by Anishametra Saravanan  

You’ve been sitting in a meeting for the past 15 minutes. Conversations are buzzing, ideas are bouncing around like ping pong balls, and your notebook? Well, it’s now a battlefield of hastily scribbled notes. But let’s be real – by the time the meeting wraps up, you’re probably left staring at your page, lost in a sea of ink, wondering, “Where do I even start?”  

We’ve all been there – drowning in a post-meeting haze, grappling with chaos. Fear not, my friend; there’s a game-changing note-taking hack that’s about to rescue us from the confusion. Welcome to the world of the Four Quadrant Method – where chaos meets clarity, and your productivity soars.  

In the vast expanse of your notepad, this quadrant is your anchor. It’s your personal narrative of the meeting so jot down key points and summarise the overarching themes of the discussion. This section acts as a quick-reference guide to help you recall the meeting’s flow and context with a glance.

This quadrant is your silent reminder for the queries that need immediate attention or clarification. In doing so, you ensure that the meeting doesn’t end without addressing these crucial points. It’s like having a dedicated FAQ section for real-time problem-solving!

Here’s where you claim your action items. What tasks did the meeting assign to you specifically? Whether it’s sending an email, conducting further research, or drafting a proposal, this quadrant is your personalised checklist. As you scan through, you’ll know exactly where to direct your energy and ensure that your efforts align with the meeting’s objectives.

Collaboration is key, right? This quadrant is all about teamwork. Identify tasks that are delegated to others, note down who’s responsible and briefly outline the expectations. It’s a shared space for accountability. By assigning and acknowledging action items collectively, everyone leaves the meeting with a crystal-clear guide, all while fostering a collaborative spirit to propel the project forward.

Try it out and your meeting notes may just look as organised as this:

So, there you have it – the Four Quadrant Method, your compass in the sea of meeting chaos. With designated spaces for general insights, burning questions, personal tasks and collaborative action items, this method transforms your notes from a scribbled maze into a strategic plan of action. It’s the secret sauce for turning meeting mayhem into post-meeting productivity.