Short answer Paste the prompt below into Claude with your own details and you get one repeating admin job, like a Monday summary or tidying a folder of files, set up in Claude Cowork to run and wait for your review. Best on a paid plan. Time saved: about 1 hour a week once it's set up (estimate).
Why it helps
A chatbot answers questions. Cowork does a task. You give it a goal, point it at the folders and tools it's allowed to use, and it works through the job and leaves the result for you to check.
As of 23 October 2026, Anthropic's Cowork page says it works across the files and tools you choose, shows each step as it goes, can run a task on a schedule while your laptop is closed, and needs a paid plan. Claude's pricing page says "Claude Cowork is now just Claude", rolling out to Pro and Max first. Features change fast, so check claude.com/product/cowork first. The trick for a business owner is to start with one boring, low-risk job and check its work for a few weeks.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
Every [Monday at 7am], do this task and leave the result for me to review. Don't send, delete or pay anything. Task: [describe the job, e.g. read last week's job sheets in the "Jobs 2026" folder and make a one-page summary] Use only: [the folders and tools it's allowed to use] The result should include: - [what you want in it, e.g. jobs finished, jobs waiting on parts, quotes not yet accepted] - Anything that looks wrong or missing, flagged at the top Rules: only use what's in those folders. If something's unclear, list it as a question instead of guessing. Save the result as [file name and folder]. NZ English.
Then keep chatting
Show me the steps you took last time, and anything you weren't sure about.
Add a section listing quotes older than 14 days.
Change the schedule to Friday at 3pm.
Step by step
- Pick one job you do every week that's boring and low risk, like a summary or a tidy-up. Not payments, not sending emails to customers.
- Make a folder with only the files it needs. Don't give it access to everything.
- In the Claude desktop app, switch to Cowork, paste the prompt, and run it once while you watch the steps.
- Check the result against the files. When it's right three times in a row, set the schedule.
- Keep reviewing every result. You're still responsible for anything you use or send.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Start small and watch it. Cowork acts on your files and tools, so limit it to one folder and one job until you trust it. Read each result before you use it.
- Privacy: don't point it at folders with health records, customer lists or staff files unless they're de-identified and your AI rules allow it. The Privacy Act 2020 applies (privacy.org.nz).
- It needs a paid plan and the features are changing quickly. Check claude.com/pricing and the Cowork page for what your plan includes today.
- Never let it send, pay or delete without you checking first. Say so in every task.
Go further
Cowork works better when Claude already knows your business, so set that up with the teach Claude your business use case. Once one job runs smoothly, the first AI agent use case shows how to add a second.
