Google has a vast history of launching experimental projects, only for them to fade away before ever getting a proper launch. Unlike many Google Labs experiments that never quite see the light of day, NotebookLM, Google's AI-powered note-taking app, is one of the few that did.
Ever since Google dropped its "experimental" status, the company has consistently focused on making it the ultimate productivity tool by regularly rolling out new features.
I've been using it since the app was in closed beta and have had the pleasure of watching it grow in real time, getting better with each passing day. Over time, I've picked up these four productivity tricks, all thanks to NotebookLM.
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4 Turning my notes into engaging podcasts
Studying feels less like work now
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No matter how much I try to lie to myself, I'd always pick binge-watching a boring Netflix show that I'm not even interested in over cramming for an exam. That's why I'm always on the lookout for ways to make studying a bit less tedious. Thankfully, NotebookLM offers a feature that helps with exactly that, and turns your notes into podcast-style audio summaries within seconds.
In these podcasts, two hosts discuss key points from your sources in a relaxed and lively manner. NotebookLM itself says that they aren't a comprehensive look at the topic you're trying to study, but rather a reflection of the sources you upload. While I initially hesitated to try this feature, thinking it'd just be two people discussing my boring geography course in an even more boring way, and I'd want to do nothing but sleep, listening to a single podcast changed my mind completely.
The voices in the podcast don't sound AI-fied and are actually pretty natural. In fact, you'll even notice the hosts occasionally stutter and take "breaks" every once in a while, which somehow makes it feel more real. They even throw in a couple of jokes, and while I wouldn't call them funny, it's still way better than reading through wall after wall of text.
The length of the podcasts depends on how long your individual sources are and the number of sources you provide. For instance, I had a notebook with 20 sources; the podcast was an hour long. You can create an Audio Overview by heading to NotebookLM's homepage and creating a new notebook or opening an existing one. Once you've uploaded your sources, click the Generate button under Audio Overview.
If you're using NotebookLM's free version, you can generate up to three Audio Overviews daily.
3 Interacting with the Audio Overview
Why Google it when I can just ask the AI hosts?
When you're listening to a podcast, even if you're an expert on the topic being discussed, it's completely natural to pause and Google something every now and then. With NotebookLM's Audio Overviews, anytime you have a question you'd like clarification of or perhaps an opinion about the source, you can jump right into the conversation.
Once your audio overview has been generated, click the Interactive mode (BETA) button. Then, click the Play icon and hit Join to participate. The host will call on you and say something like, "Looks like our participant has something to say," and then wait for your response.
Make sure the questions you ask are related to your sources. NotebookLM is "grounded" in your notes and sources, meaning it only references them to answer any questions you may have. While it can now search the web to find sources, it won't use online sources to answer your questions.
If you'd like to nudge the AI to focus on specific sources, topics, or target a particular audience, you can even customize your Audio Overview by providing instructions. You can ask it to focus on a specific topic or source, or even tailor the entire podcast to a particular audience. Since I use NotebookLM for college, I always mention that I'm preparing for an exam and would like the podcast to focus on the most important concepts to help me get a clearer overview of the material I need to review.
NotebookLM even lets you download the podcast once it's been generated so you can listen offline later. So, I listen to them while on a walk, on the bus, or even while working!
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2 Breaking down sources into a comprehensive Mind Map
Like having a study buddy who actually knows what they're doing
NotebookLM's free version lets you upload a maximum of 50 sources. If you have a notebook with that many sources (or even much fewer), I've found that Audio Overviews aren't too great when trying to understand how different concepts link together. Thankfully, NotebookLM also has a Mind Maps feature that helps you do just that. Similar to Obsidian's Graph View, it visually summarizes all your sources into a branching diagram.
For example, I have a notebook for one of my programming courses, and all the sources within are categorized by week. The Mind Map NotebookLM generated for it contained nine nodes -- eight for each week, and one node called Core Concepts, which summarized all the key topics covered in my sources. You can also generate quick summaries for each node by clicking on it, and then ask any follow-up questions you may have.
I've found Mind Maps especially helpful for concept-heavy subjects that require understanding of how different ideas connect. They also make revisiting old concepts much easier since I can just click on a node and quickly get up to speed without having to reread the original material.
1 Generating mock practice papers
This one's for the students
While you can study all the content in the world in the days leading up to your exam, all the effort essentially becomes fruitless if you're not testing yourself on how well you actually understand it. Unfortunately, while it isn't difficult to locate resources to study the actual content, the same can't be said about finding practice papers. I've tried using ChatGPT to generate some for me by prompting it with my course outline, but there's always been a massive problem -- half of the questions don't even relate to my course content! This is simply because it pulls content from all over the internet.
On the other hand, since NotebookLM only pulls information directly from the material you add, the questions it comes up with are actually relevant. Using the same notebook as above, I asked it to create a mock quiz using all of my sources. It generated 37 multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions. The quiz also included each question's answer right below it. To help you verify if the answers are accurate and where the information came from, you can hover over the citation number next to each question, which reveals the exact text it used directly from your sources.
Of course, if you want a practice paper that only has multiple-choice questions or is filled with descriptive questions, all you need to do is prompt NotebookLM! It's honestly one of the best ways I've found to prepare for exams -- quick and ridiculously easy to generate.
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Save time (and energy) with the above tricks
If used properly, NotebookLM can help you reclaim a ton of time in the long run. If you haven't tried the tool yet, you're seriously missing out. All you need to do is sign in with your Google account and get started. Best of all, NotebookLM's top features are completely free to use.
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