Would it not sound loopy if I mentioned one pocket book modified my complete workflow? It will sound a tad bit dramatic, however that is precisely what took place.
And no, I am not speaking about some fancy leather-bound planner I bought that might do not anything for my productiveness however glance aesthetic on my Instagram tale. As a substitute, I am speaking about an “The entirety” pocket book I created inside of Google’s AI-powered analysis assistant, NotebookLM.

5 tactics NotebookLM totally modified my workflow (for the easier)
Good day Siri, how did I ever continue to exist ahead of NotebookLM?
So, what precisely is an “The entirety” pocket book?
Organizing my mind while not having to arrange it
An “The entirety” NotebookLM pocket book is not one thing I invented. It used to be in truth one thing editorial creator and science creator Steven Johnson instructed. He labored at the NotebookLM group from the very starting of the undertaking, and his 8 tricks to get probably the most out of NotebookLM have been shared in a weblog on The Keyboard. This kind of pointers used to be developing one major pocket book, after which figuring out topic-based notebooks from that time onwards.
That is necessarily precisely what Steven’s “The entirety” pocket book is meant to be. He suggests loading up the pocket book with “resources that come with the overall wisdom you’re employed with maximum days.” A few of his ideas come with inspirational quotes from books you have learn, core paperwork describing your place of business, or brainstorming concepts that you have captured over time.
The thing defined that doing so necessarily creates a customized AI — one thing NotebookLM’s founders, who left Google, also are attempting to reach with their newly introduced AI instrument, Huxe. A personalised AI would imply the AI attracts data out of your global (i.e., your notes, initiatives, and the resources you added) as a substitute of providing you with generic solutions.
Recall to mind it as an AI sounding a bit of such as you and turning into your 2d mind. Regardless that that sounds slightly bit creepy, it simply manner the AI turns into extra useful and related. A pocket book with all of the resources you want in a single position would imply that NotebookLM would be capable of floor precisely what you want, when you want it, and in some way that in truth is smart for a way you suppose and paintings.
What ended up in my very own “the whole lot” pocket book
Now, the phase above basically explains what Steven Johnson suggests including to an “The entirety” pocket book. When it got here to construction my very own, I took his recommendation and custom designed mine to suit my workflow.
The pictures above are from a make-do “The entirety” pocket book I created only for the sake of this piece. My precise pocket book is much more private (and messy!) — however the construction and use instances are just about the similar.
Developing this pocket book used to be like developing every other NotebookLM pocket book. All I needed to do used to be cross to NotebookLM’s web site and hit the + Create new button. Then I went down a bit of of a rabbit hollow and discovered how unfold out such a lot of my on a regular basis pondering is.
A few of it lies in half-finished random Apple Notes I wrote at 3 AM, some in guide lists I swore I would sooner or later get to, and a few even within the 1000’s of screenshots stored on my telephone. So, I started collecting the whole lot and filtering out what in truth felt helpful sufficient so as to add to my “The entirety pocket book” — stuff that necessarily felt like the present me.
The vast majority of writing concepts I had get a hold of when I used to be 13 have been obviously expired, however there have been some within the checklist that I would been that means to revisit. So, it went proper into the pocket book I had created. I threw in my day-to-day to-do lists simply so the AI may just get an concept of my priorities, and even perhaps pick out up on routine duties or initiatives I have a tendency to circle again to.
Since I am a full-time scholar, I additionally added stuff like my magnificence time table on the time, the lessons I used to be taking at the side of descriptions of them, or even a brochure overlaying my college’s project and level plan.
I have at all times been anyone who has a brand new hyperfixation each and every different day, and a dozen other leisure pursuits I need to take a look at out. So, I added a listing of them all to the pocket book too. I have not too long ago been developing numerous Reels and TikToks for my socials, so I have had numerous random concepts pop up in my mind, which I most often jot down into my Notes app.
Positive, that is an effective way to bear in mind it, however NotebookLM can in truth assist me take it a step additional and form it. So, I have been dumping the up to date checklist into the pocket book on every occasion I will be able to. I have added lists of books I wish to learn, motion pictures I wish to watch, poetry I have liked, scenes from TV presentations that I would like to bear in mind, and extra.
Since my paintings makes up an important bite of my existence, it simplest made sense so as to add that during as smartly. I added hyperlinks to articles I am specifically happy with, high-performing articles, comments from editors and readers, headlines that carry out smartly, routine subjects I love to pitch, or even half-baked concepts I’ve in my thoughts.
The purpose used to be to present the AI a way of my tone and the type of content material I gravitate towards. Take into account that this “The entirety” pocket book is not designed to make sense. It is supposed to be scattered, in all places, and no longer very best. I really like to consider it as a virtual extension of my mind, but one that may in truth make sense of the chaos that is going on there and will floor connections and provides me a place to begin.

4 options in NotebookLM that modified how I learn about
At this level, I may simply owe NotebookLM my level.
How I In fact Use My The entirety Pocket book
Prior to I am going any longer into this, let me make something extraordinarily transparent: I’ve the reminiscence of a goldfish (or worse). And that is without doubt one of the greatest the reason why this The entirety pocket book has totally (and I am not exaggerating) modified the way in which I paintings and… are living. When I upload a supply into the pocket book, it remains in there till eternity, until I manually take away it. That suggests I not need to depend on my mind to bear in mind numerous issues that I have already got in my The entirety pocket book.
Say I see a quote that actually stands proud to me. Saving it to my digicam roll will most probably imply it is going to get misplaced within the sea of pictures and movies, by no means to be observed once more. But if I reserve it to my The entirety pocket book, it is going to be there once I want it. And despite the fact that I’m going to most probably produce other quotes saved within the pocket book too, likelihood is that I’m going to be mindful bits (or the translation) of the quote, however no longer the precise wording. That is the place NotebookLM shines. I will be able to simply seek a key phrase I be mindful or provide an explanation for my very own interpretation, and it is going to pull it proper up.
Any other factor about me is that I am very indecisive. I am at all times torn between a couple of concepts, even supposing it is simply deciding what guide or film I will have to watch. Every now and then, I merely ship the AI a steered like:
Hi! I wish to learn a random guide from my checklist as of late. Are you able to recommend one?
And it is going to in truth randomly recommend a guide from the checklist I have added!
Within the phase above, I discussed that I additionally added stuff like my semester-wise path breakdown. As a substitute of desiring to tug up my faculty’s web site to seek out the breakdown or search out a PDF the place it is discussed, I will be able to simply seek for it within the pocket book. For example, I requested it to tug up the lessons I’m going to be finding out all over my 3rd semester, and it did so proper from the report I equipped, with 100% accuracy.
Not like a standard group instrument, a NotebookLM pocket book would possibly not simply retailer your whole notes. As a substitute, it is going to will let you stay observe of the whole lot and paintings higher with it. Since NotebookLM is AI-powered, it could actually additionally paintings with you on producing concepts according to your current content material. Since I equipped it an up to date checklist of the content material concepts I’ve for TikToks, I requested it to assist me generate a script for considered one of them, and it did.
I’m going to admit, I might by no means use the script it generated. But it surely gave me a cast start line and helped give me one thing to bop off. The entire solutions you get from NotebookLM are at all times in an easy-to-digest and neat structure, which makes it so much more straightforward to make use of. Each declare made in a solution additionally contains citations, so once I do not be mindful the place one thing specifically got here from, I simply hover over it.
Create an “The entirety” pocket book in NotebookLM ASAP
In case you are repeatedly beaten by way of scattered notes and forgotten concepts, construction your individual “The entirety” pocket book in NotebookLM may simply be what you want to do. Take this as your signal, and create one immediately.

NotebookLM is already nice, however those 4 options would make it even higher
Just right? Sure. Very best? Now not but.



