Hack of the day: Turn study material into a podcast quiz

The Times of India' brings you 'Hack of the Day'—a new weekday series of quick, practical solutions to everyday hassles. Each hack is designed to save you time, money or stress, using tools and features within your reach—from government websites to everyday apps. In simple terms, it's simple fixes for smarter living.'Studying doesn’t always fit neatly into a desk-and-chair routine. For students, job seekers, and professionals, time spent commuting, walking, or doing chores often feels wasted.

This hack transforms that downtime into productive learning by turning PDFs, websites, notes, and slides into audio podcasts and quizzes. Instead of passively reading documents, you can actively listen, engage, and test yourself — making study sessions more flexible and effective.

What to do

The trick lies in using the NotebookLM mobile app, which can generate Audio Overviews, flashcards, and quizzes directly from your own study material.

This means your notes don’t just sit in a folder; they become interactive, spoken content that you can consume anywhere.

Steps

1. Open the NotebookLM mobile app on your phone.2. Create a Notebook and add sources such as PDFs, websites, or personal notes.3. Navigate to the Studio Panel.4. Generate an Audio Overview, quiz, or flashcards from the uploaded sources.5. Choose your preferred language and customize the output if needed.

Why it works

This hack is one of the best AI-powered study techniques right now. By converting static documents into dynamic audio learning tools, it helps you absorb information more naturally and retain it better. Listening to a podcast-style overview or answering quiz questions while on the move turns passive reading into active engagement, making study time more efficient and enjoyable.