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5 Best Ways to Use NotebookLM to Revolutionize Your Work Productivity

吹上由樹@株式会社Lean Stack

2026年2月6日 10:06

Hello,
Yoshiki Fukiage, CEO of Lean Stack Inc..

【Author Profile】

Yoshiki Fukiage
Representative Director, Lean Stack Inc.

April 2021: Joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
July 2023: Resigned from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
September 2023: Established Lean Stack Inc.

Company Website: https://www.leanstack-buzz.com/

YouTube Channel: DX Dekiru-kun
https://youtube.com/channel/UC-f1ZI9MiME-GC0l1gwNf4w?si=WeyqGjBSvVXwSaDB

Introduction

"NotebookLM is just a 'PDF summarization tool,' right?"

If you think so, you might be missing out on a little bit.

NotebookLM constructs answers based only on the materials you provide. Furthermore, you can trace exactly where the information came from.

This feels like hiring a librarian for your company who answers with citations.

In this article, I have restructured the provided transcript into '5 ways to use it' with a business focus. I will break it down into a format that works for companies with 10 to 100 employees, even without an IT department.

Let's get started!

1. Why do we need NotebookLM now?

The highest cost in small and medium-sized business operations is actually not 'thinking time.' Time quietly melts away while

searching, reading, and summarizing.

On the other hand, while AI chat is convenient, it is difficult to use for decision-making without visible evidence. So, what should we do?

The answer is simple: fix the evidence (source) first.

NotebookLM treats the PDFs, URLs, and internal documents you upload as 'sources' and answers within that scope. Its strength lies in making it easy to maintain the 'reproducibility' and 'accountability' required for decision-making.

Source: NotebookLM (Google) https://notebooklm.google.com/

2. 5 Business Use Cases for NotebookLM

1. Finish service comparisons with "evidence"

Comparing SaaS selection, outsourcing partners, or agency proposals.
The more documents you have, the more your comparison criteria tend to drift.

So, put proposal PDFs, web pages, and meeting notes into a single notebook.

Then, ask it this:

"Create a table of the strengths and weaknesses of each company based on requirements A/B/C"
"Which one has the lowest 'operational burden'? Provide the rationale as well"
"Create 5 additional questions needed for decision-making"

When the foundation is set, discussions become faster.

2. Turn meeting minutes and transcripts into "searchable assets"

Even with meeting minutes, the question "What did we decide last time?" still comes up in the next meeting.
This is a common occurrence.

You can upload multiple meeting minutes (or transcripts) together and ask about them chronologically.

"What were the initial risks identified for this project?"
"How did the discussion on countermeasures change? Summarize the history"
"List the pending items and the to-dos (with owners and deadlines) for next time"

Instead of trying to remember, put them in a format you can recall.

3. Turn customer feedback (surveys/inquiries) into decision-making

The more surveys and inquiries you collect, the more painful it becomes to read them.
But if you leave them alone, the seeds for improvement will rot.

Upload PDF survey results or monthly inquiry summaries and have them categorized.

"List the top 3 themes of dissatisfaction, along with representative comments"
"Hypothesize signs that could lead to 'cancellation'"
"Categorize improvement proposals into 'quick wins' and 'time-consuming'"

You can pick up on small inconsistencies early.

4. Turn internal manuals into a 'ask and receive' format

The thicker the manual, the less likely anyone is to read it.
As a result, questions pile up for the experts.

By uploading approved procedure manuals, internal rules, and FAQs, it becomes a help desk.

“Explain the steps for this task in 5 steps for a new hire”
“What are the exception cases? Where and in which document is this written?”
“Create 10 frequently asked questions”

A manual is like a giant warehouse.
Just having a 'guide with shelf numbers' makes everything run smoothly.

5. Speed up document screening and interview design for recruitment

Recruitment is important, but it's hard to find the time to read through a massive pile of resumes.

That is why you should leave the initial sorting to AI.
Surprisingly, more large companies are starting to do this.

Upload the job description and the candidate's resume to first organize the level of alignment.
After that, create the key points to verify during the interview.

“Organize the fit based on mandatory requirements and preferred qualifications”
“List 10 concerns and questions to verify”
“Hypothesize the expected results for the first 3 months after joining”

Just visualizing the 'route' before you start climbing reduces accidents.
You can also significantly reduce the resources spent on recruitment.

3. Points to note to avoid failure

Note 1: Prioritize the 'latest version and primary sources' for your data

AI is faithful to the information you provide.
If you upload old documents, you will get old answers.

This is like driving with an old map.
Make sure to organize the reference materials first.

Point 2: Decide on Confidential Information and Sharing Scope First

Be especially careful with personal information, customer data, and unpublished materials.
Designate 'who' and 'to what extent' you will share from the very beginning.

Point 3: Do Not Take Conclusions at Face Value; Verify with 'Source Numbers'

The value of NotebookLM lies in its ability to return to the source.
For important decisions, it is effective to practice returning to the cited sections to verify them.

Summary: 3 Things to Do Today

NotebookLM is not flashy magic.
However, as a tool to reduce the time spent 'searching' in the field, it is quite reliable.

Upload just one recent set of meeting minutes (or a proposal) and ask questions about it
Choose one task where 'information is scattered,' such as comparative analysis or handovers
Summarize operational rules on a single page and run them with your team for just two weeks

With so many AI tools available, if you are going to introduce one at your company, I personally highly recommend Google Workspace, so please give it a try.

Note: NotebookLM, which I explained here, is also included in Google Workspace.

See you in the next article.

[Author Profile]