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Each week, we post AI Tools, Tutorials, News, and practical knowledge aimed at improving your life with AI. 

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If you spend a lot of time at the keyboard, there are at least 12 types of tools you need. In this new series, I'll share recommendations for this core toolkit. I'll outline simple and advanced options so you can choose what suits you.👇

I'll also delve into Google’s NotebookLM, a new free service that applies AI to your notes and documents. It helps surface new ideas and uncover fresh connections in your thoughts and research. Keep reading to see how I’m using it, what I love about it, its limitations, and a couple of intriguing alternatives.

Notes 🗒️

Paper notes help me focus away from distracting screens, while digital ones are more effective for organization and search.

Simple Notes:

These apps are quick and easy to use. Just open a note, add your content, and you're done. No fuss, no frills.

• Apple Notes and Google Keep: Both are fast, work well on mobile and desktop, and let you add text and images. You can share, print, and export notes. Plus, Google Keep notes can be converted directly into Google Docs.

• Craft: Beautifully designed and easy to use for jotting down notes. It's a pleasure to use.

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Advanced Notes:

For those needing more robust features, these apps offer powerful tools for creating, finding, and sharing notes. They come with added complexities and often incorporate AI to make searching easier.

• Obsidian, Mem, Capacities, Roam, Anytype, Reflect, and Tana: Each of these has its own unique advantages and complexities.

My Take:

I like Mem for its excellent AI chat feature that helps explore notes, but I often find myself using Craft because of its appealing design. Both have their limitations, so I'm still on the lookout for a notes app that's easy to use, well-designed, and excellent for finding, sharing, and acting on notes.

Documents 📄

We've evolved from the days of Microsoft Word to Google Docs, and now to interactive platforms like Notion and Coda.

Simple Docs:

These are perfect for writing, editing, annotating, printing, and organizing documents without any cost.

• Google Docs: Offers dictation, translation, version history, and most other word processor features. It also includes built-in AI for text generation and edit suggestions. Plus, it has many other handy features.

• iA Writer: A streamlined writing app that helps you focus solely on your words by blocking out distractions. I appreciate software that prioritizes simplicity and focus. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Advanced Document Tools:

These platforms allow you to embed videos, maps, social media posts, PDFs, and more inside a document.

• Coda: Lets you add tables and databases into a document and embed Google Docs, Google Slides, Figma or Canva visuals, Airtables, or Miro whiteboards. You can link it to Slack or other services for updates, or automate updates via Zapier or IFTTT.

• Notion: Great for creating visually appealing documents and comes with useful new AI features.

• Lex: A new AI-enhanced word processor that can suggest headlines, assist with quick research questions, or provide feedback on your writing.

My Take:

I rely on Google Docs for most of my daily writing, but I sometimes use iA Writer or Lex. For documents that need tables, videos, or other embeds, I turn to Coda or Notion.

📓 Make an AI Notebook

Getting Started with NotebookLM:

• Sign up at notebooklm.google.com —it's free during the beta phase.

• Upload up to 50 documents into a "notebook" of sources to explore.

• Create up to 100 notebooks for various topics.

• Each document can be up to 100MB and contain up to 500,000 words.

• Add PDFs, Google Docs, or pasted text.

• Inside each notebook, there’s a “noteboard” for saving AI responses, key passages, and your thoughts.

Tip: Keep your own writings separate from research to easily track sources later. 

💡 Try this: Start private NotebookLM notebooks with inspiring material. Export highlights from Kindle or Readwise, import a doc with your favorite quotes, or create a notebook from your travel journal or project plans. Use NotebookLM’s AI to surface creative elements when you need a spark.

What to Use NotebookLM For

Analyze Your Own Material:

NotebookLM generates summaries and subject tags for each document in your collection. Query individual documents or entire notebooks to analyze material from specific sources.

Suggested Queries:

NotebookLM proposes queries based on your material. For instance, it suggested queries about startup presentation tactics from my entrepreneurial journalism notes. It then provided a summary with citations, making it easy to trace the sources.

Ask Your Own Questions:

Pose any question to NotebookLM. Unlike other AI chat services, NotebookLM provides traceable sources for its responses, ensuring accuracy and reliability.

Build on Your Own Notes:

Save AI responses and build on them to create new notes on your noteboard. This interactive feature allows you to have a dialogue with your own notes, making NotebookLM a valuable tool for writing and presentations.

Limitations

• Currently available only in the U.S. for users 18 and older, and some Google accounts may not have access.

• No mobile app yet, though the mobile web version works for simple queries.

• The design is a bit clunky with multiple panels for source documents, queries, and notes.

• Google keeps your material private, but if you’re skeptical about the company, you might hesitate to upload private content.

Alternatives

• Mem: A notes app with AI that learns from your notes, surfacing related content automatically. It’s a comprehensive notes tool but lacks NotebookLM’s compartmentalized AI analysis. Requires Google authentication. Pricing: $100/year or $15/month.

• AnythingLLM: A free software tool that lets you run an AI model on your laptop, applying AI to any notes or documents. It works offline, ensuring complete privacy. It’s easy to set up and use, even for those not tech-savvy.

AI tools are evolving rapidly, offering new ways to enhance productivity. NotebookLM lets you apply AI to your personal material with precision. 

Conclusion

Staying organized is key to productivity, and the right tools can make all the difference. From simple apps like Apple Reminders and Google Keep to advanced platforms like Notion and Coda, there's a tool for every need. 

Google's NotebookLM is a standout, using AI to help you uncover new ideas and connections in your notes and documents. Explore these tools, find what works best for you. Which tool did you find most interesting?  Share your thoughts!

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