I’ve been chasing the right note-taking system for years. At one level, my cellphone had a dozen apps devoted to submitting away each stray thought.
I used Google Maintain for fast checklists, Obsidian for long-term data storage, Docs for drafts, and quite a few screenshots and PDFs in Drive.
On paper, it appeared like a well-structured setup. However in actuality, I’d waste extra time attempting to find a half-remembered notice than really utilizing it.
That’s after I determined to attempt one thing new: letting AI deal with the organizing for me.
I in contrast NotebookLM with my present workflow utilizing Obsidian and Google Maintain, two of my most regularly used note-taking apps.
The query I needed to reply was easy: Can AI make sense of your notes higher than you may?
How I examined the group setup
Creating a good taking part in area
I arrange three notice workspaces, every containing the identical combine of fabric:
- Analysis PDFs I’ve been which means to learn
- Random clipped quotes from articles
- A number of voice-transcribed ideas (in textual content format)
- Process lists and concepts for upcoming tasks
In Google Maintain, these regarded like sticky notes, tags, and color-coded containers. In Obsidian, it turned a community of markdown information linked along with backlinks. And in NotebookLM, I uploaded the precise information and snippets into one challenge that the AI may summarize, question, and cross-reference.
Then I used every setup for per week to plan, analysis, and draft concepts.
NotebookLM: The AI-powered hub
AI does the heavy lifting
Probably the most notable change with NotebookLM was the minimal quantity of guide work.
As an alternative of constructing my folder system or hyperlinks, I dumped every thing in: PDFs, copied textual content, notes, and bits from Docs. Inside seconds, the app handled it as a related data base.
The summaries had been the killer function. I may add a dense 40-page paper and ask NotebookLM to extract the important thing arguments or recurring themes.
As an alternative of manually skimming, I received bullet factors in underneath a minute. It additionally added citations pointing again to my uploaded information. That manner, I may confirm the outcomes myself.
Even higher, I may ask questions in plain English.
After I examined it with some analysis notes on motivation, I requested: “How do goal-setting methods hook up with long-term efficiency?” NotebookLM pointed me to the papers I’d uploaded and quoted the related passages.
That’s one thing I may by no means get from Maintain, and even in Obsidian it might’ve required cautious tagging and linking.
Nevertheless, the draw back is that NotebookLM doesn’t change annotation instrument. It’s not nice if you need deep guide management over your information.
You additionally have to belief Google along with your information, which will not be acceptable to everybody.
Obsidian: The networked mind
A strong but demanding note-taking system
Obsidian is a Markdown-based notice app that permits you to hyperlink notes into an internet of related concepts. I’ve used it as my “second mind,” and it’s among the best instruments for long-term data.
Obsidian has among the best guide linking programs. For instance, I related an audio transcript, a abstract of a analysis article, and my notes right into a cluster of associated concepts.
Later, when shopping my graph view, I may see these hyperlinks visually. That’s one thing NotebookLM can’t replicate but.
However there’s a catch. Obsidian requires upkeep. If I neglect to tag one thing correctly or neglect to hyperlink notes, they get buried. On busy weeks, it simply turned one other cluttered vault.
Google Maintain: The fast seize champ
However the system is messy
Google Maintain is the alternative of each NotebookLM and Obsidian. It’s gentle, quick, and excellent for jotting issues on the go.
I’ve relied on it to seize fleeting concepts, whether or not it’s a guide title, a purchasing listing, or a design idea.
Maintain labored greatest by way of velocity and accessibility. A widget on my dwelling display helped me open a notice in seconds, and a search often received me what I wanted.
Nevertheless, it fell flat when it got here to organizing. Tags and colours are the one instruments you get, and after you’ve amassed a whole lot of notes, that system buckles.
For this experiment, Maintain was the least efficient at making sense of my scattered materials.
The place NotebookLM wins (and the place it doesn’t)
The AI edge
What shocked me most about NotebookLM was the way it organized my notes with virtually no effort.
I may add 10 articles, ask it for a comparability of viewpoints, and get one thing coherent in seconds. That may have taken me hours with Obsidian or Maintain.
I didn’t have to recollect the place I’d filed one thing or what tag I used. I simply requested questions in pure language.
That stated, NotebookLM by no means felt like a correct substitute for my guide programs. It’s a robust layer on high, however I wouldn’t belief it as my solely repository.
Obsidian continues to be higher for constructing a private data base that may final years, and Maintain nonetheless wins for jotting down fast notes on the fly.
The way forward for note-taking
In case your notes are cluttered and unfold throughout a number of apps and units, contemplate giving NotebookLM a attempt.
Whether or not you’re managing analysis, writing tasks, or attempting to recollect what you learn final week, AI will help lighten the cognitive load.
It’s value noting that it gained’t change the self-discipline of a well-maintained vault in Obsidian or the comfort of a sticky-note app. Nevertheless, it could actually rework disorganized notes into one thing usable.