At some point I realised that I was taking copious notes in team meetings, at conferences, in church and other  places and they were not being integrated into my system. I read a few articles about how GTD applies to note taking and began to develop an approach that worked for me.

1. Using a Notebook – I spent some time in an anti-paper-electronic-zone but found that I was missing using a pen and went back to using a quality journal and gel pen that I keep with me at all times. For every team leadership event that is coming I will start a page and use it to jot down notes for the agenda items that will be covered. Then during the meeting, I will start a new page in which I will take brief notes – particularly about things that need to be followed up or commitments people have made to take action after the meetings.

2. Creating Helpful Symbols – I want to be able to glance at the page when I look back later and not have to read the whole thing – so I have developed some symbols that help me. I use a small checkbox and put letters next to it to indicate what category of action item it is. Here are some of the categories I currently use:

NA – This is for next actions that still need to be more clearly defined.

WF – This if for items that I am waiting for from people.

E – This is for errands – ie. things that I need to buy or get.

C – This is for phone calls that I need to make.

A – This is for agenda items – in GTD an agenda is something you speak to someone about.

These are written in the margins – either top/bottom or left/right margins so I can see them at a glance.

3. Other Symbols to Use – I have read about people using symbols beyond what I have mentioned here – i.e: (a) If an item is particularly important or insightful, put a star next to it. (b)  If an item requires further research or resolution, put a question mark next to it. (c) If an item requires follow-up, put a ballot box (open square) next to it. When the item is completed, I check it off. (d) If you assign a follow-up item to someone, put an open circle next to it (similar to the ballot box but a circle rather than a square) and indicate who is responsible – when the item is completed, check it off.

4. Processing the Next Actions – I then need to work through my note book and transfer these next actions to my Next Actions page – otherwise they stay hidden away in my notebook. It is important to schedule time to review your notes – ideally it should be done during your Weekly Review.

5. Completing the Next Actions – When I have attended to the item I will put a tick in the text box – both in my Next Actions list and also in my Notebook – so that when I look back at a previous meeting I don’t have  to try and figure out whether or not I have completed the next actions.