Yauhen Massalski All lessons

Tools I use · NotebookLM

Learn any topic from 50 sources

You do not need to read 50 articles to learn a new topic. You need a good set of sources and the right questions in the right order. In 15 minutes, you learn the flow I use.

NotebookLM
A free Google tool. You add your own documents. It answers only from them. Google now calls it "Gemini Notebook" on some pages. It is the same tool.
Source
One thing you add to a notebook: a web page, a PDF or a YouTube video.
Citation
A small number inside an answer. Click it to see the exact words in your source.

01 · The question

Monday, a topic you know nothing about

Your boss says: "Learn how solar panels work for the new project. Show me on Monday."

You know nothing. You open Google. After two hours you have 10 tabs open. Each page says something a little different. You remember almost none of it.

There is a better first move. Make a guess.

02 · Your guess

What is the best first move?

A wrong guess costs nothing. Guessing first helps you remember the answer. Pick one to open the next part of the lesson.

03 · The 6 steps

From zero to "I can explain it"

This is my real flow. I used it to learn how AI chips are made. Press Next step to see each step.

1Collect sources
2Ask a big question
3Follow the answers
4Find the gaps
5Ask for the order
6Check the numbers

04 · Remember

Build the library first. Then ask.

Most AI chats answer from everything they have read. NotebookLM answers only from the sources you add. So your sources set the quality of every answer.

It can still make mistakes. That is why step 6 exists.

Sources in a free notebook50
Questions in my flow10
Steps in my final answer6

At the library

You ask the librarian about solar panels. If the shelf holds 3 old books, the answer is thin. Fill the shelf first. Then ask.

In the kitchen

A chef can only cook with what is in the fridge. Shop first. Then cook. NotebookLM is the chef. Your sources are the groceries.

Why ask in this order?

  1. One big question gives you a map. You see the main parts of the topic, even if you do not know the words yet.
  2. Each answer shows the next question. It has a word you do not know. Ask about that word. Ten questions later, the map is full. It is like following a river: each bend shows the next one.
  3. The last two questions close the gaps. "What did we not cover?" finds the holes. "Explain it in order" turns the pile into a story you can tell.

Why 50 sources?

A free notebook holds up to 50. Paid plans hold 100, 300 or 600, and each source can have up to 500,000 words. More sources show more sides of a topic. My view: 15 good sources beat 50 random ones. Sources: Google's plans page and the sources page.

05 · Two checks

Pass two checks to finish

A miss is fine. Each miss gives you a new case.

Check 1 of 2 · Pick the best next move

06 · Tell a friend

Your one-minute answer

A friend asks: "How do you learn a new topic so fast?" Say it in your own words. Here is a version you can use:

The one-minute version

"I do not read 50 articles. I put 50 sources in a NotebookLM notebook: web pages, PDFs and videos. Then I ask one big question. Each answer gives me the next question. After about 10 questions, I ask: what did we not cover yet? Then I ask for the whole story in order. At the end, I check every big number with a second source."

Big question"Why does ...? How did it start?"
Gaps"What did we not cover yet? I want to learn in a logical order."
Order"Explain it as 6 steps, in order, so I can share it."
CheckClick the small number in the answer. Read the exact words.

Try it today · 20 minutes · free

Make one notebook on a topic you care about. Not work. Something you are curious about.

  1. Open notebooklm.google and sign in with a Google account.
  2. Press Create new notebook. Add 10 sources: web links, PDFs or YouTube videos. No time? Type your topic in the search box, turn on Web and Deep Research, and let it find sources. You choose which ones to keep.
  3. Ask one big question that starts with "why".
  4. Ask 3 follow-up questions. Each one comes from a word in the last answer.
  5. Ask: "What did we not cover yet?"

Only add things you have the right to use. Pages behind a paywall do not work. A YouTube video needs captions.

Check: click one small number in an answer. Do the words in your source match the claim?

Stuck? Ask any AI: "I am new to NotebookLM. Walk me through making my first notebook."

This is how I do it. Limits can change, so read Google's limits page before you plan around them.

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