Our team regularly adds meeting summaries to a shared document using a standard format. We typically insert something like:
---
@today - Team Standup Notes
Action Items
- Sample action item
Discussion Points
- Sample discussion point
---
The final document shows this new entry above previous ones:
8/15 - Team Standup Notes
Action Items
- Review the proposal
Discussion Points
- Mike suggested trying a different approach
---
8/1 - Team Standup Notes
Action Items
- Update the dashboard
Discussion Points
- Sarah recommended adding more features
Is there a method to streamline this process in Google Docs? It would be great to have a quick way to insert this template without manual formatting each time. Currently we keep our formatting simple to avoid copy-paste issues, but a more automated approach would be ideal.
I’m open to using extensions or Google Apps Script, but a built-in feature would be perfect.
keep a separate doc with your template and copy/paste from there. sounds basic but it’s way faster than scripts or building blocks. we do this for weekly reports - takes 10 seconds to copy, paste at top, change the date and you’re done. don’t overcomplicate it.
Building blocks in Google Docs might be perfect for this. You can create a custom building block with your meeting template - it becomes reusable across all your documents. Go to Insert > Building blocks and save your formatted template as a custom block. Once it’s saved, it’ll show up in your library for quick insertion. I’ve been using this for quarterly reports and it works great, though you’ll still need to update the date manually each time. The big advantage over Apps Script? No coding knowledge required and it works right away. But if you want the date to auto-populate, then the scripting approach mentioned earlier would be better for your workflow.
Google Apps Script is your best approach. I implemented a similar solution for our team six months ago, and it has been very effective. You can create a custom menu in your Google Doc featuring an ‘Insert Meeting Template’ button. The script will insert your template at the top with today’s date pre-formatted. It requires about 30 minutes to initial setup, but it saves significant time in the long run. A helpful tip is to assign a keyboard shortcut to the script for quicker access. Ensure the script preserves existing formatting while inserting new content, and consider adding a function that places the cursor directly on the first action item for immediate typing.