Meeting Notes That Get Used: A Simple Template
Good meeting notes answer three questions: what did we decide, who does what, and by when. A short, repeatable template makes that easy even when the meeting is moving fast.
The template
Copy this into a note and name it Template - Meeting:
Meeting: Date: People: Agenda - - Decisions - ACTION: who - what - due date ACTION: Parking lot (later) -
Why each part matters
- Header. Title, date and attendees make the note understandable months later.
- Agenda. Writing the topics first keeps the discussion on track and gives you headings to take notes under.
- Decisions. Record outcomes in plain sentences. Decisions are what people look up afterwards.
- Actions. One line each, with an owner and a date. Starting each line with the same word, such as ACTION, makes it findable.
- Parking lot. Off-topic ideas get a place to land so they do not derail the meeting.
Reuse it with duplicate and pin
Pin the template note so nobody edits it by accident. Before each meeting, use the duplicate button on the template, rename the copy with the date and topic, for example 2026-10-29 Project sync, and fill it in. The copy starts with the same text and is saved as its own file.
Find open actions in seconds
Type ACTION: into the Find in notes box. Every note that still contains an action gets a red outline, so one glance at the board shows which meetings have open items. When an action is finished, change ACTION: to DONE: on that line; the note drops out of the search results once none remain.
Tips for fast note taking
- Write short fragments, not sentences. Clean them up right after the meeting while your memory is fresh.
- Write the due date next to the owner at the moment it is agreed.
- Read the actions back aloud at the end so everyone confirms them.
- Send the decisions and actions to attendees the same day.
Related reading: Find and replace across many notes.