Go from one-off chats to using AI strategically by creating a dedicated space that holds your files, your past work, and how you want Gemini to respond.
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Leveling up starts with one move: learning to use Gemini Notebooks.
Setting up a Notebook takes a few minutes up front and then keeps paying off, with less repeating yourself, better results, and a real feel for using AI strategically in your day-to-day.
In the next 15 minutes, you'll build one to help with something you're working on.
Notebooks are currently available on Google AI Free, Plus, Pro, and Ultra plans. Non-US availability may be limited.
A Notebook holds three things:
Without a Notebook: you rebuild what Gemini knows and how it acts every chat.
With a Notebook: the sources and the standing instructions live together. Every new chat inside it starts with all of it already loaded (no re-pasting or re-framing).
Notebooks aren't just a way to get organized. Instructions make it so you can use them for different types of work:
Creating Notebooks for the latter two will get you to think about AI strategically, helping you:
You may have heard of NotebookLM. It's Google's AI research tool that lets you drop in files, websites, and notes, then it turns them into an interactive knowledge base you can question, summarize, and generate artifacts from.
Notebooks in Gemini and notebooks in NotebookLM are connected. Anything you create in one shows up in the other.
Gemini Notebooks: Good for open-ended project work like drafting, planning, and executing.
NotebookLM: Best for deep research and data synthesis.
If you're a dedicated Gemini user, you may be thinking Notebooks sound a lot like Gems.
Both are built around you providing AI instructions and optionally attaching reference documents.
But there are a few important differences:
Gems: Don't remember details across chats and are limited to 10 attached files.
Notebooks: Remember details across chats and you can sync 100+ sources.
Now it's time to set one up. Follow the four steps below to create a Notebook anchored to your work.
If you're unsure where to start or evaluating some options, this prompt will help.
Now that you identified what to create, you're going to build your Notebook in Gemini and attach reference files.
Instructions tell Gemini how to respond inside every chat in this Notebook. Run this prompt to help your Notebook stay on task.
You've built your first Notebook. From here, two things keep you leveling up: get comfortable using and refining this one, and learn to spot opportunities to create new ones.
