One honest frame before the prompts: Claude works inside a session you start (and, if you want, on a schedule you set up). It is a copilot you drive, not a bot that silently runs your business. That's the accurate, non-hype version, and it's still a huge upgrade.
copy theseClaude forgets between chats. Fix it once. CLAUDE.md is auto-loaded at the start of every session, so point it at your own notes.
Create a persistent memory system for yourself in a /memory folder with files:
decisions.md, people.md, preferences.md, user.md. Then write a CLAUDE.md that reads
those files at the start of every session and updates them as we work.
Build your own track record so you stop repeating mistakes.
Create a decision log. Whenever I describe a decision, append a row to decisions.csv
with: date, decision, reasoning, expected outcome, and a 30-day review date. Also give
me a review command that surfaces only the entries whose review date has passed.
To get the reviews surfaced automatically, set a routine (cloud-scheduled, laptop closed, Pro/Max and up, currently in preview) or just run the review command yourself.
The biggest time-saver. First connect the official Gmail connector (Customize, then Connectors, log in with your own Google account). Then, on demand, ask:
Using my connected Gmail, triage my new emails into urgent, needs reply, fyi, and junk,
apply those labels, and draft replies in my tone for the urgent and needs-reply ones.
Draft only. Do not send.
A little task board that starts clearing itself, with you watching.
Build a small local to-do dashboard (a web UI on localhost) where I add, edit, and delete
tasks with priority levels, saved to tasks.json. Then work through the highest-priority
tasks I approve, log what you did to tasks.log, and mark them complete.
Two real ways, if you want prompts 2-4 to run without you kicking them off each time:
claude -p "...") on your own machine while it's on.Most people ask Claude one question at a time. That's like hiring a brilliant teammate and only letting them Google things for you. A memory so it knows you, a log so it keeps you honest, an inbox helper, and a task runner: same tool, completely different leverage.