There's no AI tool I rely on as heavily as NotebookLM. I use it every single day, and at this point, I probably open it more than I check my email or search on Google. Though it's not really meant to be an all-in-one productivity tool and primarily consists of educational learning tools, I've come to realize that using it strictly for that feels like missing out on what it can really do.

Since I’m a student right now, I definitely still rely on it mainly for learning new concepts and cramming for midterms and finals. But beyond that, I use it to track my finances, automate meeting notes, analyze my Google Calendar, and even for entertainment, like watching TV shows.

I also use it for long YouTube videos I don’t want to sit through, and recently decided to replace my Watch Later queue with a NotebookLM notebook. It worked so well that it suddenly made me wonder — if NotebookLM could replace my Watch Later queue, could it also replace my Chrome bookmarks? Of course, as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I had to put it to the test.

Why do I even need to use NotebookLM for this anyway?

My bookmarks actually get used now

I'm a very chaotic person, and my browser is the perfect reflection of that. Ironically, I went through an entire browser decluttering process just a few days ago, and though my browser is in much better shape now than before, I know it won't take long for the clutter to creep back in.

When I decluttered my browser, I created separate profiles, audited my extensions, installed new ones to manage my tabs more effectively, and also cleaned up my bookmarks. Out of all those tasks, though, my bookmarks felt like the biggest contributor to the mess, and they're also the easiest thing to let spiral out of control again.

This is because I have a habit of saving anything and everything I find remotely interesting. Saving a lot of stuff isn’t really the problem, though. The real issue is that once I save them, I rarely ever revisit most of my bookmarks, and they just keep piling on and on.

Part of the reason I never seem to open most of my bookmarks is simply because I don’t have the time to go back and read or revisit them. So, I needed a system that would not only let me store the bookmarks I had to save, but also make them easier to actually revisit later and turn the clutter into something I'd actually use. This is exactly the kind of problem NotebookLM can solve. It's packed with features that help you interact with content more effectively.

First, I moved over my existing bookmarks

Heads up: this part takes some patience

The first step in replacing my bookmarks bar with NotebookLM was to move my existing bookmarks over. Before I began adding the actual links, I created separate notebooks to replicate the structure of my bookmarks folders.

To make my bookmarks bar a little less chaotic, I've created a few folders like College, Weekend Reads, Work, Travel Plans, Wishlist, Recipes, and Programming Resources. I decided to create corresponding notebooks in NotebookLM for each of these folders, so that all my saved links would have a dedicated space and remain organized, just like on my bookmarks bar.

Then, it was time to move over the existing bookmarks I had in each folder. Unfortunately, unlike my YouTube Watch Later workflow, I couldn't find a Chrome extension that let me bulk add all my extensions (or at least a huge chunk) at the same time. So, I did need to manually copy each link I had and add it to NotebookLM.

Thankfully, since the tool now allows bulk URL uploads, this didn't take me too long. I simply opened a split screen view and kept the Bookmarks Manager tab open in one tab and the NotebookLM Add Sources page open in another. Like I mentioned above, I recently decluttered my entire browser, so my bookmarks bar isn't as filled up as it usually would be. So, that's one reason why it didn't take me particularly long.

I kept the workflow going with Chrome extensions

It’s all a lot easier with the right extensions

What I described above was the initial setup, and it's essentially the most time-consuming part of the process. From here on, all you really need to do is treat NotebookLM as if it’s your bookmarks bar. This translates to adding new links, organizing them into the corresponding notebooks, and revisiting them whenever you want. Now, opening NotebookLM every time you want to save a bookmark is far from ideal.

Thankfully, Chrome extensions like WebSync make that process a lot easier. Whenever I'd come across a link I'd typically bookmark, I'd simply click the extension, choose the relevant notebook, and boom — it was instantly added to my notebook. I’d repeat this process for every link I wanted to save, and before long, adding new bookmarks became almost effortless.

How I actually use my NotebookLM bookmarks

Now for the good stuff

The magic really happens when you revisit the bookmarks you've saved. Instead of manually opening every single link and reading through it, NotebookLM offers a range of features that help you quickly extract key information, summarize content, and even generate notes or reports based on the sources.

If you're wondering, "hey, any tool can do that" — trust me, NotebookLM does it a lot better. It's a source-grounded tool, which means the AI can only reference the content you've actually uploaded to your notebooks.

Even if your notebook has multiple sources, you can choose a specific source for it to focus on. This way, you can ask NotebookLM any questions you have about the sources, and it will provide precise, source-based answers or insights without mixing in unrelated information.

The real game-changer here though are the features NotebookLM offers. I love podcasts and listen to them every day on my daily walk. NotebookLM lets you generate podcast-style discussions of your sources called Audio Overviews. So, whenever I have a bookmark I've been meaning to get to, I can generate an Audio Overview and essentially "listen" to the key points instead of reading through the entire content.

Since my bookmarks all have links on similar topics grouped together, sometimes I want to see the bigger picture or how all the pieces connect. That’s where NotebookLM’s Mind Maps come in. Mind Maps let you visualize relationships between different sources, organize ideas hierarchically, and spot connections you might have missed if you were just reading links one by one.

Instead of flipping back and forth between dozens of bookmarks, I can generate a Mind Map and instantly see how everything ties together. Once I'm done exploring a saved bookmark, unless I need to keep it for future reference, I simply remove it as a source from my notebook. This way, my notebooks stay organized, and I don't need to worry about hitting the source limit.

Finally, a bookmarks system that actually works

Before this, I've tried multiple different ways to manage my bookmarks, but nothing really stuck. NotebookLM, however, has completely changed the game. Sure, it took a bit of initial setup, but honestly, it’s been worth every minute. I just wish I set this up sooner!