Guides · 8 min read
How do you keep track of what happened in every coaching session?
How do you keep track of what happened in every coaching session? Write a short note straight after each session, in the same few headings every time, and keep it where you will see it before the next one. The habit matters more than the tool.
Why sessions blur together after a few weeks
With a few clients, you remember everything. With fifteen clients over several months, the details start to slip, and they slip quietly.
You forget that a client mentioned a sore knee three weeks ago. You repeat a drill you already tried and abandoned. A client says they feel stuck, and you know they have improved but cannot point to when. A parent asks what their child has been working on and the answer is scattered across a notebook, your phone’s notes and a voice message.
The cost is rarely dramatic. It shows up as the first ten minutes of a session spent working out where you got to, or a client who starts to feel like one of many.
Write the note while it is still fresh
The single most useful habit is to write the note within a few minutes of the session ending. Waiting until the evening halves what you remember.
Keep it short. Two or three sentences per heading is plenty. A note you write every time beats a detailed note you write once a month.
If typing is the obstacle, speak it. Many coaches record a quick voice note in the car or between clients, which is often more natural than writing.
What to record after each session
Use the same headings every time, so you can scan a client’s history quickly and spot patterns.
What happened
The main thing you worked on. For example: second serve, a past paper on algebra, the first half of a new piece, a long run at steady pace.
What went well
Something specific the client did better than last time. This is the line that lets you show progress later.
What needs attention
The habit that keeps returning, the topic that is still shaky, or anything the client mentioned about how they are feeling.
What they are working towards
The goal behind the session: a match, an exam, a race, a performance, or simply feeling more confident.
What should happen next
One clear focus for the next session. If you only write one line, write this one.
Keep the record where the next session starts
A note is only useful if you read it before the next session. The best place for it is wherever you look when preparing.
For some coaches that is a notebook kept in the kit bag, opened on the right page before each client. For others it is a document per client. The risk with both is that the note and the schedule live in different places, so preparing means searching.
Whatever you use, put the next focus at the very top of the client’s record, so it is the first thing you see. Our guide on how to prepare for a coaching session covers the rest of that five-minute routine.
Use the history to show progress
Over a few months, those short notes become the most valuable thing you own as a coach. They show clients how far they have come.
Every few weeks, read back through a client’s notes and pull out what has changed. Clients often underestimate their own progress, and a few concrete examples from your notes are more convincing than general encouragement.
If you work with children, the same history makes parent updates easy to write. See how to send a lesson summary to a parent.
Not a calendar. A memory
Another Session was built around this habit. A calendar tells you when the next session is. Another Session tells you what happened in the last one, so you can walk into every session knowing where you left off.
After each session you open a short wrap-up with three fields: what you worked on, progress and observations, and the next focus. You can type it or tap to record and speak it. The note saves to that session and to the client’s history.
When you open the next session, the last session’s note and the client’s current focus are right there, above everything else. The Sessions list shows each session with its note, so you can scan a month of work in a few seconds.
When you want to share progress, you can generate a progress note from a range of sessions, check it, and send it by email or WhatsApp. There is more on the page for one-to-one coaches and in the CRM pages by profession.
A month of sessions, at a glance
Over time the session list becomes a readable history of your coaching, client by client and week by week.
Each entry shows what you worked on and a line of your notes. Open any session to see the full note, the payment and the next step, without leaving the list. It also helps with the money side, since each session carries its own payment status. If you sell blocks of sessions, read how to keep track of prepaid lessons and remaining sessions.
Another Session is free for up to three active clients, with every feature included. Complete is £8 a month for unlimited active clients. See coaching software by profession for how it fits your field.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a coaching session note be?
Short enough that you write it every time. A few sentences covering what you worked on, how it went and the next focus is usually enough.
Can I record a note by voice in Another Session?
Yes. The session wrap-up has a record button, so you can speak your note instead of typing it.
What if I miss writing a note?
Write what you remember as soon as you notice. A partial note is still better than none, and the next focus is the most important line to recover.
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