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A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

5 Signs You’re Still
Using AI Like It’s 2024

If number 3 is you, we need to talk. Here are the 5 habits keeping you stuck, the exact fix for each one, and 5 copy-paste prompts to bring your AI game into 2026.

AI in 2024 was a chatbot you typed questions into. AI in 2026 knows your job, reads your inbox and does real work. If you’re still doing any of these 5 things, you’re leaving the best parts on the table.

5 Signs + 5 Fixes

01

You open a blank chat every time

You ask, you get an answer, you close the window, and next time Claude has no idea who you are.

The fix. Set up a Claude Project. Click Projects in the sidebar, then + New Project. Inside it, click Set project instructions and add your role, your team, your goals and how you like things done. Every chat in that Project starts with that context. Free accounts get up to five Projects.

02

You type “write me a...” with nothing else

“Write me an email.” That’s a 2024 prompt. You get something generic, spend 20 minutes fixing it, and decide AI “doesn’t work that well.”

The fix. Tell it the backstory and who the email is for, then name the tone you want. Paste an example of your best work and say “write the next one like this.” The more you give up front, the less you fix after.

03

You’ve never connected AI to your work tools

If you’re still copying and pasting from Gmail into Claude, you’re doing extra work. Claude has connectors for Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack and a lot more, on every plan including Free.

The fix. Click Customize in the sidebar (it’s being renamed Plugins, so you may see that name instead) and open Connectors, or filter the Plugins page to connectors. Connect Gmail and Google Calendar first. Then ask “what meetings do I have tomorrow?” and Claude pulls from your real account. It asks before it sends anything.

04

You use AI for one thing

If you only use AI to rewrite emails, you’re barely scratching it. It analyzes spreadsheets, preps you for meetings, builds project plans and makes slides.

The fix. This week, try 3 things you’ve never used it for. Upload a spreadsheet and ask for trends. Ask it to prep you for your next meeting. Have it turn a rough description into a project plan.

05

You’ve never set up memory or instructions

If Claude doesn’t know your role, your style or your formatting rules, every answer is generic.

The fix. Go to Settings > Your Claude. Make sure Memory from chats is on (it’s on by default for most plans), then add your role, writing style and formatting rules in Instructions for Claude. On an older layout, look under Settings > Memory. Ten minutes of setup, and everything after sounds more like you.

5 Prompts To Fix Each Sign

Copy any of these into a new Claude chat and fill in the [brackets]. Each one fixes one of the signs above.

Prompt 1: Role Brief Builder (Sign 01)
You are my setup coach. Your goal is to write my Role Brief: the standing instructions I'll paste into a Claude Project (or Settings > Your Claude > Instructions for Claude) so you never need me to explain myself again. Interview me one question at a time. Wait for my answer before asking the next one. 1. What's my job title, and what do I actually do on a normal Tuesday? 2. Who do I work with or for (boss, clients, team), and what do they care about? 3. What are my top 3 priorities for the next 90 days? 4. What do I most want AI help with (writing, analysis, planning, research)? 5. How do I like answers: length, bullets or paragraphs, casual or formal? 6. Which tools and apps do I use every day? 7. What should you never do (phrases I hate, assumptions to avoid)? If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up before moving on. When you have all 7, write my Role Brief: - Under 250 words, written as instructions to you ("I am...", "When I ask for X, do Y") - Sections: Who I am / What I'm working on / How to answer me / Never do - No filler, no compliments End by telling me exactly where to paste it.
Prompt 2: Prompt Upgrader (Sign 02)
You are a prompt coach. Your job is to turn my lazy prompt into one that gets a usable first draft, and to teach me the pattern while you do it. Here's my basic prompt: [PASTE YOUR BASIC PROMPT, e.g. "write me an email to my landlord"] Step 1. Ask me up to 5 short questions to fill the gaps. Cover: who it's for, what I want them to do or feel after, the backstory, the tone, and any limits (length, words to avoid). Ask them all at once in a numbered list. Step 2. After I answer, write the upgraded prompt. It must include: - My role and the situation - The audience and the goal - The format and length - The tone, plus an example of my writing if I gave one - What "good" looks like and what to avoid Step 3. Show me a two-column table: my original prompt vs. the upgraded one, with one line under it naming the biggest thing I left out. Step 4. Run the upgraded prompt and give me the result. Rules: don't invent facts about my situation. If you need something you don't have, put it in [brackets] for me to fill in.
Prompt 3: Inbox Triage (Sign 03, needs the Gmail connector)
You are my inbox triage assistant. Use the Gmail connector to read my email from the last 24 hours. Skip completely: newsletters, promotions, receipts, automated notifications and anything I'm only cc'd on unless it mentions me by name. For every email that's left, sort it into one of three groups: 1. NEEDS A REPLY FROM ME 2. JUST READ IT 3. CAN WAIT UNTIL LATER THIS WEEK For each email show: - Sender and subject - A one-line summary of what they actually want - Any deadline, date or dollar amount in it For everything in group 1, draft a short reply in my voice: warm, direct, under 80 words. Save the drafts as Gmail drafts. Do not send anything. Put the most urgent email at the top of group 1. If you're unsure whether something is urgent, say why in five words or less. End with one line: how many emails you skipped and why.
Prompt 4: Spreadsheet Analyst (Sign 04)
You are a sharp business analyst. I'm attaching a spreadsheet: [DESCRIBE IT IN ONE LINE, e.g. "monthly sales by product, Jan to Oct"]. What I need to decide with this data: [YOUR QUESTION, e.g. "which products to cut next quarter"]. Step 1. Before analyzing, tell me in 3 bullets what the columns are, the date range, and anything that looks broken (blanks, duplicates, odd totals). Ask me before guessing what a column means. Step 2. Then give me: 1. The 3 biggest trends, each with the actual numbers 2. Anything unusual or worrying, and the row or month where it shows up 3. What's improving and what's declining (a small table is fine) 4. 3 recommendations tied to my question, each with the number that backs it up 5. A 2-sentence summary I can paste into Slack or an email to my team Rules: use only numbers that are in the file. If you calculate something, show the formula in plain words. If the data can't answer my question, say so and tell me what's missing. No generic advice.
Prompt 5: Voice Profile (Sign 05)
You are a writing coach building my Voice Profile, a short document I'll save in a Claude Project so everything you write sounds like me. Below are 3 samples of my writing. Pick ones I'm proud of (emails, posts, texts, anything). [PASTE SAMPLE 1] [PASTE SAMPLE 2] [PASTE SAMPLE 3] Analyze them and write my Voice Profile with these sections: - Sentence style: typical length, rhythm, how I start sentences - Words and phrases I use a lot (quote them) - Formality and default tone, in 3 words - How I open and close messages - What I never do (jargon, emojis, exclamation points, anything absent from all 3 samples) - 5 rules you'll follow when writing as me Then test it: write a 100-word message about [ANY TOPIC] in my voice. Underneath, list 2 places where you weren't sure and guessed, so I can correct you. Rules: base every point on the samples, not on generic advice. Quote my actual words as evidence.

Want the full setup walkthrough? Here’s my guide to connecting Gmail to Claude.