Between juggling work and personal endeavors, there were times when my brain felt overloaded in 2025.
On the work front, many of my research sources, documents, and meeting notes held valuable information, but synthesizing it all wasn’t easy.
I’ve used NotebookLM for Android Police since it launched, mainly for experimentation and testing. Then, I decided to try it on a larger scale.
NotebookLM became my second brain. This notebook stores everything, connects the dots, summarizes key points, and answers questions.
It became my command center for diverse sources, from meeting notes and project plans to research articles and random brainstorms.
Instead of drowning in information, NotebookLM made managing a ton of data possible without losing focus.
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It became my information warehouse
Google’s AI notebook became my smart repository
NotebookLM quickly became my go-to tool for capturing a range of data from diverse sources.
It wasn’t only for meeting minutes. I use it to document processes, keep track of important links, upload documents, reference videos, my files on Drive, and more.
NotebookLM supports a variety of file types and sources.
You can include Google Docs, Google Slides, PDFs, text files, Markdown files, web URLs, copy-pasted text, YouTube URLs, and audio files, which are transcribed upon upload.
However, there are limitations.
For web content and videos, only the text and transcripts are used. Not all file formats are supported, nor are paywall web pages.
The maximum number of sources you can add to a single notebook is 50, but that’s more than I need.
NotebookLM synthesized my notes
The platform crystallized my hasty scribbles
NotebookLM connected the dots. By tapping related notes into a Notebook (such as notes for a specific project), I saw the big picture and the small details.
It was like having a personal assistant who organized and cross-referenced everything.
The summarization feature was another nice benefit.
Instead of reading through pages of notes, I asked NotebookLM to create concise summaries, saving time.
With a simple prompt, NotebookLM condensed key steps and considerations into a digestible summary, ready to share with others.
It distilled external sources into important points
Research didn’t turn into a rabbit hole
Research used to feel like falling down a rabbit hole.
Now, when I explore a new topic, service, or tool, I throw all my sources and findings into NotebookLM. The AI surfaces what matters and is easy to query with follow-up questions.
Beyond summarizing research information, NotebookLM helped me understand it.
Instead of getting lost in the weeds, I made connections I might have missed. It allowed me to spend more time focusing on analysis and action.
It enhanced my collaboration skills
Taking action on teamwork got easier
NotebookLM was a benefit for collaboration. Getting everyone on the same page became simpler.
After a brainstorming session, for example, I uploaded the meeting transcript and used NotebookLM to generate a concise summary of ideas discussed, decisions, and next steps. I then shared the summary with my collaborators.
I could also share complete notebooks using the same process you would for sharing any Google Docs document.
I’d like to use this feature more often in the future. For example, the shared workspace could transform close collaboration with immediate team members.
I stayed calm under pressure
Working smarter got easier
NotebookLM eliminated the panic when retrieving long-forgotten information. Within seconds, I found details from months-old meetings and facts buried in research documents.
By allowing me to recall details instantly under pressure, NotebookLM helped me work smarter.
Think of it this way: NotebookLM keeps you from swapping back and forth between dozens of sources on different systems.
With information from the web, video links, and your notes stored alongside uploaded documents, frantic clicking and the stress of remembering where you saw this or that are reduced.
Mind maps that added structure to scattered ideas
How I used Mind Map to connect ideas faster
NotebookLM’s Mind Map feature became my go-to tool whenever my notes started to sprawl.
Instead of scrolling through long pages of text, I could instantly see how ideas related to each other.
For instance, I could visualize the main themes branching into subtopics, references, and follow-ups. It made complex projects feel manageable at a glance.
I used Mind Maps to plan articles, break down research-heavy topics, and connect insights pulled from multiple sources.
Seeing everything visually helped me spot gaps and weak connections early, before they turned into bigger problems. More importantly, it reduced the mental load.
The Mind Map helped organize my notes and gave structure to my thinking, which made starting (and finishing) work much easier.
Turning notes into understanding with quizzes
For active recall
One of NotebookLM’s most underrated features is its quiz tool.
Instead of just reviewing notes or summaries, I used quizzes to test what I had actually absorbed from my sources and quickly identify what had not stuck yet.
After uploading articles, documents, or research links, NotebookLM generated short quizzes that were based directly on the content.
The questions reflected the specific ideas, arguments, and details in my sources. That made the feedback immediately beneficial.
If I struggled with a question, I knew which concept needed another look.
Using quizzes this way helped the information last longer. It forced me to engage with the material instead of skimming it, and it made review sessions faster and more effective.
Audio Overviews weren’t the main character
Audio Overviews are awesome. They take bland information, riff on it between two virtual hosts, and create a dynamic and engaging personal podcast.
This could be a great study tool and is just plain cool.
Google’s Audio Overview transforms your meeting notes into engaging podcasts
Make everything a podcast
Including Audio Overviews in NotebookLM has been marketing gold for Google. For me, Audio Overviews remain more of a novelty.
It isn’t only a go-to feature in my day-to-day applications of synthesizing and analyzing information.
On the other hand, if I were a social media content creator, I’d be jazzed about the potential to crank out good original content without a big production team.
Can you trust NotebookLM with your information?
NotebookLM data is protected by Google’s general security measures, which include encryption and multifactor authentication.
Google also says it doesn’t use user data to train its AI models without consent.
However, storing sensitive information in any cloud-based service, including NotebookLM, has risks.
These risks include data breaches and unauthorized access, resulting in the potential misuse of your data. For this reason, I don’t recommend storing anything sensitive in NotebookLM.
The true value of NotebookLM
NotebookLM became my go-to tool. I frequently use it alongside Gemini, which I rely on for general run-of-web insights.
It helped me conquer information overload by acting as a central hub for my notes, research, and documents.
The AI-powered features, like summarization and connecting related ideas, helped me get better results faster.
Whether collaborating or recalling a detail from a past meeting, NotebookLM made me more efficient and effective.
While the Audio Overviews are a fun feature, the real value lies in ingesting personal datasets and everything it unlocks.
