Most people use 1 out of 6 Claude tools. That's why their output feels mid. Set up all 6 today and Claude goes from a chatbot to a system.
You open Claude, type one prompt, get a generic response, and think "AI is overrated." That's because you set up the chatbot and skipped the 5 other tools that make it actually powerful. Here's all 6, in order, with exact steps. Do them today.
Cowork is Claude's background agent. It works on files, reads your documents, and produces deliverables while you do other things. This is where Claude stops being a chatbot and starts being a worker.
Download the Claude desktop app from claude.ai/download. Open it.
Click Cowork in the left sidebar. Select a folder on your computer for Claude to work in.
Create a file in that folder called about-me.md. Write how you work, what you like, what you hate, your role, and your communication style.
Start every Cowork chat with: "Read my files first. Then ask me questions before doing anything."
Why This Matters
That about-me.md file is the difference between generic output and output that sounds like you. Claude reads it before every task. The more context you put in it, the less you have to correct later.
Set Claude to the right brain and connect it to your real tools. This is what makes Claude go from hypothetical answers to working with your actual data.
Click the model name at the top of any chat. Switch to Opus 4.6. Turn on Extended Thinking.
Go to Settings → Connected Apps. Link everything you use daily: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, Notion.
Test it: ask Claude "What's on my calendar tomorrow?" or "Summarize my last 5 emails." If it works, you're connected.
Why This Matters
Without connectors, Claude is guessing. With connectors, it's reading your actual inbox, seeing your real schedule, and accessing your files. Every other tool on this list gets 10x better once connectors are set up.
Claude lives inside your spreadsheets. It can see your data, summarize tabs, write formulas, clean columns, and analyze trends — without you copy-pasting anything into a chat.
Open Excel. Go to Insert → Get Add-ins. Search for "Claude by Anthropic." Install it.
Open any spreadsheet. Launch the Claude panel from the ribbon.
Ask Claude to summarize each tab, find patterns, write formulas, or clean messy data. It already sees everything in the spreadsheet.
Why This Matters
No more copy-pasting data into Claude, getting a formula, pasting it back, and hoping it works. Claude sees the live data. Ask questions. Get answers. In the spreadsheet.
Plugins are pre-built tool kits for specific jobs. Marketing, sales, legal, finance, data analysis, content creation. Each one bundles skills, workflows, and connectors designed for that role.
Open the Claude desktop app. Switch to Cowork.
Click "Customize" in the left sidebar → "Browse plugins."
Find one for your job. Click Install. It bundles 3-5 skills automatically.
Type / in your next chat to see all your installed skills and trigger them instantly.
Why This Matters
You don't need to build everything from scratch. Someone already built a plugin for your role. Install it and you've got a pre-configured AI assistant for your specific job in 30 seconds.
Artifacts turn Claude from a text generator into a tool builder. Instead of getting text responses, you get real, interactive, downloadable things — calculators, dashboards, documents, presentations, web pages.
Nothing to install. Artifacts are built in.
Ask Claude to build something, not just write about it: "Create an interactive calculator for [thing]" or "Build me a project timeline for [thing]" or "Create a budget tracker spreadsheet."
The artifact appears in a side panel. Click the download icon to save it. Click "Publish" to share via link.
Why This Matters
Claude can generate .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf, and interactive HTML tools. You're not getting text to copy-paste. You're getting real files and working tools you can use immediately.
Projects are dedicated workspaces where Claude always has your context loaded. Your files, your instructions, your preferences — every chat inside a Project already knows everything. No re-explaining.
Go to claude.ai. Click Projects in the sidebar. Click "Create a project."
Upload your files: brand guidelines, templates, client docs, reference materials, style guides — anything Claude should always know about.
Add custom instructions: "Always write in my brand voice." "Use this template for emails." "Never use jargon." These apply to every chat in the project.
Every new chat you start inside this project already has all that context loaded. No re-explaining. No re-uploading.
Why This Matters
Projects are the biggest unlock most people miss. Without them, every conversation starts from zero. With them, Claude always knows who you are, what you're working on, and how you like things done. Create one per major area of your work — e.g., "Client Work," "Marketing," "Operations."
The Order Matters
Do these in order. Cowork gives Claude access to your files. Connectors give it your real data. Excel puts it in your spreadsheets. Plugins add job-specific skills. Artifacts let it build real things. Projects tie it all together with permanent context. Each one builds on the last. All 6 together is a completely different tool than just the chatbot.
Setting up 6 tools is day one. The Weekend Claude Bootcamp takes you through an entire AI operating system — Skills, automations, workflows, daily routines, and everything connected to your real work. Built specifically for your job role. Done in one weekend.
You just installed the engine. The bootcamp teaches you how to drive.
25
Job-specific chapters
4
Phases per chapter
1
Weekend to complete
On Sale This Week Only
This is the lowest price the bootcamp will ever be. After this week, the price goes up and stays up.
Get the Bootcamp Now →© 2026 Mariah Brunner. All rights reserved.