Thoughts Brewing Blog

Create Study Buddies in Minutes With Gemini and NotebookLM

Written by Danielle Price Griffin | May 6, 2026 4:44:59 PM

Remember cramming for exams with 5 different highlighters, piles of handwritten notes you can’t even read, and the panic of “What even is mitochondria?”

Good news → Google’s AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM don’t need caffeine or a pep talk to help you study.


They can quickly become your new nerdy friends who actually enjoy studying. They’ll gladly make a cheat sheet for you in the form of an infographic or audio overview (minus the guilt trip and request for a Starbucks giftcard).

 

Start here

  • Drop your messy notes (yes, even those you think don’t make sense) into NotebookLM along with your ebooks, video lectures, and ask it to create a podcast you can listen to on your drive to work: “Can you pull out the top 10 points I actually need to remember?”

  • Use Gemini’s Guided Learning Mode: “Turn these 10 points into interactive questions, but make them sound like sarcastic trivia questions from a late-night game show.” Suddenly, studying feels like Jeopardy with a Kebert Xela personality.

 

Use Voice Mode to Add Some Flair

  • “Explain these marketing terms like you’re narrating a cooking show.”

  • “Quiz me on this material, but give me a dramatic pause before revealing the answer, like a reality TV host.”

When learning is fun (and a little less soul-crushing) you’ll retain the info much better.

 


Watch Guided Learning MOde In Action ↓