I take notes in every meeting I’m in. Every. Meeting. From spontaneous 1:1s to company all-hands. Sometimes the notes go into a shared Google Doc. More often, they live in my personal note-taking system (Obsidian).
My note-taking style is thorough—borderline verbose, depending on the meeting. It defies conventional advice like “don’t just write down what people say.”
So why do I do it that way? And in a world of AI transcriptions, why do it at all?
If I had to distill it down to one reason, it’s this:
It forces me to pay attention. To the content. To the intention behind it. To the why, not just the what.
Structured Thinking (Live)
My notes are structured as they’re being written.
I create sections. I bold keywords. I build lists and hierarchy in real time.
The result sometimes looks like an AI-generated summary—but because I made it, I know I’ve actually processed the information. And others in the meeting can follow along (if they want to).
There’s no waiting for a transcription to be emailed later. The summary is being built—live, in front of everyone.
My Way
I’m able to take notes semi-verbosely because I (thankfully) type fast enough (another thing I practice). I’m able to organize information in real time because I’ve done it hundreds of thousands of times.
I’ve written—literally—thousands of pages of meeting notes over the years.
It’s a skill I’ve built through repetition. And I’m still refining it every day.
So no, I don’t expect others to work this way. (Seriously!) Most people don’t default to taking notes at all. And that’s okay.
This is just what works for me.
My Turn to Talk
People sometimes ask, “How do you take notes and contribute?”
Simple: by the time I speak, I’m already immersed.
I’ve been organizing thoughts in real time. My questions are written. My ideas are scaffolded. It’s all there.
So context switching from writing to speaking is relatively easy—for me.
Notes for Myself
For meetings where I expect to speak, I also record my side of the conversation.
I use a second-hand Google Pixel 4a I bought off Facebook Marketplace, dedicated solely to voice recording and transcription.
For calls, I wear a pair of cheap Panasonic earbuds—strung around my neck, magnetized and taped together. My DIY lav mic. Discreet, reliable, and surprisingly effective.
After the meeting, I combine the transcript with my notes in Obsidian. That gives me a complete record—what I said and what I heard.
Note: It doesn't record anyone's voice but my own.
Reference and review
What do I do with it afterwards? Do I ever review them? Rarely. But when I do, it’s saved my butt.
I’ve archived gigabytes of audio files (m4a) and thousands of transcription files over the years. And 99.5% of the time, they sit quietly in my cloud.
But in that 0.5% of moments? When I’m asked, “What did you say in that meeting we had last week? Something about this and that?”
I have the record. And for me, that’s worth it.
Don't forget
Jim Kwik once said:
Two of the most costly words in business are “I forgot.”
Me? I might say, “I forget…” But I always follow it with:
“…but I can find out.”