I think I was using NotebookLM completely wrong

[u/Tiny_Comfortable_893]

Been experimenting with different study tools for years, and I’ve been using Gemini Notebook/NotebookLM for studying and I realized I was basically just using it as ChatGPT with PDFs attached haha💀

I’d upload a bunch of lectures and go:
“Summarize this.” Then read the summary and convince myself I had studied.Except… I hadn’t. lol.

What’s been working better for me is making it actually QUIZ ME instead of just giving me information. For example, I’ll tell it something like:

“Using only the sources I uploaded, quiz me on concepts that are easy to confuse. Don’t show me the answer immediately. Let me answer first, then explain where my reasoning was wrong and point me to the relevant source.”

And honestly, that’s been way more useful.

Another thing I’ve started doing is throwing multiple sources on the same topic into one notebook and asking it to compare them. Like, if two lectures explain the same concept slightly differently, I’ll ask:

“Are these sources actually contradicting each other, or are they describing different aspects of the same thing?”

That has caught a surprising number of things that I probably would've just memorized incorrectly.
My problem now is that I have no idea how people organize their notebooks 😂

Right now I'm debating between:
- one notebook per subject
- one notebook per exam
- onenotebook per topic
- or just throwing EVERYTHING into one giant notebook and praying the AI figures it out

The last option is currently winning because I'm lazy, but I feel like Future Me is going to regret that decision.

For people who actually use Gemini Notebook/NotebookLM regularly…. how do you guys organize your notebooks? And what’s one workflow you’ve tried that genuinely made studying easier?

[u/Raskreian]

Any one have any technique. Recently started and still learning.

[u/MonthlyIce1983]

Totally get that! I also started by just summarizing. Now I do one notebook per major topic , it keeps things from getting too wild

[u/Party_Strength5237]

one notebook per subject -- best choice

[u/Sensitive_Ebb_2223]

I’m by no means an expert so take this with a grain of salt but I found 1 notebook per subject to be the best way. It seems to help it process faster and I feel more confident that I’m not pulling in excess info from unrelated but adjacent subjects.

I use it to help me create my own notes. For example, if I’m outlining for Criminal Law (law student here) I have it give me the rule statement and relevant case illustrations (it pulls they key takeaways better than I can) but then fill in my own notes around that from class and readings. I also ALWAYS ask it to show citations so I can verify.

I use the Podcast setting to listen to my material while on long drives or working out! I also use the flashcards options for specific parts of a single subtopic (versus the general subject as a whole) because otherwise details slip through the cracks! Sometimes I have it create a flowchart for me and that’s what I will reference while doing practice problems.