Taking notes is one thing many people do all through the day. I do know I can not get via mine with out setting reminders or jotting down a number of issues to jog my reminiscence. It is like I am nonetheless at school and note-taking is my saving grace earlier than the subsequent check — besides as a substitute of finding out, I am simply attempting to not overlook one thing I must do.
Whether or not I am in a gathering or researching a brand new matter for a narrative, I take notes as I’m going. I attempt to determine what is going on on with a brand new program or make sense of a subject that is getting traction currently, and I jot issues down alongside the best way. My favourite app to make use of is Obsidian. It is nice for protecting tabs on all types of matters, and a free, easy-to-use note-taking app that is turn into common with hundreds of thousands of customers.
I am additionally an enormous proponent of NotebookLM and figured why not attempt to use Google’s notice taking app to assist me decipher a few of my notes in Obsidian. What I discovered was really fairly stunning. Not solely is my handwriting atrocious, however my notes might be actually onerous to decipher. Fortunately, AI was in a position to assist me spot some patterns.
Obsidian is straightforward to make use of and easy to combine
I used to be happy with tips on how to convey it over
In the event you’re utilizing Obsidian, you’ll be able to open totally different sorts of notes and use them for absolutely anything. On the finish of the day, you are the one typing in them, so it is fully as much as you ways you utilize them. I like to make use of Obsidian to maintain observe of my week. I normally have a notice with reminders for every day, together with one for freelance matters I need to analysis for story concepts. I will even make a every day notice for random ideas or issues I must look into.
That may current a little bit of a problem, because you would possibly lose the connections between your notes — and the AI might not perceive how all the things matches collectively. So, utilizing Markdown hyperlinks is essential.
Fortunately, there are a number of methods to combine the notes I preserve in my Obsidian vault. I can export them as PDFs and add them to NotebookLM. It is easy sufficient, however you do have to avoid wasting every notice individually. That may current a little bit of a problem, because you would possibly lose the connections between your notes — and the AI might not perceive how all the things matches collectively. So, utilizing Markdown hyperlinks is essential.
Markdown is the key ingredient for straightforward integration
You possibly can copy, paste, and get the hyperlinks
As a result of NotebookLM works with Markdown, I take advantage of Markdown hyperlinks in my Obsidian notes. I depend on these hyperlinks to attach my notes and assist me perceive which matters are a part of the identical analysis thread. I do preserve them in folders in my vault, however reasonably than opening one notice after which one other simply to toggle between them, a Markdown hyperlink lets me soar from one to the opposite.
Meaning I can copy and paste textual content from Obsidian into NotebookLM, and it understands how the notes are related… all due to the Markdown hyperlinks. That is confirmed once I use one of many many options that NotebookLM affords to assist folks examine and do analysis. In fact, I additionally fill out my pocket book with different analysis hyperlinks exterior of Obsidian to color a fuller image of no matter matter I am diving into, particularly if I am beginning with notes I uploaded from Obsidian.
Thoughts Map helps me join my analysis additional
I uploaded a listing of the notes I had opened immediately and threw them into NotebookLM’s Thoughts Map. It mapped out all of my notes, exhibiting how they’re related and tips on how to greatest navigate via them. It even discovered components of my analysis and notes that I hadn’t related through Markdown hyperlinks and grouped them collectively. Which may appear to be a small factor, however I accomplish that a lot analysis on totally different matters that it may be powerful to maintain observe of all the things.
Granted, I do not at all times put all the things into Obsidian. However I do continuously hyperlink again to older notes from new ones. Utilizing Thoughts Map helps me make deeper connections to notes I’ll have missed linking. I additionally actually loved the newer NotebookLM software, Studies. I will add in a few of my scribblings (which can learn like they’re from a madman) and Studies can flip that right into a briefing doc to assist me higher perceive each my very own writing and the analysis hyperlinks I’ve added from across the net. Since NotebookLM makes use of no matter I present as its supply materials, it will probably pull the solutions I want straight from my analysis.
Generally, I simply use it to summarize and assist me manage
I can ask inquiries to remind me in regards to the matter
I do lots in Obsidian to maintain observe of all the things occurring in each my skilled and private life. Since I am at my pc for many of the day, I converted from the iPhone’s Notes app to Obsidian as a result of it is a lot simpler to prepare and customise with totally different options. Now that NotebookLM has a cellular app as properly, it opens up much more flexibility in how I combine it with Obsidian.
The extra I take advantage of these two and combine them, the higher they’re going to be, which is one thing I am genuinely so enthusiastic about.
I can return into Obsidian to revise or broaden what I’ve written and reap the benefits of its wide selection of options. Holding Obsidian tidy additionally improves how properly NotebookLM can course of and use the content material — particularly as I make updates. As soon as I sync the 2, I can use NotebookLM like a chatbot, asking questions to look deeper into the analysis. The extra I take advantage of these two and combine them, the higher they’re going to be, which is one thing I am genuinely so enthusiastic about.
