I asked NotebookLM to help me think like Jay Shetty — and it nailed my biggest blind spot

(Image credit: Getty Images)

I’ve used Google’s NotebookLM to organize research, summarize interviews and even turn my family’s information into a useful "wiki." But recently, I started wondering whether the AI notebook could do something much less obvious: could it help me understand myself? Turns out, it can.NotebookLM is no longer just a project manager or research partner. And, now that it's included in Workspace plans, and for many work and school accounts, it functions as a core service alongside tools like Gmail, Calendar and Docs.Google has also started bringing NotebookLM into Workspace Studio, which means existing notebooks can be used as knowledge sources for automations. That's probably why this experiment felt so natural. While I usually ask ChatGPT for help with my toughest mindset questions, leaning on NotebookLM to coach me like Jay Shetty, made me wonder why I hadn't tried it sooner.NotebookLM for real life Jay Shetty, the author of "Think Like a Monk" and host of the On Purpose podcast, is known for making ideas around mindfulness, purpose, presence and emotional patterns feel practical. The goal here was not for NotebookLM to impersonate anyone, but instead, to see whether a Jay Shetty-inspired mindset could help the AI spot something I was too close to see.To make this experiment work, I needed to give NotebookLM enough material to analyze me. It already knows Jay Shetty since he's famous. But NotebookLM works best when it can pull from documents and notes you upload.So, to start, I created a new notebook and added three sources. The first was my weekly schedule. I included work meetings and deadlines, kid logistics like soccer games and gymnastics practice, and I included errands, writing blocks, workouts and the small pockets of time I usually label as “free.”The second was my to-do list. This was not a neat productivity list. It included story ideas, household tasks, emails I needed to answer, grocery lists, chores, appointments, follow-ups and the random mental clutter that seems to multiply when you have a job, a home and three kids.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.The third was a short journal-style note. I wrote about how I felt “on top of things” but still exhausted by 8 p.m. most nights. I also admitted that even my downtime often felt scheduled, measured and slightly rushed.Because this involved personal material, I kept the sources limited to notes I was comfortable uploading. I avoided sensitive financial information or deeply private family details. And while those elements could have made this even more useful, it's important to draw the line. Using AI should not require handing over anything you would regret sharing.The prompt I used