When it comes to taking meetings, writing emails and keeping track of your projects, note-taking can seem like a daunting task. But with a little preparation and the right mindset, note-taking doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think. In this blog post, we outline 10 tips for taking notes at work that will have you coming up with ideas from anywhere at anytime.
Why work notes are different
Unlike when you are taking notes to assist your studying, you are not simply taking notes to recall information in the future. You are taking notes while you are working on a project or meeting with colleagues. You are gathering information to help you make decisions in your work and be more effective as an employee. Therefore, you must take notes differently to assist this process.
Meeting notes for myself
When you are taking meeting notes for yourself, you are taking a journal entry that you can refer back to later. You can use these notes to help you understand a meeting or project and make decisions based on what you read. Meeting notes can also be used to remember details that aren’t as important as other details. For example, if you are taking notes about the agenda for a meeting, you can mark down the agenda items and their importance. But if you are taking notes about how someone looks, you can skip that detail. When you take meeting notes for yourself, you can write down everything that you are reading and everything that the other people are saying.
Meeting notes for 1 team
If you are taking meeting notes for a team meeting, you can consider the entire team members’ work and ideas. You can also take notes so that you can remember certain details or explain certain instructions when you need to give feedback to that team member. Meeting notes can also be used to write down ideas or brainstorming sessions that would help you come up with new ideas for your work.
Don’t rely on your phone for everything
While you may feel like you need your phone to take meeting or project notes, you need to be careful about this. Not only will it be distracting and messy, but it won’t be effective either. You’ll be more likely to miss details and will have to re-write details and ideas that were already written down. Using your phone for taking notes is simply inefficient and will waste your time.
Always write in pen, not on the computer
When you are taking notes in a journal or with a pen, you are creating a visual and auditory memory. When you are writing in a computer program, you are simply transferring that information from your mind to paper. But if you write in pen on paper, you are creating a visual and auditory memory. This means that you will be able to recall the details and ideas more easily if you need to.
Have a dedicated work space for taking notes
Whether you are taking notes at your desk or in a conference room, having an area set aside for note-taking can help you stay focused and get your work done. You can have note cards and a pen at your desk or a conference room table with a journal or file folder for taking notes. If you have an open work space, such as an open office or a cubicle, you can also get creative with hanging curtains or putting up posters to create a work space.
Use colour-coding when taking notes
When you are taking meeting notes for yourself or with a team meeting, you can use colour-coding to help you remember details. For example, if you are taking notes about a meeting agenda item, you can colour-code that agenda item to make it easier to remember. With a meeting, you can also use colour-coding to mark down the participants’ names or their roles in the meeting. When you are taking meeting notes for yourself, you can also use colour-coding to mark down details about the work that you are reading. With a visual memory, it can help you recall details that may go unnoticed otherwise.
Be creative while brainstorming new ideas
Whether you are brainstorming with a colleague or taking notes on a project, you can use creative techniques to help you come up with new ideas. When you are brainstorming ideas, you can ask yourself questions that help you think about the problem from different perspectives. For example, if you are brainstorming new ideas for a project, you can ask yourself questions like “What is the problem that the project solves?” or “What is the purpose of the project?” When you are brainstorming new ideas, you can also try using mind-mapping techniques. With mind-mapping, you write down ideas in a visual manner and connect them with arrows or lines to help you remember them better. When you are taking project or meeting notes, you can also try using a mind-mapping app to make it easier to recall the details.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions during meetings
While you may feel like you don’t know enough to ask questions during a meeting, you need to remember that everyone in the meeting also has questions. This can help to stop the meeting from going off track, which can help to come to a decision. If you are taking notes during a meeting, you can ask yourself these questions and write them down in a journal or file.
Conclusion
Keeping good records and records of meetings can be very helpful, especially for those that work in management or leadership roles. Good record-keeping can help to avoid making lots of mistakes and can help to prevent from performing poorly. When it comes to working efficiently and effectively, taking notes during meetings is one of the best ways to do so. Taking notes during meetings can be challenging as you may not know where to start or what to write. Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks that can help make it easier to remember the important information. When taking notes, it’s important to keep in mind that you’re not taking down information to be memorized, but rather to be used as an aide to decision-making.