Creative Note-Taking

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the middle of a long, arduous, mind-numbing meeting that you probably don’t even need to be at to begin with? Well I was there this past week at work, and in a desperate attempt to salvage my sanity, I stumbled upon a great new hobby, and (hopefully) a fun new blog post.

I call it “Creative Note-Taking.” It’s a pretty simple concept: as the meeting progresses, listen intently for small phrases or statements that may seem dull at the time but, if taken out of context and strategically placed in a very different context, could be considered particularly prescient or insightful. Then, after the meeting, pull out the choicest ones, try to match those phrases to more serious/interesting concepts or situations, and then sit back and enjoy the hilarity that is sure to ensue. It takes a keen ear and a little bit of practice, but after you get the hang of it, it can really be a lot of fun.

Here are some examples of phrases I fished out of a recent meeting about the minute logistics of an office holiday party, paired with more compelling lead-ins:

On learning to let go (actually a remark about monitoring volunteers)

“There’s certain things you just can’t control…”

On the naïveté of youth (actually a discussion on a floor plan)

“They turn the corner, and think it’s all over…”

On Life (table length)

“It would be nice if it were longer…”

On the dangers of government expansion (lunch breaks)

“You just can’t socialize when you're being watched…”

On Judgment Day (crowd control)

“People are going to end up being on both lines anyway…”

On the intricacies of espionage (delegation of responsibility)

“How would they have known who the professional was?”

On the heartbreaking monotony of work (arts and crafts)

“I’m just putting things in plastic, and that's it…”

See what I mean? It’s really a good time.

So the next time you’re stuck in an endless meeting about quarterly reports or quality improvement, do a little bit of creative note taking, and see what sort of treasures you can find in the rhetorical rubble.

- Varun