Extracting Action Items and Follow-ups

Meetings often end with vague commitments that never happen. ChatGPT can help you extract clear, trackable action items that actually get done.

Why Action Items Get Lost

Common problems:

• Buried in meeting notes
• No clear owner assigned
• No deadline specified
• Too vague to act on
• Not followed up

The Perfect Action Item

Every action item needs:

Element	Description	Example
Owner	Single person responsible	"Sarah"
Action	Specific, verifiable task	"Send updated proposal to client"
Deadline	Concrete date	"By Friday, Jan 15"
Context	Why it matters (optional)	"Needed before client meeting"

Extracting Actions from Notes

Basic Extraction

From Vague Discussions

When commitments weren't clearly stated:

From Meeting Transcripts

Action Item Formats

Simple List

Detailed Table

By Owner

Follow-up Templates

Action Item Reminder Email

Status Check Template

Creating Follow-up Workflows

Immediate Post-Meeting

Weekly Follow-up

Converting to Task Manager Format

For Asana/Monday/Jira

For Trello

Handling Complex Action Items

Breaking Down Large Tasks

Identifying Dependencies

The Weekly Review

Practice Exercise

Key Takeaways

1. Every action needs an owner - "The team" doesn't do tasks, people do
2. Deadlines make it real - Vague timing means nothing happens
3. Be specific - "Look into X" vs. "Send recommendation email about X"
4. Follow up consistently - Actions without follow-up are forgotten
5. Track in one place - Don't let items scatter across notes
6. Break down large items - Complex tasks need sub-tasks
7. Identify dependencies - Know what blocks what

Clear action items turn meetings from time sinks into progress drivers. Next, let's learn how to write business reports efficiently.