Have you ever reviewed notes from a meeting, but quickly realize you have no idea what you were thinking when you were writing them down? Although you may feel like you will remember everything from the meeting at the time, it’s easy to lose track of the specifics when you start focusing on other tasks. To avoid confusion and wasted time, here are 4 secrets to taking effective and organized meeting notes:

1. Label Your Notes

At the top of the page include the date, title, type, or purpose of the meeting. This will allow you find your notes quickly later on.

2. Refer to the Agenda

If there is a meeting agenda, use the topics listed as a guide to organize your notes. You can number each topic and use that numerical system to outline your meeting notes. This will simplify your search because you can find your notes on certain topics discussed without reading through all of your meeting notes.

3. Mark Follow-Up and Action Items

Take special note of items that you are required to complete or follow-up on. You can use the word “ACTION” to call out such items, or place a checkbox next to the words that describe the action item.

4. Update Your “To Do” List

If you have a lot of action items, place your action items directly into a separate “to do” list as soon as you can after the meeting. This will ensure that you won’t forget any important tasks that were assigned to you during the meeting.

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