If your meetings end with lots of talk and not much follow-through, you’re not alone. Most teams struggle to keep track of who’s doing what after the call ends. If you’re using Fellow, you have a decent shot at fixing this—if you use its action items properly. This guide is for team leads, project managers, or anyone who’s had to ask, “Wait, did anyone actually do that thing from last week?”
Below, I’ll walk you through creating, managing, and sharing action items in Fellow, step by step. I’ll also call out what actually works and what tends to get ignored (so you don’t waste your time). Let’s get to it.
Step 1: Get Oriented—Where Action Items Actually Live
Before you start clicking buttons, understand this: in Fellow, “action items” are basically tasks tied to meetings, notes, or people. You can create them almost anywhere, but if you don’t know where to look, you’ll lose them just as fast.
You’ll most often find or create action items in:
- Meeting notes (the main use case)
- 1-on-1 notes with teammates
- Your personal workspace (“My Action Items” sidebar)
Pro tip:
If you’re just trying out Fellow, start by using action items in meeting notes only. It’s easy to get lost if you go wild with 1-on-1s and personal tasks from the start.
Step 2: Create Action Items During a Meeting
This is the heart of the workflow. The goal is to capture what needs to get done—while you’re still in the meeting, not after.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open your meeting note in Fellow.
- You’ll usually do this from your calendar integration or directly in Fellow’s Meetings section.
- Type your action item in the note.
- As you write, hit
[](that’s square brackets, twice) or select the checkbox icon from the toolbar. -
Example:
[] Update project timeline before Friday (assigned to Jamie)
-
Assign the action item.
- Hover over the checkbox line, then click the “assignee” icon (it looks like a little person).
- Pick who’s responsible. If you don’t assign it, it’s just a suggestion—not an action.
- Set a due date (optional, but do it).
- Click the calendar icon next to the action item. Set a realistic date.
- Dates make things happen. Items without dates are basically “someday, maybe.”
What works:
Assigning action items during the meeting, while everyone’s paying attention. This makes people more likely to actually do them.
What doesn’t:
Assigning vague tasks like “Follow up on stuff.” Be clear and specific, or you’ll end up chasing ghost tasks later.
Step 3: Review and Organize Your Action Items
After the meeting wraps up, don’t just close the tab and hope for the best. Spend two minutes making sure action items are clear, assigned, and visible.
Here’s what you should do:
- Double-check ownership:
Make sure every action item has a name next to it. “Unassigned” = “Not happening.” - Clarify anything vague:
If you see a line like “Check on budget,” edit it to add details or context. - Drag and drop to reorder (optional):
Fellow lets you reorder items to group related tasks or prioritize. - Archive or delete old items:
Don’t let stale tasks clutter your meetings. Archive anything done or no longer needed.
Honest take:
If you don’t review action items right after the meeting, you probably never will. It takes two minutes and saves hours later.
Step 4: Share Action Items with Your Team
Action items are only useful if everyone knows what they’re supposed to do. Fellow has a few ways to share them—some better than others.
Method 1: Automatic Meeting Recaps
If you use Fellow’s built-in meeting recap feature, action items get emailed to all attendees after the meeting. This works well for regular meetings.
- How to enable:
- Check the “Send meeting recap” toggle when you create or edit a meeting.
- You can customize what’s included in the recap (agenda, notes, action items).
Pros:
- No extra work after the meeting.
- Everyone gets a summary in their inbox.
Cons:
- People ignore email (especially if every meeting sends a recap).
- Some folks will never read past the subject line.
Method 2: Share a Link to the Note
You can copy a link to the meeting note (with action items) and share it in Slack, Teams, or wherever your team actually pays attention.
- How to do it:
- In the meeting note, click the “Share” button (usually top right).
- Copy the link and paste it where your team hangs out.
Pros:
- Pushes people to the actual note, not just their inbox.
- Good for teams already using chat tools.
Cons:
- Still relies on people clicking the link.
Method 3: Export Action Items
If you need to share tasks outside of Fellow (for example, in a project management tool), you can export or copy action items.
- How to do it:
- Select the action items in the note.
- Click the three-dot menu, then “Copy as text” or “Export.”
- Paste into Asana, Trello, or wherever you track work.
Pros:
- Useful if your team refuses to use yet another app.
- Lets you move tasks wherever you need them.
Cons:
- More manual work.
- You lose automatic updating if tasks change in Fellow.
What works:
Pasting action items into the place your team already checks (Slack, Teams, etc.). Don’t expect people to change habits just because you sent a recap.
Step 5: Track and Update Action Items Between Meetings
This is the part most teams skip—and where things usually fall apart. The good news: Fellow makes it easy to see what’s outstanding, so you don’t have to ask, “Did anyone do this?”
How to track action items:
- Use the “My Action Items” sidebar:
- On the left, click “My Action Items” to see everything assigned to you across all meetings.
- You can check off completed tasks, edit due dates, or reassign items.
- Check meeting-specific action items:
- Open a meeting note to view just the items from that meeting.
- Great for recurring meetings (like weekly team check-ins).
To update or mark as done:
- Click the checkbox next to the item when it’s finished.
- If you need to reassign or change the due date, hover and use the icons.
Pro tip:
Set a weekly 5-minute reminder to clean up your action items. It’s faster than hunting down tasks later.
Step 6: Avoid Common Pitfalls
Fellow’s action items are useful, but only if you avoid some classic mistakes:
- Don’t overload meetings with action items.
If everything’s an action item, nothing is. Only capture things that actually need follow-up. - Don’t use action items as a dumping ground.
Personal to-dos and random “maybe someday” ideas belong elsewhere. - Don’t forget to close the loop.
Mark things “done” as soon as they’re finished. Otherwise, your action list becomes a graveyard.
What actually works:
- Assigning tasks in real time, during the meeting.
- Keeping action items short, specific, and assigned.
- Reviewing them at the start of the next meeting—accountability matters.
Step 7: Iterate and Keep It Simple
You don’t need to use every feature in Fellow. Start with the basics:
- Create and assign action items in meetings.
- Share them in the place your team already checks.
- Review and update regularly.
Once that’s working, you can try more advanced stuff (integrations, templates, etc.)—but don’t overcomplicate it.
Remember:
The best workflow is the one your team actually uses. Keep it simple, tweak as needed, and don’t be afraid to drop what isn’t working.
That’s it. No magic, just a clear system for keeping your team on track. Start small, keep it visible, and you’ll waste a lot less time chasing people for updates.