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Tagging notes for coaching: how to keep session notes organised

Tagging notes for coaching: how to keep session notes organised

Coach arranges session notes with blue tabs

Use short, consistent tags together with a fixed session template and store your notes in a GDPR-aware environment. This keeps session notes quick to find and secure. A category such as action point, observation or breakthrough works best, provided you always label those categories the same way. A coaching platform already combines these three elements in a fixed structure.

In short:

  • Limit the system to four to six categories and two or three tags per note; always use the same spelling to avoid duplicate labels.
  • Jot down short keywords during the conversation and work them out immediately afterwards in a fixed template; schedule fifteen minutes daily for outstanding notes.
  • The GDPR does not set a fixed retention period; substantiate per data type how long retention is necessary and conclude a data processing agreement with every processor.
  • Record agreements with the client about access, retention period and technology at the start in the coaching agreement, as the ICF advises.
  • Coaching software can organise notes per client and programme and store data in the EU, but it does not remove your responsibility under the GDPR.
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Table of contents

How to create tags in the Notes app and OneNote

Tags work in a similar way in most note-taking apps. You type a hash followed by a word, and as soon as you add a space, that word becomes a clickable tag. In Apple's Notes app this works exactly like this: type ‘#actionpoint’ and the tag activates as soon as you keep typing. In Microsoft OneNote tagging works slightly differently: you select a label from a fixed list or create your own label, after which you attach it to a line of text, as described in the Microsoft Support guidance.

The difference between a tag and a folder is important to understand before you set up a system:

  • A folder places a note in one fixed location, a tag lets you link a note to several themes at once.
  • You search tags directly through the search function, whereas with folders you first have to click through the structure.
  • You delete or adjust a tag without moving the note, a folder requires you to physically relocate the file.

Here's how to follow the basic steps in both apps:

  • Open the note you want to tag in.
  • Type a hash immediately followed by the tag name, without a space in between.
  • Add a space or a new line so that the tag is recognised and becomes clickable.
  • Use the search bar or the tag overview to view all notes with that tag.

A few points of attention make the difference between a system that keeps working and one that fades after a few weeks. On mobile you type a single tag faster than a long sentence, so short tags of one or two words work most comfortably on the go. On the desktop you have more room to structure notes directly with several tags per session. Both apps have their limitations: Apple's Notes app offers no separate fields for coaching data, and OneNote sometimes displays tags less clearly once you work with many different labels at the same time. For the full technical details we recommend consulting the official manual of your note-taking app, as features may change with each update.

Setting up a tag system that suits coaching work

A tag system only works once it stays small enough to remember and consistent enough to remain usable after months. For coaches, a classification into four to six fixed categories works best, where each tag has a clear, single meaning.

  1. Action point: everything the client is going to do after the session, for example ‘#actionpoint-exercise’ or ‘#actionpoint-conversation’.
  2. Observation: what you notice as a coach during the session, such as body language or recurring patterns, for example ‘#observation-pattern’.
  3. Breakthrough: a moment when the client gains a new insight, for example ‘#breakthrough-selfimage’.
  4. Goal: the link to a specific coaching goal, for example ‘#goal-career’ or ‘#goal-balance’.
  5. Check-in: short updates between sessions, for example ‘#checkin-week3’.

Keep the number of tags per note limited to two or three, otherwise the system loses its strength. For naming, always use lowercase letters and a fixed spelling, so that ‘#Breakthrough’ and ‘#breakthrough’ do not exist side by side as two different tags.

A fixed template for session notes makes tagging almost automatic. Think of fixed fields such as date, core topic, observation, breakthrough and action point, each with its own tag that you fill in as standard. Our guide to writing coaching session notes shows what such a template looks like in practice, including example fields you can adopt straight away.

Once you have used this template for a few sessions, tags also become useful for progress reporting. Filter on ‘#breakthrough’ within a programme and you see at a glance which insights a client has had. Filter on ‘#actionpoint’ and you get a list of what is still outstanding.

Pro tip: Write your tag convention down once in a separate document and check each month whether you still use it in exactly the same way.

Taking notes during or after the session: two approaches

There are two ways to make session notes, and both have their place depending on your working style. The first approach is live note-taking: short bullets during the conversation, tagged immediately with a keyword. This works well if you type without distracting the client's attention, and it prevents you from forgetting details. The second approach is writing up afterwards: right after the session, within ten minutes, writing a short summary in your fixed template.

Both approaches have a clear sequence of steps:

  • First fill in the fixed fields: date, core topic and duration of the session.
  • Record observations and breakthroughs in separate lines, each with the matching tag.
  • Finish with concrete action points, also tagged, so you can easily find them again later.
  • Link the note to the right coaching goal if applicable.

Writing up afterwards has the advantage that you have more calm to choose the right words, while live note-taking prevents details from fading later. Many coaches combine both: a few keywords during the session, worked out in the template right afterwards.

A fixed routine makes the difference between a system you keep up and one that sinks away. For example, schedule fifteen minutes at the end of each day to finish outstanding notes, and set a reminder on your phone after each session. This prevents notes from piling up and tagging becoming a messy aftercare chore instead of a fixed part of your work.

Privacy and retention periods: what you need to record

The GDPR does not prescribe a fixed retention period for coaching notes. Instead, the principle applies that you do not keep personal data longer than necessary for the purpose for which you recorded it, as the Dutch Data Protection Authority indicates. This means that you have to substantiate yourself why you keep notes for a certain period, for example as long as the coaching programme runs plus a reasonable period afterwards for any follow-up questions.

An important principle from the GDPR: organisations must be able to substantiate themselves how long they keep data, as laid down by the Dutch Data Protection Authority. This means that a fixed retention period of, say, two years is only tenable if you can explain why precisely that period suits your coaching practice.

As soon as you use digital note-taking apps or coaching software to process client data, a data processing agreement with that provider is mandatory. Without such an agreement you do not meet the basic requirements of the GDPR, regardless of how well your tag system is otherwise set up.

Besides the legal side, professional guidelines also apply. The ICF advises coaches to make agreements together with the client at the start of a programme about how notes are stored, who can view them and how long they are kept. These agreements belong in the coaching agreement, as does informed consent about the use of technological tools, as the ICF's practical guidelines also emphasise.

A few concrete steps help you arrange this in practice:

  • Describe in your privacy policy which data you record in session notes and why.
  • Document a concrete retention period per type of data, instead of one general rule.
  • Name the technical and organisational measures you take, such as encryption and access restriction.
  • Conclude a data processing agreement with every provider that processes personal data on your behalf.

Our GDPR checklist for coaches goes through fourteen concrete obligations that you can use as a starting point for your own policy.

Finding notes again: searching, filtering and maintaining tags

A tag system only becomes truly valuable the moment you need to find something quickly, for example for an evaluation meeting or a report to a client organisation. Combine a tag with a date filter for this: search on ‘#breakthrough’ within the last three months, and you see directly which insights have arisen recently.

Selecting recent session notes with tags and date filters

Some apps offer smart folders or saved searches, with which you can store a combination of tag and filter as a fixed view. That saves time, because you don't have to search again each time.

A few practical search examples that are common in coaching work:

  • Search on ‘#actionpoint’ combined with a client name to oversee outstanding tasks for that person.
  • Search on ‘#goal-career’ to find all notes linked to that specific goal.
  • Search on ‘#checkin’ within the last month to quickly get an overview of recent updates.

Tags accumulate over time, and without maintenance clutter arises: duplicate variants such as ‘#breakthrough’ and ‘#breakthroughs’ side by side, or tags you have used only once and never again. So schedule a short moment each quarter to go through your tag overview, merge duplicate tags and delete unused tags.

Pro tip: Keep a fixed list of permitted tags in a separate document, so that in case of doubt you can always check which variant you used earlier.

Why coaching software makes tagging easier

A general note-taking app requires you to devise, maintain and check a system yourself on the GDPR front. A system built specifically around the coaching process, by contrast, already works with fixed fields such as observation, breakthrough and action point, directly linked to the right client file and programme.

Some coaching software structures session notes in this way from the ground up, so that you don't have to devise and guard a tag convention yourself. Notes remain searchable per client and per programme, and data is hosted within the European Union. Use of such software often comes with a data processing agreement, which aligns with the requirement the Dutch Data Protection Authority sets for providers that process personal data.

This does not mean that software automatically makes your practice fully GDPR-compliant, because that responsibility remains with you as a coach. It does mean that a coaching-focused system takes a piece of work off your hands that you would otherwise have to build and maintain yourself in a general note-taking app. You can read more about how this structure works on our page about structured session note software for coaches.

A coach on consistent note-taking and tagging

Anyone who coaches for years notices that loose notes pile up into an archive no one can oversee any more. A few fixed habits make the difference between a system that works and one you let go of after a few months.

Three habits turn out to help most in practice: a fixed template you use at every session without exception, a fixed moment right after the session to finish the note, and a short weekly review in which you look back at what has been added in terms of action points and breakthroughs. None of these habits takes much time, but together they ensure that your tag system stays usable, even after a year full of sessions.

— Martijn

Organising session notes with Exantur

If you would rather not build and maintain a tag system yourself in a general note-taking app, Exantur offers a workspace in which session notes, client files and coaching programmes are already connected to each other. Observations, insights, breakthroughs and action points get a fixed place per session, directly linked to the right programme, so you never have to search manually for which note belongs to which client.

Besides session notes, you also manage goals, progress, check-ins between sessions and documents there, all within the same environment. Data is hosted within the European Union, and use comes with a data processing agreement, so you can fulfil an important part of your GDPR responsibilities more easily.

You can try it free for fourteen days at no cost during the trial period, without immediately taking out a subscription. View the subscriptions on our pricing page or read more about how the platform supports coaching processes on our product page.

This article contains general information and does not replace the advice of a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own situation before acting on the basis of this content.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get started with tags for coaching notes?

Choose four to six fixed categories, such as action point, observation, breakthrough and goal, and use them consistently in every note. Write down your convention once so you keep using the same spelling, even after months.

How many tags should I use per note?

Two to three tags per note work best, because a note then stays specifically linked to the right categories. More tags per note actually makes searching harder rather than easier.

How long may I keep coaching notes under the GDPR?

The GDPR does not prescribe a fixed retention period, but requires that you do not keep data longer than necessary for the purpose, as the Dutch Data Protection Authority indicates. You must substantiate and document a concrete period yourself, for example linked to the duration of the programme.

Is an ordinary note-taking app secure enough for coaching notes?

That depends on whether the provider offers a data processing agreement and where data is stored. For coaching work it is advisable to choose a tool where you can verify this, rather than relying by default on the settings of a general note-taking app.

What should I agree with a client about notes?

The ICF advises making agreements at the start of the programme about storage, confidentiality and use of technology, recorded in the coaching agreement. Our coaching proposal generator offers a free template to put these agreements clearly on paper.

Sources

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