can do. You should do it when you’re in meetings, working on an idea, on the phone, reviewing a document, or just having a chat with someone.
They give you a simple written account of what happened which you can refer back to at any time.
This is vital because you will not remember. Fact.
The practice is also helpful for other reason. Firstly it keeps you engaged with what’s going on and keeps you from drifting off.
Another reason is that it shows you’re listening and paying attention which a very respect manner to convey to the other person. There’s nothing worse than speaking to someone and you can just see they’re not there.
How to get setup
I have one notebook for all my notes and don’t use it for anything else. It’s A4 portrait size, has spirals at the side, tough cardboard front and back and has ruled lines.
I have a second notepad (not a notebook) which I use for diagrams. This is just a plain old A4 notepad with cardboard at the back and plain sheets on top. I use it for drawing and sketching out things which are easier to explain with a picture. This keeps my notebook just for notes.
Preparing to take notes
I being directly under the previous set of notes and drawn a line. I then write a title of the meeting to the left and the date on the right. I then write down who’s at the meeting.
That’s it.
The names can be challenging at times as you may or may not know everyone.
If you don’t know everyone, hopefully a round table of introductions is done. If so, take everyone’s first name down in the order they’re introduced. Put your name in there as well so you can backtrack to who’s who. If you miss anyone, draw a line as a space to fill later.
This is difficult, but is absolute gold.
If no round table, then draw a series of lines to fill in. Hopefully peoples names are mentioned throughout the meeting
You’re good to go.
Taking notes
There are three types of notes I take.
- Actions I need to do
- Actions others need to do that I need to follow up on
- General notes
Actions I need to do
These are actions I’ve committed to doing.
I first draw a box, then write the action. I start with a verb and give as much context as possible.
Actions by others that I need to follow up on
These are actions other have committed to doing that I either depend on have a responsibility for delivering without actually doing the work.
I draw a circle, the write the action. I usually start off with “Follow up with”, but other verbs (e.g. “Call”, “email”) also work. I write down enough details on this to give enough context on what’s supposed to be done.
General notes
These are just plain old useful pieces of information that always tend to be useful somewhere down the track. For example: In progress actions, what people are working on, new acronyms, schedule dates, expectations, requirements, needs, names of things mentioned, problems, issues.
I draw a dash, and then just write. I capture as much key information as possible.
Post Meeting
After the meeting, I review my actions and follow ups. I use a web based task management application called Nozbe to manage my actions. Any action I can’t do within 2 minutes I’ll add it to Nozbe.
Any action I complete I put a tick in the box. That’s the best bit! Every day I get a wonderful feeling of completion over and over again. Any action I need to add to Nozbe, I put an N in the box.
Follow ups I add to Nozbe with a date and time for me to do the follow up. I then tick that circle. Sadly though, ticking a circle isn’t as satisfying as ticking a box.
Reviewing
Every couple of weeks I go back and read through my notes. It’s a good refresher and helps pick up on anything you may have missed.
So that’s it. I’d love to hear your note taking process and what your tips are so please leave a comment below.