There are two things I heard recently that seemed interesting to consider.
Cal Newport mentioned the benefits of scheduling 30 minutes after a meeting.
In this time, we can review our notes and handle actions that can be done quickly.
The second was a comment from someone that taking notes isn’t enough.
You need to “take notes and then make notes”.
Both carry a similar theme around understanding and action.
Taking notes is defined as writing down what the speakers are saying.
These two pieces of advice suggest reviewing and reorganizing notes for our benefit.
Ensure we understand the content.
Add items to our to do list.
Summarize in an easy-to-understand way for others.
My Perspective
The above makes so much sense.
I’m not sure why this isn’t something that gets more attention.
Fitting the time in between meetings during the day could be difficult for some.
In that case, leveraging the concept of a shutdown routine could be the right time to review.
The closer the review and actions can happen, the better.
Content will be fresh in our minds.
I think this concept could expand beyond meetings to training sessions, coffee chats, and more.
Your Turn
Do you take notes during your day?
What is your approach to processing everything you captured?
Is there a way to formalize your approach and add more intentionality?