A lot of useful information is as useful as your organization. The same goes for my own brain, of course. Obtaining that information in different formats can help you learn, and Google's notebook has been fun to experiment for that purpose, particularly personalized podcasts with Hosts AI.
The latest incorporation is the new mental maps function. A mental map is an old technique to organize your thinking using visual information networks that connect ideas. Imagine a branch tree where each limb is a concept and each twig is an idea of support. They are great for people who think visually.
The Notebooklm version is essentially that, but it is gathered by an AI model. I decided to try this with two real -life situations: plan a garden and try to become a genius in DIY home repairs.
Mental Garden
The garden was the first. I uploaded a lot of items that I had been accumulating: things about companions, high beds, native perennial plants, composting and that blog post where someone swears pouring beer into their tomatoes. Notebooklm chewed everything and spit a mental map on request.
There were branches for planning, locations and even the benefits of gardening, among others. Each branch had a long list of 'twigs' that covered all kinds of subtalpics, as you can see before. Each one could click, causing the Notebooklm conversation part to expose on that subject. It was extremely useful to maintain all those organized elements.
DIY
The same goes for the DIY project. My house has this lovely quality where things break without reason. He had already tried to fix a toilet with leaks once, which ended with me flooding the bathroom and watching a YouTube tutorial through a veil of defeat.
This time, I came prepared. I uploaded manuals, articles on how to do and some trusted repair blogs. Mental maps generated categories such as planning, construction codes and the list of essential DIY projects in seconds. I chose the installation of floors of that set of twigs, and you can see hard wood floors, moisture barriers and an expansion gap.
There was something strangely relaxing to see the steps established so clearly. I click on “Door Hanging” and obtained a general description of the different types of doors and how to configure them from AI. I felt that I had had a conversation with someone who really knows what he is doing.
Different thought
Notebooklm already did a good job summarizing things, but the mental maps added a layer of clarity that made it feel almost touch. I could see how ideas connected and how it would help me learn faster.
That doesn't mean it's perfect. Sometimes, mental maps get too excited and begin to branch into tangents that don't really help. A map tried to connect the “composting” with the “composition” music for gardening for some reason. And with very niche issues, AI can still lose the brand by offering generic advice when what you need is something specific, such as how to fix a loose mosaic without disassembling half of your kitchen.
I would also love more manual control. At this time, you can navigate and explore the maps, but you really can't modify them much. Sometimes, I want to drag a node, rename it or cut a complete branch that is not useful. Even so, these are Nitpicks. However, the central experience is solid.
The truth is that I did not expect to love mental maps. I thought they would be an orderly visual trick, something I would play once and then forget. But I think I will use them more, especially for any ambitious plan I have to improve my home and my garden. In a world full of eyelashes, it is good to have a map.
