xTiles

Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes template

When working on a team, being on the same page guarantees a healthy work environment and successfully reaching your shared and personal goals. Your team meetings greatly impact what you do and how exactly you do it.

Meeting minutes help you catch the most important things said or decided during your meetings, write down ideas that may be interesting or worth contemplating later, someone’s requests, hesitations, and everything that may be crucial for your teamwork.

Later, meeting minutes documents become great representations of your team’s development and growth and the best source of information for new team members who need to get on board quickly.

The meeting minutes template helps you organize meetings quickly, capture everything you consider important, and note your questions while sticking to your agenda. 

A meeting minutes template will guide your minutes so that you can focus on important points. A premade template is a powerful tool to navigate you through the meeting, saving your focus and energy for spotting and noting critical points.

The xTiles Meeting Minutes Template is a polished, ready-to-use document to shorten your meeting preparation, provide everyone with the space for documenting their thoughts regarding your subject of discussion, and set your goals. 

Additionally, here you will find a detailed guide on how to make meeting minutes and an example of meeting minutes to help you with creating your own document effectively and effortlessly.

What are meeting minutes?

You probably have guessed the meeting minutes definition by now. They are the specific kind of notes developed for teams and companies to take down everything that happens during the meeting. 

It should not be confused with the meeting agenda, which may be a part of the meeting minutes document to provide attendees with all the necessary information.

In some sense, your team’s board meeting minutes documents are historical documents, a chronicle of important matters, guaranteeing others transparency and accountability.

Let its name not fool you or scare you. That doesn’t mean you will need to sit there and hastily record every word minute by minute. You need to capture the most important and interesting thoughts, assumptions, offers, information, decisions, etc.

On the contrary, every single word captured will turn the document into a mess with many pages with no helpful application for future needs. It has to be easy to scan and understand for people who missed the meeting.

The three whales of any meeting minutes are decisions, next steps, and tasks and assignees. However, if these three can’t cover your meetings, feel free to add any other details.

To better understand meeting notes, you must also know what they aren’t. So, they are not just a summary of your meeting. They are a record of your meeting to provide all attendees with a clear understanding of their next actions.

When do teams need meeting minutes?

Every person who has ever left a meeting and thought, “What has just happened?” with their mind serenely blank would appreciate concise and clear board meeting minutes.

Meetings are a significant part of every team’s workflow. However, how many benefits a meeting brings you depends on how well you use its outcome.

Generally speaking, meeting notes are suitable for every meeting, whether there will be only two attendees or a big team. They help catch and prioritize information and actions you discuss in a meeting. They become the starting point where you can always return to check whether everything is in accordance with the initial agreement taken during the meeting.

They aren’t something new. They have been here for decades, allowing many professionals and teams to review and polish the structure of their meetings to eliminate everything that might slow people and add what can help.

Most importantly, meeting notes are helpful for team members who missed a meeting but need to be acknowledged about its subject to work with others without constantly interrupting them with questions.

If meeting minutes have never been your team’s usual routine, a pre-designed template will help you quickly implement it without disturbing no one’s usual approach to work and discussions.

Some companies’ policy or corporate law requires constant taking and maintaining meeting minutes under corporate governance practices.

Nonprofit organizations are very often required to comply with specific regulations related to their operations, fundraising, tax-exempt status, or governance. To demonstrate compliance with the law, they have to maintain board meeting minutes that document their decision-making processes and actions taken during meetings.

Many companies choose not to take meeting minutes, considering them a waste of time. That misconception is pretty popular because meeting minutes work on long distances. In other words, you need to do it for some time to see their benefits.

If your company or team thinks just the same, we offer you a little experiment. Conduct a couple of meetings as usual, and then compare notes of all attendees or ask them about the outcome of a certain meeting a few days later. 9 out of 10 times, you will see that everyone has different recollections of what was happening during your discussion.

What is more dangerous, even when something isn’t discussed to the tiniest details a couple of times, people still may interpret that differently, especially if the meeting is about something they don’t like or don’t want to do.

Regularly tracking your meeting notes also means providing all of your employees or team members with the same perspective, the same angle from which they will look at the project or business.

Another good point for documenting your meeting is that no task will be missed or forgotten. The list of things that slowly turn into a ticking time bomb will be much shorter, if not empty at all.

How to write meeting minutes

Accountable and transparent meeting minutes save companies time and money and help to direct their resources efficiently. They capture the meeting’s purpose and its outcome and work as the reference anyone can check to ensure they follow up on those results and find answers to their questions.

The main rule of effective meeting minutes is that crucial information doesn’t stay behind, yet your document doesn’t have several volumes. It may be hard to find a golden mean, but ready-to-use meeting minutes templates will help, especially if you don’t know how to do it right.

Now, let’s create your meeting minutes step-by-step using the xTiles Meeting Minutes Template.

What needs to be included in meeting minutes?

A meeting minutes document may be divided into two parts. 

First is for the technical details like when a meeting is held, what is the subject for discussion, the agenda, and who attends it. Even though it may seem like these details have no impact on the outcome of the meeting altogether, it’s important to add them to create a fully representative picture for people who will read these minutes later.

The second part is for everything you agreed upon and decided during the meeting. You may add clarifying details to each point, making the life of people who will review the document later easier. However, you need to remember that meeting minutes won’t benefit from your eloquence. Just the opposite, healthy minimalism and conciseness are your best helpers. 

1. Prepare & organize

Before the meeting starts, gather all the necessary information, such as agendas, reports, previous meeting minutes, if necessary, etc. When everyone is in the room and ready to discuss the main topic, you won’t have time to clarify all these technical matters.

A meeting minutes template will help you prepare and stay organized during the meeting.

Also, you may devise a backup plan in case your preferred way of taking meeting minutes fails. For example, you may print the xTiles meeting minutes template to ensure that no matter what happens, you can still write down everything that is important.

2. Identify attendees

Prepare a list of the names and roles of people attending the meeting.

The list of attendees is especially crucial, allowing later viewers to know who was responsible for decisions and who may answer some related questions. If someone important couldn’t come, you need to mention that too, as that might deeply affect the meeting outcome.

After everyone has arrived, note who is present and who couldn’t come. You may create a checkbox attendance list in the template and just mark those who have come to the meeting.

3. Record key decisions and action items as the meeting progresses

First things first, note the date and time when the meeting starts. If there was a delay for some reason, note that too.

When a meeting starts, you need to document all key decisions that were taken or agreed upon. That’s a very responsible part because you need to stay focussed and attentive to details during the whole meeting while writing down the most important stuff.

When the discussion starts, fill in your meeting minutes template progressively. You may organize your notes according to your agenda points so that everything will be quick, but when you work on the document’s final version, you will clearly understand what was going on.

Except for noting the decisions and actions taken, also write down attendees who voted for or against. If some conflict of interest occurred, note that and how it was handled too.

4. Go over your meeting minutes

As soon as you can after the meeting, you need to review everything you have just written down and make it more cohesive and clear so that everyone who’s not acknowledged can easily get the point of the meeting.

When reviewing your notes, ask yourself four questions:

1. Are these notes accurate and correct?

Read through the minutes to ensure the information adequately reflects the meeting. It’s important to check your document for all kinds of errors, such as grammatical errors, misspelled words and names, dates, or figures. One incorrect date or name may confuse someone who wasn’t present at the meeting but needs to use the minutes for reference.

2. Are these notes complete?

Read your notes and try to recollect whether all critical discussions, decisions, and actions are documented. 

3. Are these notes objective?

Read through your notes to ensure they are objective and impartial. You, as a person, can’t be present in the meeting minutes you’re creating.

5. Are these notes easy to read and understand?

Another point is to make your notes as clear as possible. You may use bullet lists and subheadings to make everything clear and easy to find.

A meeting minutes template will ease reviewing, offering an organized structure and many options to note important points and highlight those that are even more important in your document.

Sometimes you will need to add some comments or additional notes for clarity. Since the information is fresh in your mind and most of it is gathered conveniently in front of you, it won’t be a problem.
All the reports, resolutions, etc., made at the meeting have to be attached to your meeting minutes, or at least you need to mention where they can be found.

6. Distribute & store your meeting minutes

Meeting minutes must be distributed to attendees and those who weren’t present as fast as possible after the meeting or at least before the next scheduled one. However, sometimes you need to distribute them for review and approval first to ensure everything was recorded correctly.

Store your meeting minutes carefully as they officially document your meetings. You may choose to store them in a hard copy, online, or in both forms to ensure they won’t be easy to miss.

5. Quick tips and tricks to make your meeting notes even better

You already learned the basic rules for creating effective meeting minutes. However, there are no limits to perfection, so you may also use the following tips to make your minutes outstanding.

  1. Use clear and concise language

Write in a clear, concise, and neutral tone. Try to build your minutes without using jargon or technical terms that may be unclear to others because you can’t know who will need to refer to them in the future.

  1. Prepare in advance

Preparation is half the battle. Review all the important materials, such as agendas or reports, before the meeting so you know what people are discussing. Some meetings require adjusting your template to be more accurate. Finding that out beforehand is better than making changes on the run while taking notes.

  1. Use a consistent format

If you use one template for all your meeting minutes, people who use those documents later will get used to their structure and learn to find the needed data in a second.

  1. Use objective voice

Avoiding personal opinions or biases is a must. Make your minutes brief and fact-based, maintaining a neutral tone throughout the document.

We all love meetings with our teams because of inside jokes and funny moments, but it’s advisable to leave them out of the document.

  1. Ask for clarification if needed

If you’ve prepared before the meeting and studied the agenda, you probably will have no problem with the correct impersonal interpretation of everything said. However, if you’re unsure, asking for clarification is a wise decision to avoid misleading others with your minutes.

Agency Hub

Action Plan

Action plan template

An action project plan is the first step toward any goal, task, project, or dream coming true. In a nutshell, an action plan is a well-thoughtful plan of what you need to do to reach the desired result. It saves you from constant distractions from your main task, allowing you to concentrate all your energy and thoughts on what is important.

A plan of action is sometimes known as a roadmap, which is quite eloquent. When you’re in an unknown city, you rely on your GPRS to guide you from point A to point B. The same happens when you start something new. However, in this case, you’re the one who builds the route.

An organized plan for any goal, even the easiest ones, is like honest cheating. It’s your shortcut to winning the race. If a comprehensive action plan eases your task, a workable action plan template multiplies its effectiveness and saves even more of your time. 

xTiles prepared an action plan template to shorten your way toward your goals and provide you with a helpful tool. Additionally, we offer you a guide on how to use it for your benefit.

What is an action plan, and why do I need it?

When that electric bulb appears near your head, what would be your first step to get it to happen? Rush to work as quickly as possible until the idea is alive and fresh? Postpone it when you have more time? Forget about it a few seconds later because you’re busy?

Many people don’t bother to write their ideas down to have a chance to return to them later, which is very sad. We’re bound to forget most of what we’ve thought about. Maybe one of those ideas could change the world for the better. Growing a habit of jotting down everything that pops into your mind, even crazy and bizarre things, will bring you only positive results.

An action plan definition is quite simple – it is a very detailed, firm list of what you need to do to achieve your goal. Usually, any goal consists of many separate steps if you analyze it. It’s easy to say, “I want this and that,” but it will be hard to reach them without understanding what hides behind these general things.

“Hold on,” you may say. But what makes an action plan different from a common to-do list? What is the purpose of an action plan if I can make a simple to-do list instead? Its detalization makes it different and more useful for easier and more consistent goals achievement. A well-known to-do list might not work or will be misleading for big projects.

An action project plan is also a collection of data about your project. All whats, whens, whys, and whos concerning your current goal. Depending on your preferences, you may include deadlines, resources you need, people responsible for separate tasks, etc.

An action plan will bring many benefits whether you work on a goal achievement on your own or with a team:

  1. It will help you define your direction and highlight what is necessary and what can wait.
  2. It will keep you motivated from one task to another.
  3. It will help you easily track your progress.
  4. It will help you prioritize tasks needed to complete your goal.
  5. For big teams, an action plan is also a way to keep the connection between everyone involved. Sometimes you can’t start your task without someone finishing theirs.
  6. Another advantage of having an action plan for your goal completion is that you will see what is unnecessary before you buckle down and start working. 

As a rule, an action plan is usually used in project management. However, no one forbids you to use that approach to any other kind of project or task. On the contrary, it will be hugely beneficial. You get access to the methodology polished and improved by professionals to use it for your advance, and the xTiles Action Template is your reliable tool.

What should I add to my action plan?

An action plan is a pretty individual thing that depends on the project’s or goal’s specifications. You may not need what you used in your previous project, or you may need to add something entirely new. However, some elements are necessary for a plan to be called “an action plan.” 

So, what components should an action plan have?

  1. A comprehensive description of the goal to achieve.
  2. Separate tasks the goal was broken into.
  3. Personnel in charge of the goal achievement (if you’re creating a plan for your personal affairs, then this component would be unnecessary because there’s no one but you in this).
  4. Deadlines and milestones to stay motivated.
  5. Resources a team needs/has to reach the goal.
  6. Measures to track the progress.

How to build an action plan: Best Practices

Creating an action plan might be no easy task if you haven’t done it before. That’s why we have a little guide. We made it short yet detailed to answer all of your questions and dispel all of your doubts.

  1. Collect the information you will need to build a project plan

Any action plan creation starts with thorough consideration of your goal and what steps will lead you to its completion. Talk with everyone who will be involved to make sure you have a clear and correct understanding of what you need to achieve. First of all, you may need to discuss a project’s details with stakeholders. Then discuss what you already have with your team. Talk with them about their ideas and what they consider to be the best strategy.

If there’s no one but you achieving this goal, you will need to give yourself time to consider all the details. You may try brainstorming sessions or creating a mood board to get a clear understanding of what you need to do.

This first step is likely to have a huge impact on the action plan itself and the workflow that will follow. Even though the temptation to jump straight to action is huge, wait until you have all the necessary information.

TIP: You may use the xTiles SMART goals template, according to which a task has to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

  1. Identify the resources you will need to implement your plan

Now that you know clearly defined your main purpose, you will need to define what you need to do it successfully. Research what you will need to make everything happen on time. Also, consider what will be a  nice little addition to all the resources you need. Then, you will need to discuss these matters with your stakeholders once more.

  1. Create the steps

We’re done with conversions, at least for a while. Now, you need to transform all you’ve got after the first steps into a comprehensive and workable action plan. You may start with outlining bigger stages and then rushing into smaller ones. Or you may do it one at a time. For this step, you may use the xTiles SMART template as well to make sure that all of your tasks are attainable. If not, break them down into smaller ones. 

  1. Prioritize all the tasks you just set

Some tasks might become blockers for others until they are unfinished. Don’t forget to establish realistic timelines for each of your steps, keeping in mind that everything has to remain on schedule.

  1. Set milestones 

You need them to keep your team or yourself motivated. Let people who will work to achieve the goal have something to look forward to. Try to set them evenly throughout the whole process. 

  1. Define roles and responsibilities

Your action plan is still raw and far from finished, but at this stage, it is supposed to look like a plan with all the steps defined and described. 

Now you will have to define the key personnel responsible for each step. When assigning people, keep in mind their positions and skills. Think of who will manage this task better and faster. Also, it’s always good to ask during the first stage about what a person would like to do for project completion. Besides providing you with the information, you get to know your team better and can distribute tasks evenly and according to people’s preferences, which is always good.

  1. Review your plan

Now you need to make sure the action plan is really actually “yours.” You need to check whether it meets your expectations, and whether everyone involved will give exactly how much they can give. If not, or if you’re not sure, revise your plan. Maybe it needs a few changes in order to work.

  1. Review your plan routinely while implementing it

Once your action plan is finished and every part is checked and discussed, the hardest part starts – you need to monitor whether everything is done on time and within budget. Reviewing the progress must become your routine.

  1. Don’t be afraid of changes

And remember that an action plan can change during the process. Thankfully, we don’t engrave it on stone. It’s the Holy Grail of your project, but it must be up-to-date and relevant to your needs. However, the one and only object it has to be focused on is your goal at hand. 

Now you can create your action plan using our guide and ready-to-go template. We made both of them suitable for a vast majority of cases. So, no matter whether you’re creating an action plan for a big team or just for yourself, our template and guide will be useful tools to help you reach your project goals and make your dreams come true.

Academic Papers

xTiles Academic Papers Template

Academic papers are the summarization of extensive research. It might seem that after spending weeks and months studying a topic, you would have no trouble turning it into a comprehensive research paper. However, sometimes, there is so much information in one’s head that it’s quite impossible to structure it into an article, especially when facing strict word limits in peer-reviewed journals.

The xTiles Academic Papers template is the exact tool to help you organize your thoughts, findings, and ideas into something representative. Whether you’re working on a thesis or an article, the template will help you through all the stages.

Benefits of the Academic Papers template

The Academic Papers template offers several benefits for researchers, students, and academics. Here are some key advantages:

  1. Structured format

It provides a clear, standardized structure for organizing complex information. It will help you decide what information is too minor to be included and what facts of statistical data can’t be omitted for optimal topic revealing.

This template also helps writers present their ideas logically and coherently, which is especially useful for researchers and scientists who find it complicated to elaborate on their ideas on paper. Also, sometimes, a structured outline can help you discover something that was hidden from perception by other facts.

  1. Time-saving

The template offers a pre-designed layout, reducing formatting time. No need to spend time setting up a Google Docs document to organize your ideas for an article. You will be able to focus on content rather than design from the moment you access the template. Simply fill in each section with your content.

  1. Consistency

Using the template for your research papers, you can make sure you present the information in a uniform way across different papers within a field. That will make it easier for readers to navigate and understand your article.

  1. Professionalism

Very often, to get your articles published in a journal, you need to adhere to established academic standards that may vary depending on the science. Using the template lends credibility to the work. It guides you through these standards and unwritten rules to present research in a polished, professional manner.

  1. Clarity

The template will help you promote clear communication of ideas and findings within the whole text, whether three pages or thirty pages long and will help with unbiased evaluation, whether you like or dismiss what you’re researching.

Why the xTiles Academic Papers template will help you write your articles easier and faster

The xTiles Academic Papers template will help you write your articles easier and faster in many ways. First of all, it will become your organized research space. The template has sections for noting down key information from papers, journals, and other sources.

It will also help with quick article drafting. It has designated sections for crafting an outline, defining your audience, creating a strategy for these papers, etc. With your research and structure in place, you can write your article more quickly. 

The template includes a reading list and an area for recording citation details. This makes it simpler to create your reference list and cite sources correctly in your text. You can sort your primary sources according to their status – whether you have read them yet or not. Moreover, you can add details to each card on your reading list. The board will preserve its neat look, but when you browse each card, you will get detailed information, links, considerations, comments, etc., to help light that bulb near your head.

Time-saving is a key feature of every template, and this one is no exception. It already has a structure you can follow step-by-step to get a finished article in the end, which is especially beneficial for people who haven’t written research papers. The template also breaks down complex papers into smaller, easier-to-manage parts. This makes the writing process less overwhelming.

The xTiles Academic Papers template is adaptable for different papers. Whether you’re writing a thesis, a journal article, or a conference paper, the template can be adjusted to fit your needs.

How to start using the xTiles Academic Papers template?

The xTiles Academic Papers template consists of only three pages to save you from managing even more resources while writing. The first step to get it into action is to determine your topic. Choose what you want to talk about and your perspective. Explore related topics to ensure you will cover everything that you need to present a concise article.

Assess the data you already have, go through articles from other researchers in your field, and search for the latest discoveries and trends. That will help you decide what belongs to your paper. 

Write a step-by-step plan for your article. It’s a to-do list where you can mark chapters that are already finished. Add comments and reactions if you want to note something that concerns any part of your plan, but don’t want to spoil the document structure. The next step is to define your audience. For whom are you writing? Is it only for people of science? Or common readers might be interested, too? That will have an impact on your language complexity and the specific terms and jargon you use.

The page also has a widget – Pomodoro timer to help you buckle down and start working. You can change the timer settings if you want longer or shorter work sessions. Also, you can set tasks and reminders for your working sessions.

The second page is for your notes. Add everything you want to have, just in case. You can create different tiles (a basic unit for storing information) to organize the information depending on the subject. You can add links to magazines, citations, images with charts, graphs, scans of conducted research, create tables, etc., to build a comprehensive knowledge base for your articles.

The final page is for your reading list to organize your resources and track your progress through all this reading. It is built in the form of a board where every book, article, magazine, or journal is a card, which you can move between columns. You can fill every card with notes, key points from the source, your own considerations, etc.

Now, it’s time to write, and it is possible in xTiles, too, close to all of your notes. Just add a new page or create a new tile on the Notes page. You can work on it in Focus mode, having a whole page in front of you. The xTiles offers a special kind of page – Document, that is perfectly suitable for writing and formatting text.

Benefits of upgrading your xTiles plan

The xTiles Academic Papers template is completely free to help you when you are researching and working on your text. However, if you need more features to provide better organization and management of your projects, upgrading your plan brings additional benefits, including:

Color Customization: Customize your workspace with additional color options to make it easier to categorize and organize information. This helps visually separate different parts of your work.

Timeline View: A timeline view allows you to track your projects and deadlines in a clear, linear way. This feature is helpful for managing long-term tasks like writing comprehensive academic papers and seeing how different parts of your work connect over time.

Priority Support: Your queries are handled faster, so you don’t have to wait long for responses. This helps when you need quick help with a feature or issue.

Unlimited Spaces to Share: Share your workspaces with an unlimited number of collaborators. This is useful if you’re working on group projects or need to involve others in your work.

Linked Pages: Link multiple pages together to create a connected workspace. This allows for easier navigation between related documents without switching between tabs, which helps with organizing information for your research papers.

These benefits help you to work more effectively, especially if you’re managing complex research or collaborative projects.

FAQ

What is the main purpose of the xTiles Academic Papers template?

The xTiles Academic Papers template helps researchers and students organize their thoughts, findings, and ideas into a structured format, making the writing process easier and faster while guiding the final results to align with the requirements of peer-reviewed journals they aim to publish in.

How does the template save time for academic writers?

The template provides a pre-designed layout, allowing users to focus on content rather than formatting, and breaks down complex papers into manageable sections, reducing the overwhelming nature of academic writing.

Can I use the xTiles Academic Papers template for different types of papers?

Yes, the template is adaptable for various academic papers, including theses, journal articles, and conference papers, and can be adjusted to meet specific writing needs.

What are the benefits of upgrading the xTiles plan?

Upgrading the xTiles plan unlocks additional features such as color customization, timeline view, priority support, unlimited spaces for collaboration, and linked pages, improving project management and organization.

30 Day Challenge

Changes are hard, but not as hard as staying where you don’t belong or where you don’t feel like yourself. A challenge tracker enables people to track their progress and results in a particular challenge or goal, motivating them to keep moving.

Challenge Tracker is commonly used in fitness challenges, wellness programs, and productivity challenges, but it can also be used for other types of challenges, such as fundraising or academic competitions. However, challenge tracker templates make them suitable and easily applicable to almost any occasion.

A 30-day challenge tracker is optimal for establishing new habits, changing routines, seeing the first results of working out or dieting, etc. One month is not too much, yet it is enough to learn something new and better understand yourself.

The xTiles 30-Day Challenge Tracker is customizable to fit any type of goal. Users can add content that will motivate them and help them remember why they have started in the first place, and track the progress day-by-day, step-by-step.

We also offer you an example of a challenge tracker and a quick guide on how to create the most popular tracker in a way that will be effective and convenient for you and your lifestyle.

Challenge tracker template

When starting something new or changing a lifestyle, a person needs all the support they can find. Challenge tracker templates are the frameworks that help maintain consistency throughout the challenge.

They shorten the time people need to spend preparing, which usually puts out the impulse for changes. Instead of creating a tracker from scratch, people may use a pre-designed template that can be tailored to their specific needs and goals.

Also, ready-to-use templates often have pre-defined goals, metrics, and timelines, which may help people set realistic targets, bring new ideas, and stay on track toward achieving them.

When the 30-day period is finished, your challenge tracker can be useful for analysis and evaluation purposes. You will see how well you’ve done, what was particularly hard, and what was quite easy, and you will see what you liked and what you hated about your challenge.

Pre-designed templates may become a source of inspiration and ideas for different types of challenges. People can explore different templates and adapt them to their own needs and preferences or customize them to reflect their unique goals and circumstances.

The number of available challenge tracker templates with examples is impressive. For example, the 30-day workout challenge, probably the most popular challenge out there, can be found in different variations suitable for beginners or tough gym rats, for people with diseases such as bad knees, or people who want to concentrate on a certain part of their bodies, like 30-day arm challenge or 30-day butt challenge. There also are separate trackers for women and men, like a 30-day ab challenge for women and a 30-day ab challenge for men.

However, their number might rather mix things up, making it hard to find your own. That’s why creating your personal challenge tracker depending on your goal and preferences using a template is much safer.

Why do I need a 30-day challenge tracker?

People may use challenge trackers for several reasons.

  1. Trackers help people set specific goals and track their progress toward achieving them, which can increase motivation and accountability, like a 30-day fitness challenge.
  2. Trackers can provide valuable insights and feedback on performance, which can help people identify areas for improvement and adjust their strategies accordingly, like a 30-day weight loss challenge.
  3. Trackers can be a fun and social way to participate in challenges with friends or peers, providing a sense of community and support, like with a 30-day song challenge.

When may I benefit from using a 30-day challenge tracker?

Challenge trackers are beneficial in many ways, even if a person hasn’t made it to the end. Being a great source of information about the person who creates and follows them, trackers help people better understand their motivation and desires.

30-day challenges are popular because they are short-term, achievable, and can help kick-start a new habit or behavior.

If a person wants to set a specific goal or habit and track their progress, the tracker for a month is the best way to see whether the goal was set correctly without putting too much pressure on the person.

30-day challenge trackers may help people stay accountable, motivated, and focused on the goal by providing a visual representation of the progress and highlighting areas that need improvement.

If a person wants to identify patterns and trends in their behavior or performance, a challenge tracker will help create their future strategies and goals.

How to create an effective 30-day challenge tracker for your goal using the xTiles Challenge Tracker Template?

Creating your challenge tracker when you have a framework and know what to put in each section is much easier and time-effective than doing it from scratch. So, let’s start.

  1. Clearly define your goals

The first step is highly important for the whole challenge and the results you get once it is finished. In case you define it wrong, you might not get what you expected, or the challenge might be too complicated or too easy, so you will be bored.

Decide on a specific and measurable goal that you want to achieve in the next 30 days. Estimate your possibilities and opportunities right now. You need a challenge that won’t devastate you yet motivate you to grow.

  1. Break down your goal into actionable steps

Identify what specific actions or habits you need to do each day in order to reach your goal. You may develop a system where your daily tasks become harder and harder from day to day.

  1. Add a bit of information to keep you remembering where you’re going

Describe what you want to get and how you plan to get it. 

  1. Add all the necessary information on how to do what you’ve planned

Gather all the relevant information in one place, so in case you have doubts, you will have answers handy. For example, for a 30-day workout challenge, you may collect exercises, recipes, tips, etc. For a 30 day-drawing challenge, you may collect references, etc. 

  1. Describe your routine

Make a list of the new routine that will help you complete your challenge. The content of that section depends on your goal. For example, if we’re still creating a 30-day exercise challenge, you may add points like stop binge eating, try to walk more every day, don’t measure your body every day, etc. List all the actions that will help you reach your goal in a healthy non-traumatic way.

  1. Spread your actions evenly throughout the whole month

You may add checkbox points to every day and mark them at the end of the day. Having such a calendar in front of you helps you find mistakes and inconsistencies in your plan before you start the challenge.

  1. Celebrate your progress

Celebrate your progress and accomplishments along the way. That will help you stay motivated and inspired to continue toward your goal. And remember, one 30-day challenge probably won’t turn your life around, but it will help you start on your big dreams.

30 60 90 Day Plan Template (Free)

A free 30 60 90 day plan template for a person’s goals | xTiles

Starting something new is never easy, especially when venturing into the uncertain and unknown. Throwing people into a whirlpool of new information is never an option. A person needs time and a defined plan to learn and settle down to start being effective. 

A 30-69-90 day plan leads step-by-step through a person’s endeavor, new job, project, or any significant, helping set realistic goals for the first 30, 60, and 90 days. It outlines the main milestones for a person to hit in their first few months of employment or a new project.

A template for 30-60-90 day plan makes the process even easier, providing individuals with a ready-to-use framework for building their plans. It comes in handy for its customization and editing options and appealing designs.

The xTiles 30-60-90 day free plan template offers a well-defined structure suitable for any purpose, including a 30-60-90 day sales team plan, a 30-60-90 day plan for internal promotion, a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan, etc.

Except for that, we offer you a detailed guide on creating your plan and what to include and a 30-60-90 day plan example to make the process even easier.

What is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is a structured plan that a new hire or human resources managers devise to establish objectives and chart their course of action during the initial 30, 60, and 90 days of a fresh job, project, or any other notable undertaking. 

The intention is to optimize employee productivity and professional development during their initial employment days, often involving overwhelming and confusing experiences. The plan helps streamline and clarify the employee’s tasks and priorities, enabling them to stay focused on what they should be doing.

The plan contains three parts:

First 30 days

In the initial month, the focus is on getting acclimated to the new work environment, understanding the company culture, building relationships, and grasping the specifics of the role. The onboarding process and learning phase build acctodingly to concrete goals you have in mind when hiring the person will help them go through this stage easier.

Some key activities may include:

  1. People familiarize themselves with the company policies and company’s mission, products, services, processes, pain points, etc.

  2. New team members meet their colleagues, and key stakeholders to establish connections and gain insights.

  3. People set short-term goals and milestones to establish a strong foundation for future progress.

  4. A hire learns any necessary tools, systems, or procedures required for the job. Company can provide them with online course and relevant resources if needed.

  5. Finally, people gather feedback and actively listen to understand expectations.

Next 30 days (60-day mark)

During the second month, the focus shifts toward taking more initiative and contributing to the company goals. The 60-day phase typically includes the following:

  1. People start to assume additional responsibilities or tasks beyond the initial onboarding phase.

  2. Taking initiative, slowly but steadily, becomes necessary.

  3. People start to implement ideas or suggestions based on the understanding gained during the first 30 days.

  4. People start to develop strategies or action plans to address specific challenges or capitalize on opportunities.

  5. People start collaborating with team members and leveraging relationships to drive projects forward.

  6. People continuously seek feedback and adjust approaches as necessary.

Final 30 days (90-day mark)

By the third month, the intention is to fully integrate into the role and make a tangible impact. Activities during this period might involve:

  1. People can take ownership of projects and demonstrate the ability to work independently. For example, if they work in sales, they can demonstrate how many successful sales calls they had during this three-months period or how much time the first sales took them.

  2. People contribute innovative ideas or solutions to enhance processes or achieve goals.

  3. People demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role and the organization’s objectives.

  4. People can evaluate progress and metrics to measure success and make necessary adjustments.

  5. People can provide recommendations for future improvements or opportunities.

A good 30-60-90 day plan balances feasibility and challenge, keeping people growing. It breaks big goals into smaller ones and distributes them throughout the three months of adaptation to help new employees avoid being overwhelmed with everything all at once.

Additionally, it has to balance the company’s mission and the employee’s growth goals. When a manager makes a person work on goals that can help them and the company move forward, the plan is a win-win for both parties.

A 30-60-90 Day Plan advantages

A 30-60-90 day plan offers many advantages for employees and employers, especially when starting a new job or undertaking a significant project. Some of the most important advantages include:

 Helps Clarify Goals

The plan helps individuals to establish clear goals and objectives for each phase, providing a roadmap for their actions and priorities. It ensures that their efforts align with the organization’s expectations and desired outcomes, and their work won’t turn out to be useless or unapplicable for general purposes.

Helps Structure an Approach

By breaking down the plan into 30-day increments, individuals can approach their tasks in a structured and systematic manner. That helps them stay organized, focused, and productive throughout their initial period.

Helps to Demonstrate Initiative

Presenting a 30-60-90 day plan during an interview or at the beginning of a new role showcases proactiveness and forward-thinking. It demonstrates that individuals have taken the initiative to understand the role, set goals, and outline a strategic approach to deliver results.

Accelerates Learning

The plan becomes a tool to quickly learn the new company’s processes, products, and culture and familiarize with them. The learning process becomes shorter, and new team members can integrate into a team and be productive easier and quicker.

Build Relationships Within the Team and Organization

The plan encourages individuals to connect with colleagues, team members, and key stakeholders, strengthening collaboration and integration within the organization.

Helps to Set Measurable Milestones

Each phase of the plan is broken into specific milestones and objectives, allowing individuals to track their achievements, evaluate their performance, and make adjustments as necessary.

Enhances Adaptability and Agility

A 30-60-90 day plan encourages individuals to be flexible and adaptable. They can adjust their strategies and priorities to align with evolving circumstances and emerging opportunities as they better understand the role and the organization.

Helps to Stay Confident and Focused

With a well-defined plan, individuals are better aware of what they need to accomplish and how exactly they can do it. It eliminates confusion that is often an inevitable part of a new job and enables them to remain focused on their goals, contributing to enhanced productivity and performance.

When does one need a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is usually used by people recently hired or promoted or by people who recently hired someone. The plan helps people adapt and grow simultaneously, serving as a roadmap for the first three months.

There are many situations where a 30-60-90 is beneficial:

30-60-90 Day Plan for Interview

Candidates often have to come to an interview with their own vision of their first three months in the company. They present their 30-60-90 day plan to prove their motivation and focus. The plan helps demonstrate their understanding of the role and how they would approach it if hired. It is a powerful tool to make a lasting impression on the hiring manager and distinguish yourself from other candidates.

30-60-90 Day Plan for New Job

When you only start a new job, questions arise constantly. You need to catch up with the rest of the team, and the plan will help to establish clear goals and objectives, prioritize tasks, and ensure a smooth transition into the new role.

Promotions or Transitions

If you were promoted internally, a 30-60-90 day plan would help you align your objectives with the expectations of the new role. Suppose you were transitioned to a new department or team within the same organization. In that case, the plan will help you integrate with your new teammates quicker, allowing you to set milestones and communicate your plans.

Performance Improvement

Sometimes, when an employee’s performance is below expectations, the plan will help to reestablish their workflow, helping them learn the missed information. 

Career Development

Professional growth is one of the most important factors in keeping people focused on their dreams. The plan will help set goals, develop new skills, and outline steps to advance people’s careers within their current positions.

What is a 30-60-90 Day Plan Template?

Creating a 30-60-90 day plan using a template offers several advantages that can hugely enhance the planning process and ensure a successful transition or career development. 

Here are some key advantages of using a template for your 30-60-90 day plan:

Structure and Organization

Templates offer a predefined structure that helps people organize their thoughts and create a cohesive plan, whether we speak about new or potential employees or hiring managers.  Their predefined structure also ensures that they systematically cover all essential aspects of their plan.

Time Management

A ready-to-use template helps people to allocate their time effectively across the 30, 60, and 90-day phases. A predefined and designed structure relieves people from creating documents with easy-to-grasp structure, unifying all of its parts, fonts, colors, etc. A template allows one to concentrate on the content of the document. This focus helps you avoid distractions and prioritize tasks contributing to your success.

Adaptability

While providing one with a framework, templates also are flexible enough to be edited on any phase of the plan and to accommodate individual needs and circumstances. For example, the xTiles 30-60-90 plan template can be customized to reflect the unique requirements of any role, industry, or organization.

Represents your professionalism

By using a template for crafting your 30-60-90 day plan template for an interview, one showcases organizational skills, attention to detail, and commitment to success. It adds a professional touch to your plan.

Time-saving

Ready-to-use templates offer time-saving and energy-saving benefits by providing a starting point and eliminating the need to create a plan from scratch.

How to create a 30-60-90 Day Plan using the xTiles Template?

Mastering the art of crafting a compelling 30-60-90 day plan may be challenging. That’s why many people skip the preparation phase and rush straight to the action. However, the ability to create a cohesive and highly-representative 30-60-90 is essential for any job seeker or employee aiming to improve their skills and achieve tangible results. 

The most popular mistake when creating a plan is setting vague objectives that lack clarity and measurability. In this case, your plan will be empty and useless for everyone. 

We made a quick yet detailed guide on how to write a plan that sets you up for success. Learn this skill for once and polish it with the xTiles 30-60-90 Day Plan Template.

The xTiles 30-60-90 Day Plan Template offers you to divide each 30-day stage into four key elements:

Focus

No matter what tasks you do, this aspect remains crucial. During the first 30 days, people usually concentrate on understanding the company’s history and values, establishing relationships within the team, analyzing main competitors, etc. 

The second stage is, as a rule, focused on developing how to use the knowledge gained during the previous 30 days. And the last phase is about implementing your strategies and polishing everything you’ve learned in practice.

Goals

The goals people set in their 30-60-90 day plan depend on their position and responsibilities. To make it easier, we offer you to divide this section into three:

  • Learning Goals: Develop strategies to absorb as much information as possible about your company, team, and role.

  • Initiative Goals: Determine actions that will help you stand out and make a positive impact.

  • Personal Goals: Outline how you will integrate with your company and team, fostering collaboration and building relationships.

Priorities

Everything is important, yet there are aspects that require more attention and effort. You may not reach your tasks or goals when you don’t prioritize them. Prioritizing tasks is important because it helps optimize time and focus on what truly matters for achieving goals efficiently.

Metrics of success

Every stage will have its own key metrics for success, and they should grow from stage to stage to help you develop your skills and abilities and to challenge yourself.

Creating your 30-60-90 plan

First of all, you need to set concrete and measurable goals. Avoid general aspirations like “write a better blog post” or “improve brainstorming.” Instead, do your best to set realistic, quantifiable, and focused goals. That may take time and many drafts, but you need to do it in order to reach the desired results with your plan and be able to track your progress and measure your success as you work towards achieving them.

Then you need to understand team goals. If you only apply for a new job, it may be hard or impossible. Be ready that what you write might not align with the real situation. Yet still, your plan will be a great representation of your potential. 

If you’re creating a 30-60-90 day plan for managers who were promoted or transitioned from another department, understanding the team’s goals and advantages and disadvantages should be at the center of your plan.

It will be easier if you have previous experience working with a team on similar projects. Most of the time, teams from one field of expertise face 90% of similar problems and 10% of specific problems caused by human factors.

Gain a thorough understanding of your team’s objectives and their underlying purpose. By aligning your personal goals with those of the team, you can effectively contribute towards their success and stay motivated to work diligently.

Next, you will need to identify top priorities. Connect your responsibilities with the overarching goals of your team. This alignment ensures that your tasks directly fulfill the team’s needs, making you accountable and fostering a collaborative environment.

The next move is to define progress measurements. You will need to establish specific metrics to track your progress and performance. Regularly meet with your manager to seek feedback on your work and evaluate your improvement. Monitor key performance indicators which depend on your position, responsibilities, field of expertise, etc.

It’s important to remember that success in your new role requires more than achieving performance goals. Take the initiative to learn about your team and company, proactively engage with colleagues, and build strong relationships – an aspect many new hires overlook.

You may choose different structures for your plan stages. However, consistency is key. It will help showcase your logical and strategic thinking and lead you through these three months of assimilation.

Depending on your purpose, your 30-60-90 day plan will have some specific features, and there will be details to pay attention to. Here are three of the most popular types of the plan.

How to create a 30-60-90 Day Plan for Managers?

Taking the position of a manager is always a challenge. Management roles involves dealing with higher expectations than others and are expected to deliver high performance right from the start. 

Managers must immerse themselves in the organization, swiftly implement impactful changes, and comprehend the culture, team dynamics, existing processes, and challenges before addressing them.

That’s why a 30-60-90 day plan for a new manager role requires more attention and thorough analysis. Thankfully, they are pretty similar for most industries. Our guide covers the key goals and objectives of every manager who strives to become a part of the team while making it better and more productive.

So, let’s look at the essential steps for managers to include in their 30-60-90 day plan.

During the first 30 days, you will need to absorb information comprehensively. Every time before taking action or making a decision, ensure you have a thorough understanding of the context. This initial stage will be full of diving into existing documentation, participating in meetings, engaging with direct reports and team members at different levels, and asking insightful questions, hundreds of questions.

Also, during the first stage, you will need to establish alignment with the team. Otherwise, further cooperation will be hard. The faster you break the ice, the better.

You need to connect with new colleagues, learn about their roles, and foster alignment. 

As a manager, you play the main role in your team’s work processes. One of your responsibilities is setting the organization’s vision and removing obstacles for your team to strategize and execute effectively.

You may show your teammates interest in their opinions and expertise by asking them about what they perceive as potential internal or external threats to the business. 

Also, you need to learn your team from A to Z while being unbiased. Identify individuals who consistently go above and beyond their role’s requirements, commonly known as A players. Not everyone may fit this category. That’s why ensuring that key positions and teams have at least one A player to lead, inspire, and strengthen the team spirit is crucial.

Now, we can move to the second phase. 

You’ve already got to know your new company and the people you will be working with. So, it’s time to translate your knowledge into specific, measurable goals that propel your team forward.

As a manager, you don’t have to change everything upside down to streamline work. It may be enough to improve existing practices to explore opportunities to streamline operations. 

You learned, you eliminated bottlenecks, and now you need to move forward. The final stage is for driving operational changes.

Focus on areas of the business that can yield quick results. Address and remove obstacles that hinder progress, allowing you to achieve goals and enhance overall performance.

As an executive team member, actively participate in high-level company initiatives. Leverage your expertise and experience to contribute to the organization’s vision and strategy, collaborating with fellow managers to drive the company forward.

How to create a 30-60-90 Day Plan for Interview?

A well-crafted 30-60-90 day plan may make you stand out from other candidates for the desired position. However, it might be a challenge to define your goals for the position and the company you have a limited knowledge of. So, what should you put into your 30-60-90 plan, and what should you omit to make a positive impression during an interview process?

Begin by thoroughly reviewing the job description. Job postings often outline both the responsibilities and qualifications for the role. Look for overlaps and connections between these two sections, and consider how you can transform them into meaningful goals for yourself over three months.

Let’s say a company is looking for a person with over three years of experience in SEO, with responsibilities including monthly tracking of the company and the main competitors’ websites’ performance to create new strategies for promotion. Now, imagine yourself harnessing these requirements to create an impactful 30-60-90 day plan.

During the initial 30 days, your plan should focus on mastering the company’s key performance metrics. You delve into understanding the intricacies of the metrics and gather insights that will guide your actions moving forward. Armed with this knowledge, you can develop plans for further website promotion and solutions to current traffic issues and gaps.

As you progress into the next 30 days, your plan shifts gears. You can strategically improve the website promotion approach based on everything you learn about the company’s websites, competitors’ websites, their field of expertise, and current and previous strategies.

You analyze data easier, and you can quickly identify new growth opportunities. Your efforts begin to shape a positive trajectory for the company’s website performance.

Finally, in the last 30 days of your plan, you take the lead. Building upon your expertise and the progress made, you steer the team towards an enhanced progressive SEO strategy.

Your 30-60-90 day plan for the interview should showcase your ability to not only meet expectations but exceed them. It should present you as a person with a strategic mindset, adaptability, and a results-driven approach. 

How to create a 30-60-90 Day Plan for a New Job?

Let’s explore another scenario where a 30-60-90 day plan becomes invaluable: the first week of a new job. Hiring managers use this plan as a powerful tool to understand a new employee’s approach, address any concerns they may have, and set them up for success.

From the moment a new employee steps through the door, their transition into the role begins. By providing them with a well-crafted 30-60-90 day plan, a hiring manager creates an environment that fosters their growth and assimilation. The plan establishes open communication lines, identifies and addresses any apprehensions or preconceived notions a newcomer may have, and builds a strong foundation for collaboration.

Now, let’s consider the employee’s perspective. Even if you weren’t explicitly asked to create a 30-60-90 day plan in the first week, creating one for yourself is highly beneficial. The first days at a new job may be overwhelming for many reasons, including new people, new information, new responsibility, etc. A step-by-step action plan and development become a compass, guiding people through the initial months and helping them navigate unfamiliar territory.

It’s important to recognize that these initial months also provide an opportunity to make a striking first impression. By proactively outlining a person’s goals, milestones, and action steps in the 30-60-90 plan, a hiring manager helps showcase your dedication, ambition, and readiness to contribute from day one.

A well-crafted 30-60-90 day plan sets the stage for success, both for the new employee and the hiring manager. It establishes a solid foundation for collaboration, facilitates effective communication, and ensures everyone is aligned on expectations. 

Ultimately, whether you’re the manager or the employee, embrace the power of planning and make those crucial early days count.

FAQ

How can a 30-60-90 day plan help me align with the company’s mission in a new position?

A well-structured 30-60-90 day plan allows you to establish a solid understanding of the company’s mission, values, and objectives during the initial onboarding phase. By setting SMART goals aligned with the company’s mission, you demonstrate your commitment to contributing towards shared objectives.

How can a 30-60-90 day plan help me make a positive first impression in a new role?

Presenting a detailed 30-60-90 day plan during the interview or on your first day showcases your proactiveness, dedication, and strategic mindset. It helps you hit the ground running and make an impactful first impression by outlining measurable objectives and action steps.

How can a 30-60-90 day plan help get everyone on the same page in a new position?

A well-crafted 30-60-90 day plan establishes clear expectations, milestones, and priorities for the first three months. It facilitates open communication and collaboration between you and your manager, ensuring you’re both aligned on the main objectives and approach.

Why is it important to set measurable objectives in a 30-60-90 day plan?

Answer: Setting measurable objectives in your 30-60-90 day plan allows you to track your progress effectively and evaluate your performance against tangible metrics. Measurable goals provide clarity, accountability, and a way to identify areas for improvement or adjustment as needed.

3 Month Plan

3 Month plan template

Reaching your goals is easier when you can see the finishing point. Long-term goals often become discouraging after some time of hard work with barely visible results. Plans that span shorter periods of time prove to be more effective in the long run.

A 3 month plan helps to establish goals and reach them without losing motivation in the middle of the path. Additionally, it helps to better understand yourself, your needs, capacities, and natural inclinations without wasting your time.

A quarterly planner template helps to quickly build plans for different purposes for 3 month periods of time. 

You can create such a plan for various purposes, such as personal development, project management, business growth, or academic pursuits.

The xTiles 3 month plan template allows you to set and adjust if needed later, your goals. It may become a perfect framework for planning and organizing activities, helping individuals or organizations stay focused and work towards their desired outcomes within the designated timeframe.

How to make a 3 month plan using the xTiles 2-month plan template?

Creating a 3 month plan involves several steps to ensure clarity, organization, and effective execution. 

1. Define your goals

Identify what you want to achieve at the end of the three months. You may use the SMART technique to make sure that your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Also, it’s important to ensure that your plan causes growth and puts you under newer or harder challenges over time. For example, if you’re creating a 3 month workout plan, don’t put yourself under too much pressure from the beginning. 

2. Break down your goals into actionable tasks

Determine the actions required to achieve each goal. For example, if your building a 3 month marathon training plan, the task could include finding the best training shoes, a great place to run, etc.

3. Prioritize tasks

Identify tasks that are critical to achieving your goals and ensure they receive appropriate attention. For example, if you’re crafting a 3 month weight loss plan, ensure you pay enough attention to your meals and water balance. You may even use other xTiles templates to ensure you’re moving toward your goals in a healthy way.

4. Allocate resources

Determine the resources needed to accomplish your tasks and goals. These resources can include time, finances, expertise, tools, or support from others, depending on the nature of your goals.

5. Stay flexible

Remember that your 3 month plan is not set in stone. Circumstances may change, priorities may shift, or unexpected opportunities may arise. You may change your mind somewhere in the middle and create a new plan that matches your desires perfectly.

6. Seek support and accountability

Share your plan with someone you trust, such as a mentor, colleague, or friend. They can provide support and guidance. The xTiles 3 month template is suitable for sharing with everyone on the internet if sharing your goals and progress with others can also help you stay motivated and focused.

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