If you can send an email, you can do this. Copy-paste prompts, plain English, and a 7-day plan. Works in Claude or similar tools.
Start here if AI still feels confusing. Six steps, three prompts, one week to build the habit.
Bottom line: most people use AI like a search box. This guide helps you use it like a helper who already knows you.
If you have opened ChatGPT or Claude, typed a question, closed the tab, and done the same thing tomorrow, you are normal. That is step zero. This guide is step one through six.
You do not need to share private company secrets. You do not need fancy tools. You need one saved folder (Claude calls it a Project), a short paragraph about yourself, and five minutes at the end of the day.
Start with Step 1 and Step 5 only. Add the rest when those feel easy.
Project = a saved folder in Claude that keeps your files and remembers your job.
Prompt = the words you paste or type to tell AI what you want.
Check-in = a short end-of-day message so AI tells you what matters tomorrow.
Wrap-up = a once-a-week summary so Monday does not feel like amnesia.
▶ Watch the starter video (optional)
You will not become a robot. You will stop wasting time re-explaining your life to a machine.
| Situation | What changes |
|---|---|
| You juggle many hats | AI already knows which hat you are wearing because you picked the right folder. |
| Plans change midweek | You paste your notes doc instead of re-explaining the whole story from scratch. |
| Too many emails | End-of-day check tells you the one reply or task that matters most tomorrow. |
| Meetings with no follow-up | Record or paste notes. AI turns them into a simple written plan you can share. |
| Team asks how you do it | Give each person their own Project and their own About Me paragraph. |
| Friday feels heavy | Wrap-up clears your head so the weekend is actually off. |
| You are brand new to AI | Two steps only to start: one Project + three daily check-ins. Add the rest later. |
You are not trying to do twice the work. You are trying to stop losing time on setup, memory, and do-overs.
Step 1 + Step 5 first. Everything else can wait.
In Claude (or ChatGPT), create a saved workspace for each type of work you do often. Example: one for your day job, one for your side business, one for church or volunteer work. Claude calls this a Project. Think of it like a labeled folder that remembers that job.
If everything lives in one chat, AI mixes things up. You might get the wrong name on an email or proposal. Separate folders keep work from bleeding together.
Pick the ONE job you do most. Create a Project for it today. Name it after the job (example: "Sunday Sermon Prep" or "Client Emails"), not after the app.
Paste a short paragraph into your Project settings that says who you are and how you like help. You only write this once. Every new chat inside that Project already knows you.
Most beginners retype "I am a pastor who..." or "I run a small business that..." every single time. That wastes time and you still get generic answers.
Copy the About Me prompt from the back of this guide. Fill in the blanks. Paste it into Project instructions. Done for good.
Upload 2 or 3 files you already use: an old report, your logo guide, a template, last week's notes, a price list, a ministry outline. AI reads these inside your Project.
AI without your files guesses. AI with your files writes closer to what you actually need. Less editing for you.
Add three files you copy from every week. Start simple. A Word doc counts. A PDF counts. Notes you typed count.
Open one Google Doc, Word file, or Notes app entry called "This Week." At the end of each day, add five short lines: what you decided, what is still open, what blocked you, one win, tomorrow's focus.
AI does not remember yesterday unless you bring yesterday with you. This doc is your memory. Copy-paste it when you need help midweek.
Create the doc tonight. Five lines. Two minutes. That is the whole habit.
Same time every day (try 5pm). Paste your daily notes doc plus anything urgent from email or calendar into AI. Use the Daily Check-In prompt from this guide. AI hands you tomorrow's top priority.
Beginners wake up wondering where to start. This five-minute habit answers that question before you go to bed.
Try it three days in a row. Same time. Do not skip because you are tired. It gets faster each day.
Once a week, paste your daily notes and any meeting summaries into AI. Use the Weekly Wrap-Up prompt. You get a short summary, a team email draft, and next week's to-do list.
Without a wrap-up, Monday feels like starting over. With it, you already know what matters.
Run your first wrap-up this Friday. Read what AI gives you. Edit it. Send or save what is useful.
Come back to these after your first week. They are helpful, not required.
Record a call or paste notes. Ask AI for a simple one-page summary you can email to your team. People act faster when they can read the plan.
For sensitive documents, tell AI: "Read this like an editor. Flag anything wrong or unclear." You still approve the final version.
Put your five-minute check-in on the calendar. Treat it like brushing your teeth. The habit matters more than the perfect prompt.
AI is a draft machine, not a truth machine. Read anything external before it goes out. Fix names, numbers, and tone yourself.
When these six steps feel normal, use the 5 Levels self-check: https://guides.rickpina.cloud/5_Levels_of_AI_Leader_Mastery_Guide.html. It shows you the next step when you are ready.
Fill in the blanks in brackets. Save these in your Project or a Notes app.
More prompts in the Starter Kit video: https://youtu.be/tLKAvBDF6og
Do not rush. Missing a day is fine. Come back the next day.
| Day | Do this |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | 20 min: Create one Project. Paste About Me. Upload 3 files. |
| Day 2 | 5 min: Start your "This Week" notes doc. Five lines before bed. |
| Day 3 | 10 min: First end-of-day check-in. Write down tomorrow's #1 task. |
| Day 4 | 10 min: Second check-in. Notice you did not re-introduce yourself. |
| Day 5 | 10 min: Third check-in. You now have a rhythm. |
| Day 6 | Optional: Paste meeting notes into AI. Ask for a one-page summary. |
| Day 7 | 20 min: First Friday wrap-up. Save the output for Monday. |
One Project. Three check-ins. That is enough to feel the difference.
Tell me what changed.
You do not need to master AI. You need one folder, one paragraph about yourself, and five minutes before bed.
Do that for a week. Then add the rest. The Patreon community and Starter Kit are here when you want to go deeper.
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