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Meeting notes template

Updated on October 28, 2026

Short meeting notes that answer what matters: what was decided and who does what by when. Create them before the meeting, fill them in during it and send the link right after.

Meeting: (name or goal)

Date: (YYYY-MM-DD, time)
Attendees: (names)

Agenda

  1. (topic 1)
  2. (topic 2)
  3. Next steps

Decisions

  • (one line per decision)

Action items

  • (owner): (task) by (date)
  • (owner): (task) by (date)

Open issues

  • (what comes back next meeting)

Next meeting: (date)
Meeting notes with decisions, action items with owners and deadlines, and open issues
Short meeting notes: one line per decision and action items with a name and date, ticked when done.

How to use it

  1. Create the note with "Use this template" before the meeting and fill in the agenda.
  2. During the meeting, one person writes the decisions and the action items with a name and a date.
  3. Afterwards, send the link to the attendees. For people who only need to read, use "Copy read-only link" in the ⋮ menu.
  4. Each person ticks their own action item when it is done.

Tips

  • Use a naming pattern with the date, like team/meetings/2026-10-20, so the notes stay in order.
  • An action item without an owner and a date is not an action item: complete it before the meeting ends.
  • Do not record confidential company information or customer data.

Common mistakes

  • Transcribing the whole conversation. Minutes record decisions and action items; discussion only goes in when it is essential.
  • Action items without a name or a date. "Look at the budget" is not an action item; "Carla reviews the budget by Oct 24" is.
  • Leaving the writing for later. An hour after the meeting, half the details are already gone.
  • Not sending the notes. If they stay with whoever wrote them, they do not align anyone.

For recurring meetings, create a folder and one note per date, such as team/meetings/2026-10-20. Before each meeting, open the previous notes and start with the action items: what was done, what slipped and why. That first minute keeps the same topics from coming back week after week. If the team also uses an agenda, the meeting agenda template pairs with this one: the agenda organizes the conversation beforehand, and the notes record what was decided.

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