Integrate AI into Your Workflows – Extracting Mind Maps from NotebookLM

A key way to work with AI is to use it to improve your workflows. In an earlier post, I suggested NotebookLM as a great tool to start exploring AI with. One of the features I especially like is its ability to summarize multiple source inputs into mind maps – I love mind maps and this saves a LOT of time and effort. One of the things I disliked is that you could only export these mind maps as static .PNG graphic files.

Not any more thanks to this Google Chrome extension – NotebookLM Mindmap Extractor! This extension is able to detect and extract a mind map in NotebookLM into standard mind map formats that can be imported into a mind mapping software like Xmind.

Here the basic workflow:

1. Open NotebookLM in Google Chrome:
   • Import the sources that you want to summarize into a notebook (Websites, PDFs, Youtube videos, articles…)
   • Select these sources and in the Studio, create a Mind Map summary
   • Expand ALL the nodes of the mind map. (Only expanded nodes will be exported.)
2. Using the NotebookLM Mindmap Extractor:
   • Make sure you have installed the extension from the Chrome Web Store
   • Launch the extension while in the NotebookLM mind map.
   • Detect Mindmap
   • Select the export format. (I have tried the Freemind (.mm) and OPML formats.)
   • Export Mindmap. (Note where you store this file!)
3. In Xmind:
   • From the main pulldown menu (top left), select File  > Import > Other Mind Map Format (or OPML)
   • Select the extracted file
   • Under the Format Menu (top right):
   • Select a new Color Theme
   • Choose a new Map Structure
   • Prune, edit or add to the mind map as desired.

Think of AI as your assistant. Integrate AI outputs into your workflows but remember to make the final product your own.

Thanks to a newsletter article from Chuck Frey on Visual Velocity for this tip.

Forays into AI: I used ChatGPT to generate the accompanying image for this post.