📑 How I Take Notes That People Actually Use

Most meeting notes die in a doc no one reads.

They’re too long, too vague, or too late.

At Amazon, I treat notes as execution fuel…not documentation.

Because good notes don’t just record what happened.

They tell people what to do next.

🔁 This Week’s Sync

1 Quick Insight from the Field:

Last Tuesday, I wrapped a sync with 14 stakeholders across Ops, DS, and Privacy.

By the end, we had 6 decisions, 3 open questions, and 5 new action items.

If I hadn’t captured it immediately, half would’ve slipped.

Instead, I posted notes in Slack 15 minutes later.

The kicker? Two stakeholders forwarded them directly to their leadership team.

That’s when I knew: notes are leverage.

🧰 1 Repeatable Framework or Tactic

My 4-Line Meeting Notes Formula:

1/ Decisions made

“We agreed to ship workflow A by 6/30 with DS sign-off.”

2/ Open questions

“Legal to confirm data retention policy by Thursday.”

3/ Action items

“Priya to draft comms doc by Wednesday EOD.”

4/ Next sync (if needed)

“Regroup Friday 10am PST to finalize sign-off.”

That’s it.

No paragraphs.

No filler.

Just clarity.

Why it works:

→ People see what matters in 30 seconds

→ You build trust by closing loops

→ Notes become the single source of truth

⚡ 1 Challenge to Make You a Sharper Operator

At your next meeting, post a 4-line recap within 30 minutes.

Decisions. Questions. Actions. Next sync.

You’ll be surprised how fast it raises your execution reputation.

See you next Sunday,

— Brett

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