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A mum of three uses NotebookLM as a family wiki, uploading photos and scans of manuals, warranties, recipes, report cards and school notes. She can then ask things like when the fridge warranty runs out or what last autumn's school report said, with answers based only on her own documents, even mid-call with the school or phone company.
Using only the documents in this notebook, answer: [QUESTION, E.G. 'When does the fridge warranty expire?' or 'Summarise the school report from autumn term']. Quote the relevant line and say which document it came from. If the answer isn't in the documents, say so rather than guessing.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Create separate NotebookLM notebooks for areas like ‘Home’, ‘School’ and ‘Recipes’.
- Add scans, photos, PDFs and Google Docs as sources (leave out passwords and account numbers).
- Ask questions whenever you need something, and check the quoted source before acting on it.
More productivity use cases
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A long-time OneNote user asks Copilot to turn a messy brainstorm page into a prioritised to-do list with deadlines and checkboxes, and uses its rewrite tool to reshape blunt notes into something shareable, such as a short quick-start guide. Note it needs a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan and the Windows app.
Turn this page into a prioritised to-do list with deadlines. Put the most urgent items first, group related tasks together, and add a checkbox to each one. If something has no clear deadline, suggest one based on [YOUR TIMEFRAME, E.G. THE END OF THE MONTH].
Break overwhelming tasks into steps with Goblin Tools
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[TASK, E.G. CLEAN THE KITCHEN / DO MY TAX RETURN]
Plan a hectic week by talking it through with Gemini Live
A Tom's Guide writer juggling work deadlines, a book festival reading and her children's schedules swapped her paper planner for a spoken morning brain dump to Gemini Live. It talked her through a sensible order for the week, coped when she interrupted to change plans, and, with access to her calendar and email, reminded her of an invitation she'd forgotten.
Here's everything on my plate this week: [LIST WORK DEADLINES, FAMILY COMMITMENTS, PERSONAL PROJECTS]. Help me put it in a sensible order: what's most urgent, what can wait and where I can fit [THING I KEEP PUTTING OFF]. Suggest time blocks for each day and flag any clashes. I'll interrupt if something changes.
Reference: Tom's Guide via Yahoo Tech