[2021-11-05] Take notes
When working as an assistant deputy minister—surviving on six hours of sleep per night (on a good night)—I had a hard time remembering things. I chalked it up to fatigue. So I took copious notes, especially of action items I needed to complete.
I thought that I might be less fuzzy on details once I retired and started getting a more appropriate amount of sleep. But that hasn't been the case. I still forget the specifics of conversations with health professionals, service providers, government officials and others.
So I've maintained and, in certain areas, increased my note-taking habit. For example, I have one long note with entries for all my medical appointments since being diagnosed with cancer, one for all my conversations with the Government of Canada Pension Centre, and one for discussions with my financial advisor.
When I take notes, I capture to whom I spoke (the name of the individual and the organization they're with), their contact information (especially their telephone number), when we chatted, what was discussed and—perhaps most importantly—what each of us committed to doing after the call. It's extremely valuable to have this information if I need to follow up; I can say, "I called your organization on x date and spoke to y person who said z thing."
I try to reread my notes soon after to fill in any blanks, to ensure that my writing is clear, and to remind myself of my commitments. It's not helpful to consult a note a few weeks or months after a conversation only to discover that the details are unclear or were insufficiently documented or, worse, that I haven't done what I promised to do.
Notes are essential for recall after the fact, but they're also valuable in the moment. Sometimes, in the course of taking notes, I'll say to someone, "You just said such-and-such. Does that mean x or y?" Having a record of the dialogue makes it easier for me to ensure that I've grasped what the other person has said and to seek clarification when I haven't. Notes also allow me to easily summarize next steps before we conclude the conversation.
I've also started taking note of different scenarios and what the next steps will be if various events come to pass. For example, if a service provider indicates that I should receive a replacement product by a certain date, I'll ask what I should do if that doesn't occur.
Another key to effective note-taking is being able to find and follow up on notes. It's too easy to scribble notes on the back of an envelope only to misplace that scrap piece of paper. Having one place to keep all notes, whether written by hand or captured electronically, is ideal.
For my part, I take notes in Evernote, which allows me to reference them from a computer or my phone. If I take notes by hand, I'll transcribe them into Evernote as soon after the conversation as I can, filling in additional detail that I recall but that didn't get captured in my scribbles. And when I've taken no notes at all during a conversation, I'll do a memory dump before I forget the finer points of the discussion.
To summarize:
- Take notes from all important conversations, erring on the side of taking more notes than fewer.
- Note to whom you spoke, their contact information, when you chatted, what you discussed and what you both agreed to do next.
- Keep your notes in one place.
- Review your notes to ensure that you've followed up on action items.
