Take Note

It’s time to talk about how to improve your note taking for the workplace. But before we get into it, I’d like to point out that people should not be consistently asking you to take notes for everyone because you are female. That is some gender bias bulls***, you can scroll down to the end for additional tips.

1. Choose the format. I personally prefer to take notes the old-fashioned way, with a notebook, different colored pens, and a handful of highlighters. I find that it feels a little more open than having a monitor between you and others, has less potential for distractions (emails, IMs, multi-tasking), and helps me to remember the information. I like to separate big projects into their own notebooks so all the project information is in one place.

Using a computer is also a perfectly good alternative. This is the better choice for people with poor penmanship, who can rip Mavis Beach a new one, and who want to take advantage of computer functions such as search. You can use word, onenote, or whatever program provides the functionality you need.

2. Title and tags. Add a descriptive title to the top of your sheet. Examples include “April 20 - Project 20105 Internal Meeting,” “Wind Load Analysis,” or “M.E.P. Coordination Meeting.” This will help you refer back to your notes later.

I also like to tag the top corner of the sheet with an abbreviated title. Examples include “20105 Meet,” “Wind,” or “MEP.” This lets me flip through the corner of my notebook and find what I'm looking for. You can also flag sheets with post-its, so you can easily flip to certain pages.

3. Highlight action items. When an action item comes up during my meetings, I like to highlight it. You can even distinguish between the action items for yourself and for others with different colors. At the end of your meeting, you can easily review all the action items and make sure they are assigned and given deadlines. And while you work on those action items later, you can refer back to your notes to make sure you don’t forget a task.

4. Write down questions for the end. For larger group meetings or meetings with a person who loves going off on tangents, asking questions throughout the meeting may derail progress. Instead, I designate a page or post-it to write down my questions. I’ll cross out any of the questions that are answered throughout the meeting. Then at the end of the meeting, I can go through all my remaining questions in order of importance. Any remaining questions you don’t have time for are documented and can easily be followed up via email later.

5. Draw figures and tables if it helps. One of the nice things about taking notes on paper is that you have the freedom to draw figures, tables, or whatever you want. You can draw a concept section of the structure, draw arrows to connecting trains of thought, and create tables to organize thoughts. You can be creative with your note taking, it doesn’t always have to be bulleted lists.

6. Send out minutes. Post-meeting you can send out meeting minutes or even just an abbreviated list of the action items. You don’t have to send out minutes every time. But sometimes it’s useful to have receipts, especially when you’re working on a complicated project that requires major coordination, when your manager loves misremembering your discussions, and when your teammates tend to forget the tasks they agreed to. And on the other side, you may have forgotten to make note of something that someone else can correct.

7. Agenda and meeting prep. This may be a little tangential to note taking, but let’s talk about prep. If you’re going to be leading a meeting, you may want to create an agenda beforehand. I like to make a list of the items that need to be discussed, specific questions I need answered, and any action items remaining from the previous meeting. If it’s worthwhile, I will send the agenda in advance of the meeting so others can prepare and add to it as well. This can help focus the meeting and make sure that you don’t forget to discuss any important points.

Okay, now let’s talk about gender bias. The best advice I can give young women fresh out of college is to do your best not to set a precedent. In an effort to seem like a team-player, you might offer to take notes the first time. Unfortunately, this can result in you being asked to take notes EVERY time. If you’re in a situation where you are asked to take notes continuously (or other administrative tasks), I would encourage you to challenge it in whatever way is most comfortable to you. If their lame-a** excuse is that you’re better at it (because even as an engineer, they are somehow so moronic they can’t take notes), then that’s all the more reason for them to practice that skill. You can even passive aggressively link them to this post for note taking tips.