🍳 AI Recipe: Daily Mind Dump for Mental Clarity
Organize your thoughts quickly with Google NotebookLM's new Mind Map feature
Ever feel overwhelmed with a million thoughts racing through your mind? Whether it's work tasks, personal to-dos, creative ideas, or random reminders, keeping everything in your head can be exhausting. Instead of letting thoughts pile up, use Google’s Mind Map feature in NotebookLM to offload, organize, and make sense of your thoughts visually.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients:
A NotebookLM account with access to Mind Maps
A few minutes to brain dump what’s on your mind
An open-ended mindset (this is for clearing thoughts, not perfect structure)
Instructions:
Start with Morning Pages: Before opening NotebookLM, take a few minutes to free-write your thoughts in your favorite text editor (Google Docs, Notion, etc). Set a timer for two minutes and write whatever comes to mind. Write without filtering, just let your mind flow. Here's an example of what your morning pages might look like:
Export Your Thoughts as a PDF: Once you’ve completed your Morning Pages, save or export them as a PDF so you can upload them into NotebookLM.
Open NotebookLM: Log into your Google account and open NotebookLM. Click “Create” and upload the PDF as a source. Name the notebook something like Daily Mind Dump.
Generate a Mind Map: Click the Mind Map button in the Chat panel, and let AI organize your thoughts into structured categories. Click the generated Mind Map in the right panel under 'Notes'.
Dive In: Explore the map, expand branches by selecting the arrows, download an image of the mind map. You can also click on a node to chat further about a topic. As you add more daily morning pages as sources, you'll be able to create more clarity around recurring themes.
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Serving Suggestions:
Morning Clarity Boost - Use a mind dump to set daily intentions and priorities
End-of-Day Reflection - Unload stress and plan ahead for a smoother tomorrow
Creative Brainstorming - Capture and connect ideas for projects, content, or problem-solving
Chef’s Insights: Pro Tips & Limitations
Pro Tips:
Don’t overthink it—just dump your thoughts and let AI organize them for you
Make it a habit.A quick daily mind dump can reduce stress and improve focus. The Mind Map will only get more powerful as you increase the morning page sources.
Limitations to Keep in Mind:
Google NotebookLM is still rolling out, so availability may vary for the next couple of weeks
AI won’t “solve” your thoughts, but it helps to visually represent tangled thoughts so you can create clarity
User Reviews:
Have you tried using AI for mind dumps? Share your experience and let us know how it’s helping you clear your mind clutter!
I just tried this with a freebie ebook and the mindmap was a crazy awesome streamlined outline that I could filter through to exactly what I wanted to see!!! 🤯
I've been doing a talk-to-text brain dump with ChatGPT to organize my day. I didn't know about the Mindmaps. This is SUCH a great idea. I'll add this to my process