I had 19 notebooks cluttering my NotebookLM dashboard, and their titles—ranging from "Claude" to "Claude research" to "AI notes"—offered zero help. Some notebooks were abandoned, others active, and the icons I’d randomly added only added to the confusion. It was a mess of lost information and wasted time. Then I discovered tags. These small labels turned chaos into order, making every notebook instantly findable and usable. Now, I can’t work without them. Here are 10 reasons why tags are not just a nice-to-have, but a must-have for anyone serious about note-taking.
1. The Tag Epiphany
At first, I treated tags as an afterthought—something for perfectionists. But after spending 15 minutes hunting for a notebook that I vaguely remembered as "Claude," I realized the problem: I had three notebooks with similar names. With tags, I can assign a single label like #AI Research to all related notebooks, regardless of their titles. Now, instead of guessing which variant I used, I click the tag and see everything instantly. It’s a simple fix that ends the naming chaos forever.
2. Spot Abandoned Notebooks at a Glance
My dashboard was littered with notebooks I’d started and forgotten. Some were active projects; others were dead ends. Tags let me flag each notebook’s status. I use tags like #Active, #Archived, and #OnHold. When I filter by #Active, only the relevant ones appear. No more scanning 19 icons to decide which notebook to open. This alone saves me five minutes every session—and keeps my focus sharp.
3. End the Icon Randomness
Icons are visual shorthand, but they fail when you add random ones in a hurry. A notebook about Claude ended up with a coffee cup icon because I was distracted. Tags provide reliable visual cues that icons can’t. For example, I tag all research notebooks with #Research and color them with a consistent emoji in the tag name. Now my dashboard is coherent, not a guessing game.
4. Master Dashboard Filtering
NotebookLM’s filter bar is powerful, but only if you have tags. Before tags, I scrolled endlessly. Now I type a tag in the search bar, and the dashboard shrinks to show only notebooks with that tag. For instance, #Claude pulls up all five notebooks related to Claude projects. It’s like having a custom folder system without moving anything.
5. Cross-Notebook Linking Made Easy
I often need to reference information from one notebook in another. Tags allow me to group notebooks that share a topic—like #Productivity—even if they’re in different projects. When I’m writing a new note, I can quickly open filtered tags to find related content. This cross-linking improves my workflow tenfold.
6. Project-Based Tagging
Large projects, like a research paper, span multiple notebooks. Without tags, I’d lose track. I create a tag for each project, for example #AIWritingProject. All notebooks under that project get the tag. Now I can review all related notes in one click—no more digging through misnamed files. This ensures every piece of information stays connected.
7. Version Control with Tags
When I update a notebook, I sometimes want to keep the old version. Tags like #Draft1, #Draft2, and #Final let me track changes without cluttering the title. I can archive old drafts with an #Archived tag and quickly locate the current version. This prevents confusion and accidental edits.
8. Lightning-Fast Search
Searching for words in notebook content can be slow. Tags index instantly. When I need #Claude research, I don’t have to recall a phrase from the notes—I just click the tag. Even if the notebook title is something generic like “Notes from May,” the tag trumps it. This speed transforms note-taking from a chore into a pleasure.
9. Standardized Collaboration
If you share notebooks with others, tags become a universal language. My team agreed on a set of tags: #MeetingNotes, #ActionItems, #Reference. Now everyone organizes the same way, and no one wastes time deciphering someone else’s naming system. Tags remove the friction from collaborative note-taking.
10. Building a Tagging System That Sticks
Finally, consistency is key. I set aside 10 minutes to define my core tags: topics (#AI, #Productivity), status (#Active, #Archived), and project names. I use lowercase and avoid duplicates. Every new notebook gets tagged immediately. Once you develop this habit, tagging becomes second nature—and your notebooks will thank you.
Tags may seem like a small feature, but they revolutionized how I use NotebookLM. From eliminating naming chaos to enabling cross-project discovery, tags turned my 19 notebooks into a pristine, searchable library. If you haven’t embraced tags yet, start today. Your future self—the one who won’t waste five minutes hunting for “Claude research”—will be grateful.