A guide by Mariah Brunner

Work
Smarter
with Claude

AI quick wins for the modern 9-to-5

@itsmariahbrunner

A little about me

Hey, I'm Mariah. I spent years working in tech at Amazon and Meta, learning how the biggest companies in the world actually operate. Then I quit to build my own businesses.

The honest truth about how I scaled them both with such a lean team? AI handles about 90% of my operations and back-end work. That freed up my time to actually grow the businesses instead of just running them.

Now I want to help you get ahead in your career with AI, using it as a real teammate instead of a chatbot.

I built this for 10 different professions because the workflows are different for each one. Find your chapter, steal the prompts and start saving hours every week.

"

We are in a small window of opportunity. The people who learn to use AI more often and more efficiently than everyone around them are going to look back at this moment as the turning point.

Before you start, a heads up

What you're holding is the beginner's guide to getting started. It's built for someone who hasn't touched AI beyond a basic chatbot and wants to change that fast. These are the first moves that start saving you time this week.

Once these feel easy, here are the three things to learn next. I have free guides on every one of them in the guides library.

Projects. How to build dedicated AI workspaces that remember your context and get smarter every time you use them

Skills. Teaching Claude to do things your way, permanently, so you never have to explain yourself twice

Intro to Claude Code. Your first real automations, built without writing a single line of code yourself

This guide gets you started. Those three make you untouchable.

START HERE

Before you open a chapter,
read this first.

How to download Claude, set it up properly, and give it the context it needs to actually know who you are. Skipping this means everything in this guide works at half power.

How to get the most out of Claude →

What's inside: find your chapter

01 Account Executives

02 Real Estate Agents

03 Marketing Coordinators

04 HR & Recruiters

05 Operations Managers

06 Financial Analysts

07 Executive Assistants

08 Project Managers

09 Customer Success Mgrs

10 Teachers & Educators

← Back to guide

Start Here

Set Up
Claude

"Ten minutes of setup makes every chapter work twice as well."

1. Get the app

Sign up free at claude.ai, then grab the desktop and phone apps from claude.com/download. Everything in this guide works on the Free plan. Paid plans give you more usage.

2. Write your context brief

Open Settings and find the Instructions box (it sits under Your Claude in the newest version of the app). Whatever you put there applies to every chat. Use this prompt to write it:

Paste this into Claude →

"Interview me so you can write my context brief for Claude's Instructions box. Ask me one question at a time, about 8 in total, covering: my job title and company type, who I work with, the tasks that eat most of my week, the tools I use, how I like answers formatted, my writing tone, and anything you should never do. When we're done, write the brief in under 250 words, in first person, as short bullet points I can paste straight into Settings. Don't invent anything I didn't tell you."

3. Connect one tool

Click + in the chat box, hover over Connectors and pick Manage connectors. You can also go to Customize (now called Plugins on many accounts), then Connectors. Start with the one your chapter uses most, usually Gmail or Google Calendar. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner has to add a connector before you can use it.

One more thing

Claude isn't Google. Skip the keyword fragments and talk to it like a sharp colleague with all the time in the world. The more specific you are, the better it performs.

Now go find your chapter.

The real unlock

The context brief is worth more than any single prompt in this guide. Ten minutes of setup pays off in every chat after it. Don't skip it.

← Back to guide

Chapter 01

Account
Executive

"Close more deals by spending less time on everything that isn't closing."

The Pain

You have a quota. You also have a calendar full of admin that has nothing to do with hitting it: follow-up emails, CRM updates, prospect research and proposal drafts. With the right setup, Claude can do most of it for you.

Start here. No setup required. Open Claude and use these prompts.

Pre-call research brief

Paste this into Claude →

"I have a discovery call with [Name], [Title] at [Company] in [industry] in 20 minutes. Give me: their 3 most likely pain points, 2 questions to uncover budget and urgency, 1 thing NOT to bring up early, and a one-line opener that references something specific about their business."

Follow-up email after every call

Paste this into Claude →

"I just got off a call with [Name] at [Company]. They're interested in [product] but concerned about [objection]. Write a follow-up email under 150 words. Acknowledge their concern, reinforce our value on [benefit], suggest a clear next step. Tone: confident but not pushy."

Clean CRM notes instantly

Paste this into Claude →

"Here are my raw notes from a sales call: [paste messy notes]. Reformat into structured CRM fields: Contact summary, Pain points, Objections raised, Agreed next steps, Follow-up date. Be concise."

This is where it gets real. Instead of copying and pasting, Claude connects to your Gmail (or Outlook through the Microsoft 365 connector), reads your actual threads and drafts replies. With Gmail it can also send, reply and forward, and it asks for your approval before it does. It can pull from your CRM before calls too.

How to connect Gmail to Claude

One-time setup (takes 2 minutes)

Open a chat at claude.ai and click + in the chat box
Hover over Connectors, then click Manage connectors (or go to Customize, now Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Find Gmail and click Connect, then sign in with your Google account
Approve the permissions it asks for
Done. Claude can now search your inbox, read threads and draft emails

Now tell Claude to do the work

Once connected, just type normally. There’s no special syntax.

Say this to Claude →

"Look at my last email thread with [Name] at [Company]. Draft a follow-up that moves toward booking a demo. Keep it under 100 words. Show it to me before sending."

Or this →

"Check my inbox for any prospects I haven't followed up with in more than 5 days. List them with the last thing they said, and draft a short check-in for each."

Connect your CRM (HubSpot or Salesforce)

Setup

HubSpot is a one-click connector in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Salesforce needs your Salesforce admin to set it up for your org first
Once connected, Claude can pull deal history, contact notes and pipeline data

Then say →

"I have a call with [Company] in 15 minutes. Pull their contact record and deal history from HubSpot and give me a 5-bullet brief on where we are and what I should focus on."

Before / After

Task	Without integration	With Claude connected
Follow-up email	You write it from scratch	Claude reads the thread, drafts it, you approve
Pre-call research	45 min across tabs	Claude pulls CRM + drafts brief in 30 sec
Inbox management	You triage everything	Claude flags what needs action, ignores the rest

The shift to make

Stop thinking of Claude as a writing assistant. Start thinking of it as a junior AE who never sleeps, has access to all your tools, and can handle every task that isn't the actual conversation. Your job is to be in the room. Claude's job is everything that gets you there and follows up after.

Quick win to try today

Connect Gmail right now (the 2-minute setup above). Then say: "Find every email in my inbox where someone asked a question I haven't answered yet. List them and draft a reply for each." That's the moment it clicks.

← Back to guide

Chapter 02

Real Estate
Agent

"Spend your time showing homes, not writing about them."

The Pain

You're running a solo business with the workload of a team. Listing copy, lead follow-up, market reports, client updates and scheduling never stop. Most of it is repeatable work AI can do or speed up.

Listing descriptions in 5 minutes

Paste this into Claude →

"Write an MLS listing description for a [beds/baths] [property type] in [neighborhood]. Key features: [list 6–8]. Target buyer: [e.g. young family, investor, downsizer]. Vibe: [modern / cozy / luxury]. Under 200 words, no clichés like 'nestled' or 'charming,' make it feel real."

Re-engage cold leads without the awkwardness

Paste this into Claude →

"Write a text to [Name] who was looking to buy in [area] 3 months ago and went quiet. Market has changed since then: [brief update e.g. rates dropped slightly / inventory is low]. Under 60 words, casual, not salesy, ends with a soft question."

Monthly market update email for your entire list

Paste this into Claude →

"Write a monthly market update email for my clients in [city/area]. Stats: median price [X], avg days on market [X], active listings [X] vs last month [X]. Tone: knowledgeable but conversational, not corporate. End with a soft CTA to chat. Under 250 words."

Connect Claude to Gmail and Google Calendar and it stops being a writing tool. It becomes a follow-up machine that knows what’s going on in your business.

Automatic showing follow-ups

Setup

Connect Gmail and Google Calendar in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
That's it. Claude can now see your appointments and email history

After every showing, say this →

"I just finished a showing of [address] with [Name]. They seemed [interested/hesitant/very excited]. Their main concern was [X]. Draft a follow-up email that acknowledges where they're at, answers their concern, and suggests a soft next step. Then check if I have any other showings this week and remind me to follow up on those too."

Never let a lead go cold again

Every Monday morning, say this →

"Look through my Gmail for anyone I've been in a real estate conversation with who I haven't emailed in more than 2 weeks. List them, what we last talked about, and draft a short personal check-in for each."

Connect Google Sheets for your pipeline

If you track leads in a spreadsheet, connect Google Sheets in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors). Then:

Say this →

"Open my lead tracker sheet. Find everyone in the 'Warm' column who I last contacted more than 10 days ago. Draft a follow-up email for each one based on the notes in their row."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Listing description	30–45 min per property	5 min. Claude writes, you tweak
Lead follow-up	Forgotten or delayed	Claude flags and drafts same day
Monthly market email	2–3 hours to write	10 min with your stats
Pipeline review	Manual scan of spreadsheet	Claude reads it and tells you who to contact

The shift to make

The agents winning right now aren't working harder. Their follow-up never stops even when they're at a showing, at dinner, or asleep. Claude is the team member you couldn't afford to hire.

Quick win to try today

Connect Gmail. Then say: "Look at my last 30 sent emails. Find any conversations where someone expressed interest in buying or selling and I haven't followed up in over a week. List them and draft a message for each."

← Back to guide

Chapter 03

Marketing
Coordinator

"Less time producing content. More time on the strategy behind it."

The Pain

You're expected to output like a team of five with the budget of one. Content calendar, copy, captions, reports, briefs and campaigns are all urgent, all the time. Here AI does more than speed up your writing. It does the research, pulls the data and builds whole content systems for you.

Full month of content ideas, one prompt

Paste this into Claude →

"Generate a 30-day social content calendar for [brand], a [industry] company targeting [audience]. Platforms: Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok. For each post: topic, format (carousel/video/static/reel), caption concept, and best day/time to post. Mix: 40% educational, 30% brand/product, 30% engagement. Our tone: [describe]."

One idea → three platform-ready posts

Paste this into Claude →

"Turn this into 3 platform-specific posts: [paste your core message or blog excerpt]. LinkedIn version: professional, insight-led, first-person. Instagram caption: punchy, visual hook, 3–5 hashtags. TikTok script: hook in first 2 seconds, conversational, 45 seconds max. Same message, different energy for each."

Campaign recap that your boss will actually read

Paste this into Claude →

"Write an executive campaign recap for [campaign name]. Results: [paste your metrics]. Format: one headline result at the top, 3 key wins, 2 areas to improve, 3 recommendations for next time. Under 300 words. No marketing jargon."

Connect Claude to your analytics and project tools and it starts reading your actual performance data and pulling out insights on its own.

Connect Google Analytics via Sheets

There’s no Google Analytics connector in Claude’s directory right now. Here’s the 5-minute workaround.

Setup

In Google Analytics, open any report under Reports, click Share this report, then Download File, then Google Sheets (or CSV)
Connect Google Drive in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors), or just attach the CSV to your chat
Now Claude can read your actual traffic, conversion and engagement data

Then say →

"Open my analytics export sheet. Identify the top 3 performing pages this month and the 3 that dropped the most. Write a 1-paragraph summary for my weekly team update explaining what's happening and why. Use the data to support it."

Connect Notion or Asana for your content calendar

Setup

Connect Notion or Asana in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Claude can now read your content calendar and task board

Say this every Monday →

"Look at my content calendar in Notion. What's going out this week? Is anything missing a caption or visual brief? Draft the missing copy and flag anything that looks incomplete."

Brief your designers automatically

Say this →

"I need a design brief for this week's Instagram carousel. Topic: [X]. Key message: [X]. Target emotion: [X]. Dimensions: 1080x1080px, 6 slides. Write the brief in a format my designer can execute from without asking me follow-up questions."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Monthly calendar	Half a day brainstorming	20 min. Claude generates, you curate
Platform adaptations	Write each post separately	One prompt, three outputs
Performance report	Export + stare at numbers + write	Claude reads the sheet, writes the narrative
Design briefs	Explained verbally, forgotten	Written brief in 3 min, no back and forth

The shift to make

Marketing coordinators who use AI well produce smarter work, and faster. When Claude handles the execution, you get to spend your time on what actually moves the needle: strategy, creative direction, and the insights that no algorithm can have.

Quick win to try today

Export last month's top analytics data to Google Sheets. Connect it to Claude. Then say: "What story does this data tell? Write 3 sentences I could say in a team meeting to explain what's working and what isn't."

← Back to guide

Chapter 04

HR &
Recruiter

"Find better people faster, and actually have time to onboard them well."

The Pain

HR runs everything and gets credit for nothing. Hundreds of applicants, dozens of roles, onboarding docs that never get updated, and an inbox full of questions that all have the same answer. AI can handle the volume so you can focus on the decisions that actually require human judgment.

Job descriptions that attract the right people

Paste this into Claude →

"Write a job description for a [role] at a [company type]. Key responsibilities: [list 4–5]. Must-haves: [list]. Nice-to-haves: [list]. Culture in one sentence: [describe]. Make it feel like a real opportunity, not a requirements list. Lead with why someone would want this role. Avoid corporate buzzwords. Under 400 words."

Screen resumes faster

Paste this into Claude →

"I'm hiring for [role]. The must-have criteria are: [list]. Here are 5 resumes: [paste text of each]. For each one: give a Yes/No/Maybe, explain why in 2 sentences, and flag anything worth asking about in an interview. Be direct. I don't have time for maybes without a reason."

Rejection emails that feel human

Paste this into Claude →

"Write a rejection email for a candidate who applied for [role] and made it to [stage]. We liked them but went another direction. Warm, genuine, no corporate language, no empty 'we'll keep you on file' promises. Under 100 words."

30-60-90 day onboarding plan

Paste this into Claude →

"Create a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for a new [role] joining a [company type]. For each phase: key goals, who to meet, what to learn, what success looks like. Format: scannable, with clear section headers. Include one 'quick win' they should hit in their first two weeks."

Connect Claude to your email and candidate tracker and it can handle candidate emails, track where everyone is in the pipeline and flag who needs a follow-up.

Connect Gmail to manage candidate comms

Setup

Connect Gmail in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Connect Google Drive too if you track candidates in a Google Sheet
Claude can now see your candidate emails and pipeline data

Say this every morning →

"Look through my Gmail for emails from candidates applying to any open roles. Who's waiting for a response from me? Who's at what stage? Draft a reply for anyone I haven't responded to in more than 48 hours."

Automate interview scheduling

Setup

Connect Google Calendar in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors). Claude can create and update events, and it asks before it acts

Say this →

"I need to schedule first-round interviews for 6 candidates this week. Look at my Google Calendar and find 30-minute slots on Tuesday and Thursday between 10am and 4pm. Draft an email to each candidate with 2 time options and a Google Meet link."

Connect Notion for your onboarding docs

Say this →

"I have a new [role] starting on [date]. Go to my Notion onboarding template, fill in their name, role, start date, and manager. Then draft their welcome email, their first-day agenda, and a list of tools to set up for them."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Resume screening	Read every single one	Paste batch, get ranked shortlist
Candidate emails	Written one by one	Claude drafts all follow-ups at once
Interview scheduling	Email back and forth	Claude finds slots and drafts the invite
Onboarding plan	Rebuilt every time	Template filled automatically

The shift to make

The best HR teams develop people instead of processing them. AI handles the process so you can actually spend time on the conversations that shape culture, retain talent, and make hiring decisions worth making. Give the admin to Claude. Keep the humans for yourself.

Quick win to try today

Paste the last job description you wrote into Claude and say: "Rewrite the opening paragraph so it leads with why someone would want this job, not what we're looking for. Then flag any phrases that sound like corporate copy and replace them."

← Back to guide

Chapter 05

Operations
Manager

"Build systems that run themselves, starting now."

The Pain

Operations is the job nobody sees until something breaks. Your days are documentation, communication, process firefighting, and translating chaos into clarity for everyone around you. AI fits operations work well, because operations is about systems and Claude is very good at building them.

SOPs people will actually read

Paste this into Claude →

"Write an SOP for [process name]. The person following this is a [role/experience level] with no prior knowledge of this process. Include: purpose (1 sentence), step-by-step instructions, common mistakes to avoid, and who to contact if something goes wrong. Format with numbered steps. Under 500 words. If it's longer it won't get read."

Status updates in 5 minutes flat

Paste this into Claude →

"Turn these rough notes into a weekly ops update for senior leadership: [paste your notes]. Format: one headline sentence at the top, key wins this week, current blockers and what we're doing about them, priorities for next week. Tone: direct. Under 200 words."

Meeting notes → action items instantly

Right after any meeting →

"Here are my raw meeting notes: [paste]. Extract: key decisions made, action items (with owner and due date), open questions still unresolved, and anything that needs escalation. Format it so I can send it to the team in the next 10 minutes."

Connect Claude to your project tools and it becomes the teammate who always knows the status of everything and tells you what needs you before you ask.

Connect Asana, Notion, or Monday.com

Setup

Open Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Connect Asana, Notion, or monday.com, whichever your team uses
Claude can now read and update your task boards and project pages

Every Monday morning, say this →

"Open my Asana projects. What tasks are overdue? What's due this week? Who has the most open assignments? Give me a 5-bullet briefing on where we stand as a team and flag anything that's at risk of missing its deadline."

Auto-generate your weekly ops report

Every Friday, say this →

"Pull this week's completed tasks from Asana, check my Gmail for any vendor or team updates, and write a weekly ops summary for leadership. Include: what was completed, what's still in progress, any risks I should flag, and team capacity for next week."

Connect Slack for real-time operational awareness

Setup

Connect Slack in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors). Your workspace admin may need to approve it
Claude can now read channel messages and thread history

Say this →

"Read the #operations and #general Slack channels from the last 48 hours. Summarize anything that needs my attention: decisions pending, problems raised, things people are waiting on me for. Ignore anything that's already resolved."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Weekly status update	30–45 min formatting	5 min from notes + Claude
Project health check	Manual review of every board	Claude reads Asana, gives you a briefing
Meeting action items	Written late, half-forgotten	Done before you leave the room
Slack catch-up	Scroll through everything	Claude surfaces only what needs you

The shift to make

The best operations managers don't know everything that's happening. They've built systems that surface the right information at the right time. Use Claude to build those systems. Then use your brain for the decisions only you can make.

Quick win to try today

Connect Asana or Notion. Then say: "What's overdue right now? Who owns it? What's the most urgent thing I should deal with before noon today?"

← Back to guide

Chapter 06

Financial
Analyst

"Spend your time on the analysis. Let Claude write the story around it."

The Pain

You're great with numbers. The problem is that everyone wants the numbers turned into words that non-finance people can act on, fast. Then they want it again next month. And the month after that. Claude becomes your narrative layer on top of your models.

Executive commentary from raw numbers

Paste this into Claude →

"Here are this month's financial results: [paste key metrics]. Write executive commentary in 3 paragraphs: (1) headline performance and key number, (2) main drivers: what went well, what missed, and why, (3) forward-looking implications and what leadership should watch next month. No jargon. Write for a CEO who doesn't want to read footnotes."

Variance explanation in plain English

Paste this into Claude →

"Explain this budget variance in 2–3 plain-English sentences: [actual vs budget for line item]. The main driver is [your explanation]. Write it for a non-finance executive. No formulas, no accounting terms, just a clear explanation of what happened and why it matters."

Build a financial model faster

Paste this into Claude →

"I'm building a [revenue/cost/headcount] model in Excel. I need formulas for: [describe what you're trying to calculate]. Walk me through the best structure for this model and give me the exact Excel formulas I need, explained in plain English so I understand the logic."

Connect Claude to your spreadsheets and it can read your actual financial data, spot the trends worth calling out and write the narrative, with no reformatting first.

Connect Google Sheets to your financial models

Setup

Connect Google Drive in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors). Claude can read Google Sheets and Excel files stored there
Or just attach your Excel or CSV file to the chat
Excel on Microsoft 365? Connect the Microsoft 365 connector to reach OneDrive and SharePoint

Then say →

"Open my monthly P&L sheet. Find the top 3 line items that moved the most month-over-month (positive or negative). Write the commentary paragraph I'd put in the board packet. 3 sentences, no jargon, explains what moved and why."

Instant ad hoc response drafts

Say this →

"A VP just emailed asking: [paste their question]. Open my finance sheet and find the relevant data. Write a clear 3-sentence email reply that answers their question directly, includes the key number, and notes any important context or caveats. Don't overcomplicate it."

Presentation slide narrative

Say this →

"I have a slide deck for the QBR. Open my financial data sheet and write the speaker notes for each of these slides: [list slide titles]. Each note should be 3–4 sentences I can say out loud. Not a restatement of the chart, but the insight behind it."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Monthly exec commentary	1–2 hours writing	Claude reads the sheet, 15 min to edit
Variance explanations	Multiple rewrites	First draft is already clear
Ad hoc data requests	30+ min with context-setting	Pull data + draft reply in 5 min
Board deck narrative	Half a day	Speaker notes generated from data

The shift to make

Your value as an analyst is the judgment behind the numbers. Claude writes the words. You provide the context, the caveats, and the recommendations that only someone with your understanding of the business can give.

Quick win to try today

Export your latest monthly report to Google Sheets and connect it to Claude. Then say: "What's the most important thing leadership should know from this data that they probably didn't notice? Give me one paragraph."

← Back to guide

Chapter 07

Executive
Assistant

"Handle more without being everywhere at once."

The Pain

You keep someone else's entire world running while simultaneously managing your own inbox, calendar, and priorities. The margin for error is zero and the volume is constant. With the right setup, Claude becomes a second pair of hands that actually knows your executive's voice, their calendar, and their priorities.

Draft emails in your exec's voice

Paste this into Claude →

"I'm drafting an email on behalf of my executive [Name], a [title] at [company type]. Their communication style: [describe, e.g. direct, warm, concise, strategic]. Here are 2 examples of their actual writing: [paste]. Draft an email to [recipient] about [topic]. Key points: [list]. It should sound exactly like them, not like an assistant wrote it."

Summarize long email threads instantly

Paste this into Claude →

"Summarize this email thread in 4 bullet points: [paste thread]. I need: what the main issue is, what's been decided, what's still unresolved, and what action (if any) is needed from my exec. Be ruthlessly concise. They have 30 seconds to read this."

Pre-meeting briefing document

Paste this into Claude →

"My exec has a meeting tomorrow with [Name/Company] about [topic]. Here's the context: [paste what you know]. Create a one-page brief with: who they're meeting and their background, purpose of the meeting, 3 key talking points, 2 questions worth asking, and any sensitive background to be aware of."

For an EA, connecting Claude to Gmail and Google Calendar is the biggest unlock. This is where Claude stops helping you draft and starts actually managing the inbox and calendar.

Connect Gmail + Google Calendar

Setup

Connect Gmail and Google Calendar in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
If you manage your exec's calendar from your account: connect that account
If you have delegate access to their Gmail: connect yours and mention "I have delegate access to [exec name]'s inbox"

Morning inbox triage, every single day

Say this every morning →

"Look at [exec name]'s Gmail inbox from the last 24 hours. Categorize every unread email as: Needs reply today, FYI only, Can wait, or Junk. For anything needing a reply today, draft a response in their voice. Show me a prioritized list with the drafts ready to review."

Daily calendar briefing

Say this each morning →

"Look at [exec name]'s Google Calendar for today. Give me: a clean agenda ordered by time, any back-to-back meetings with no buffer (flag those), any prep I should have ready before each meeting, and any conflicts or scheduling issues I should fix today."

Meeting follow-up while you're still in the room

Right after any meeting →

"My exec just came out of a meeting about [topic] with [attendees]. Key outcomes: [your rough notes]. Draft: (1) a follow-up email from my exec to the group summarizing decisions and next steps, (2) any calendar invites that need to be sent, (3) any Slack messages needed to move things forward."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Inbox triage	Read and sort everything yourself	Claude categorizes + drafts replies
Daily agenda	Manually review calendar	Claude generates briefing with flags
Drafting exec emails	Multiple rewrites to match voice	First draft sounds like them
Meeting follow-up	Summarized hours later	Done while the meeting is fresh

The shift to make

The best EAs are anticipatory. They know what their exec needs before they ask for it. Use Claude to handle the reactive so you have the bandwidth to be the proactive EA who makes their exec's life genuinely easier.

Quick win to try today

Connect Gmail. Then say: "Look at the last 20 emails in the inbox. Which ones have been sitting unanswered for more than 48 hours that probably need a response? Draft replies for the top 3."

← Back to guide

Chapter 08

Project
Manager

"Less time reporting on the project. More time actually running it."

The Pain

You hold everything together for everyone else. In return, your calendar is full of status meetings, your inbox is full of stakeholder questions, and your evenings are for catching up on the documentation no one read. Claude changes the math on all of this.

Status updates that people actually read

Paste this into Claude →

"Write a weekly project status update for [project name]. Here's what happened: [paste rough notes]. Format: RAG status (🟢/🟡/🔴) with one-line reason, 3 key updates from this week, current blockers and who owns them, next week's priorities. Mixed audience, some technical, some not. Scannable."

Risk communication that doesn't cause panic

Paste this into Claude →

"I need to tell stakeholders about a project risk: [describe]. Impact: [describe]. We're mitigating by: [describe]. Write a 2-paragraph email that's honest and calm. Acknowledge the risk clearly, show we have a plan, ask for any input needed. No alarm. No corporate hedging."

Kick-off meeting agenda and deck structure

Paste this into Claude →

"I'm running a kick-off meeting for [project name]. Stakeholders: [list roles]. Duration: [X] minutes. Build me a full agenda with timing, the 5 slides I need in the deck with bullet points for each, and the 3 most important things I need the group to align on before we leave the room."

Connect Claude to your project management platform and it becomes the teammate who knows the real status of everything and flags what’s at risk before anyone has to chase it.

Connect Asana, Jira, or Monday.com

Setup

Connect your project management tool in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Directory options include Asana, Jira (through the Atlassian connector), monday.com and Notion
Claude can read task status, assignees, due dates, and comments

Every Monday morning →

"Open my Asana project for [project name]. Give me: what's overdue and who owns it, what's due this week, any tasks that have had no updates in 5+ days (possible blockers), and the overall health of the project in one sentence. I need this in 5 minutes before standup."

Auto-generate status reports from your actual data

Say this every Friday →

"Pull the current state of [project] from Asana. Check my Gmail for any stakeholder emails this week. Write a Friday status report I can send to the project sponsor: what was completed, what's in progress, any risks or issues, and what's next. Keep it to one page."

Meeting note automation

Right after any project meeting →

"Here are my meeting notes: [paste]. Extract the action items and create Asana tasks. Include the task name, owner (match to our team members: [list names]), and due date based on what was said. Then draft a meeting summary I can drop in Slack."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Weekly status update	30–45 min to write	Claude pulls from Asana, 10 min to review
Project health check	Manual review of every task	Claude flags risks automatically
Action items from meetings	Written up later, some forgotten	Extracted and added to Asana immediately
Stakeholder comms	Written from scratch each time	Generated from live project data

The shift to make

A project manager's real job is decision-making and risk prevention, not status reporting. When Claude handles the reporting, you get your time back for the work that actually keeps projects on track: conversations, decisions, and catching problems before they become crises.

Quick win to try today

Connect Asana or your project tool. Then say: "What's the current status of all my active projects? Which one is most at risk right now and why?" Let Claude tell you something you might have missed.

← Back to guide

Chapter 09

Customer
Success

"Retain more customers by spending less time on everything between conversations."

The Pain

Your job is relationships, but half your time goes to everything else. QBR prep, renewal outreach, health scores and escalations all matter, and none of it is talking to a customer. Claude handles the prep and the paperwork so you can show up to every customer interaction ready and present.

QBR prep in a fraction of the time

Paste this into Claude →

"I'm preparing a QBR for [client name], a [industry] company, [X] months as a customer. Their usage data: [paste metrics]. Their original goals: [list]. Build me a QBR agenda and talking points covering: value delivered this quarter, progress vs their goals, any risks to address, and strategic recommendations for next quarter. Tone: consultative and forward-looking."

Renewal outreach that opens the conversation

Paste this into Claude →

"Write a renewal outreach email for [client] whose contract renews in [timeframe]. They've been a customer for [length]. 3 wins they've had: [list]. I want to start the conversation early. Not a sales pitch, just a natural check-in that leads toward the renewal conversation. Under 150 words, warm, specific."

Escalation response that rebuilds trust

Paste this into Claude →

"A customer is upset about [issue]. What happened: [explain]. What we've done: [explain]. Write a response email that genuinely acknowledges the problem (no corporate apology language), explains clearly what happened, outlines concrete next steps with timelines, and ends in a way that rebuilds confidence without overpromising."

Connect Claude to your CRM, inbox and customer data and it can monitor account health, flag at-risk customers before they churn, and handle routine communication while you focus on the relationships that need real attention.

Connect Gmail + your CRM

Setup

Connect Gmail in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors)
Connect HubSpot, or Salesforce if your admin has set it up
Connect Google Drive if you track accounts in a Google Sheet

Every Monday →

"Look at my Gmail and HubSpot for all customer accounts. Which customers haven't heard from me in more than 2 weeks? Which ones have upcoming renewals in the next 60 days? Give me a prioritized list and draft a check-in for the top 5 I need to contact today."

Automatic at-risk account detection

Say this weekly →

"Look at my customer account sheet. Flag any accounts that show at least 2 of these warning signs: haven't logged in recently, support tickets in the last 30 days, low NPS score, renewal coming up in 90 days, or no contact in 30 days. For each flagged account, suggest the right outreach approach."

Pre-call customer brief

Before any customer call →

"I have a call with [customer name] in 30 minutes. Pull their history from HubSpot: last contact, recent support tickets, their usage trend, and what we talked about last time. Give me a 5-bullet brief so I walk in knowing exactly where they are and what they care about."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
QBR preparation	Full day pulling it together	Claude reads the data, 1 hour to refine
Renewal outreach	Delayed and awkward to start	Done weeks early, feels personal
At-risk detection	Noticed when it's too late	Claude flags warning signs weekly
Pre-call brief	Manual CRM digging	5-bullet brief in 30 seconds

The shift to make

Customer success is a relationship job, and relationships need presence, not paperwork. Every hour Claude saves you on prep and admin is an hour you can spend actually understanding your customers, which is the only thing that really drives retention.

Quick win to try today

Connect Gmail. Then say: "Find every customer email in my inbox from the last 30 days where someone mentioned a problem, expressed frustration, or asked a question I haven't fully answered. List them and draft a response for each."

← Back to guide

Chapter 10

Teacher &
Educator

"Less admin. More teaching. More of the reason you started."

The Pain

You didn't get into teaching to spend Sunday nights writing rubrics and Friday evenings answering parent emails. The admin is relentless and it's stealing time from the human, irreplaceable work of reaching students. AI can take a significant chunk of that admin back.

Lesson plans in 15 minutes

Paste this into Claude →

"Create a lesson plan for [grade level] on [topic]. Learning objective: [what students should be able to do]. Duration: [X] minutes. Class context: [any relevant info, e.g. ELL students, mixed ability]. Include: a hook to open, main activity or instruction, a check for understanding, closing reflection. Style: [inquiry-based / direct instruction / collaborative]."

Differentiated materials for different levels

Paste this into Claude →

"Take this activity: [paste]. Create 3 versions: (1) scaffolded for students who need more support: break it into smaller steps with sentence starters, (2) on-level: the activity as-is with clear instructions, (3) extended: add a higher-order thinking challenge for students who finish early. Same learning goal, three entry points."

Rubrics that students can actually use

Paste this into Claude →

"Create a grading rubric for [assignment] in [subject] for [grade level]. Skills being assessed: [list]. Use 4 levels: Exceeds, Meets, Approaching, Below. Write the criteria in plain language that students can understand and use to self-assess before submitting. No education jargon."

Difficult parent emails

Paste this into Claude →

"I need to email a parent about [concern: academic, behavioral, attendance]. Student: [Name, grade]. Situation: [brief description]. I've already tried: [what you've done]. Write an email that's honest, kind, and solution-focused, not alarming. Include: what I've observed, what I've tried, and a clear next step that involves them. Under 200 words."

Connect Claude to Gmail and the Google Drive files that hold your gradebook and lessons, and it starts handling the admin layer of your classroom.

Connect Gmail and Google Drive

Setup

Connect Gmail in Claude’s connectors (Customize, now called Plugins on many accounts, then Connectors) for parent and admin emails
Connect Google Drive for lesson materials and gradebook sheets
There’s no Google Classroom connector in Claude’s directory, so export your roster and grades to a Google Sheet

Weekly parent communication digest

Every Friday →

"Look at my Gmail for any parent emails from this week that need a response. Also, I want to send a weekly class update to all parents. Here's what happened this week: [paste your notes]. Draft the update email (warm, informative, under 200 words) and draft replies for any parent emails that are waiting."

Grade comment generator

If you track student performance in Google Sheets:

Say this →

"Open my grade tracker sheet. For the 5 students with the biggest grade drops this marking period, write a brief progress note for each one that I can add to their report card. Make it specific, constructive, and appropriate for the grade level. Based on their data, suggest one concrete strategy for each student."

Create a full unit plan from a standard

Say this →

"I need to teach [standard/skill] to my [grade level] class over [X] weeks. Build me a full unit plan with: week-by-week sequence, lesson titles and objectives, one major assessment and 2 formative checks, and a list of materials I'll need. Save the outline to a new Google Doc."

Before / After

Task	Before	After
Lesson plan	1–2 hours per plan	15 min. Claude drafts, you adapt
Differentiated materials	Create 3 versions manually	One prompt, three levels, 5 min
Report card comments	Hours of individual writing	Generated from gradebook data
Parent emails	Dreaded, delayed	Drafted in 3 min, edited to fit

The shift to make

Teaching is one of the most irreplaceable human jobs that exists. AI can't build a relationship with a student, can't read the room, can't notice that someone's struggling for reasons that have nothing to do with the content. But it can handle every minute you spend on paperwork and give that time back to the work only you can do.

Quick win to try today

Pull up a lesson you're planning for next week. Give Claude the topic, grade level, and how long you have. Let it build the full plan. Then adapt it for your specific students. You'll have it done in 20 minutes instead of 2 hours, and that time is yours again.

You've made it through all 10 chapters. Go back to yours. Don’t reread it. Do the first thing in Tier 1 today, and to set up one Tier 2 integration this week. That's how this changes anything.

The window is open right now. The people who move first are the ones who'll look untouchable in two years. Start today.

WorkSmarterwith Claude

Set UpClaude

AccountExecutive

Real EstateAgent

MarketingCoordinator

HR &Recruiter

OperationsManager

FinancialAnalyst

ExecutiveAssistant

ProjectManager

CustomerSuccess

Teacher &Educator

Work
Smarter
with Claude

Set Up
Claude

Account
Executive

Real Estate
Agent

Marketing
Coordinator

HR &
Recruiter

Operations
Manager

Financial
Analyst

Executive
Assistant

Project
Manager

Customer
Success

Teacher &
Educator