Abstract illustration of a layered Claude workspace system

Free guide

The Claude Mastery System

Set Claude up once, then get better work from it every day.

Claude gets much more useful when you stop treating every conversation like a fresh start.

This guide walks you through a simple system for choosing the right model, giving Claude better context, creating reusable instructions, connecting your tools, and improving your setup over time.

Build it in order. You do not need to do everything at once.

Replace anything inside [brackets] with your information.

Model

Start with the right Claude model

Sonnet 5

Best starting point for everyday work.

Use it for writing, analysis, planning, brainstorming, documents, and general business tasks.

Opus

Use when the work needs deeper reasoning.

Best for difficult analysis, complex research, technical problems, strategy, and work where accuracy matters more than speed.

Fable

Use for specialized high-end work where its particular strengths fit the task.

Tip Start with Sonnet 5. Move up when the task earns it.

Workspace

Give Claude somewhere organized to work

Projects

Your active work.

These two files change everything

Two overlapping documents representing the two core context files

about-me.md

This file teaches Claude who you are and how you work.

Include

· Your role
· Your background
· Current goals
· Priorities
· Products or businesses
· Audience
· Communication preferences
· Decision-making style
· Things Claude should know about your work
· Things Claude should avoid assuming

Copy about-me prompt

Help me create an about-me.md file that I can use as persistent context when working with AI.

Interview me first. Ask one question at a time until you understand:

who I am

what I do

my current goals

my businesses or projects

my audience

how I make decisions

how I prefer to communicate

my recurring workflows

my preferences

important constraints

things AI frequently gets wrong about me

When you have enough information, create a concise Markdown document optimized as context for an AI assistant.

Do not turn this into a biography. Prioritize information that will improve future AI output.

anti-ai-style.md

This file teaches Claude how you want your writing to sound.

Include

· Tone and voice
· Sentence length
· Formatting preferences
· Words you dislike
· Phrases you never want used
· Writing habits to avoid
· How direct you want responses
· How much explanation you prefer
· Examples of writing you like

Copy style prompt

Help me create an anti-ai-style.md file that teaches an AI assistant how to write like me and which common AI writing patterns to avoid.

Interview me about:

tone

voice

vocabulary

sentence structure

formatting

phrases I dislike

words I never use

clichés

transitions

punctuation preferences

how direct I want the writing

how I structure arguments

examples of writing that sounds like me

Also identify generic AI writing habits that conflict with my preferences.

Then create a reusable Markdown style guide with:

Voice principles

Writing rules

Formatting rules

Banned words and phrases

Patterns to avoid

Preferred alternatives

A final pre-output checklist

Prompt system

Stop starting every prompt from zero

Five connected blocks representing a prompt framework

System + Context + Task + Format + Tone

SYSTEM: How Claude should operate.
CONTEXT: What Claude needs to know before starting.
TASK: The exact outcome you want.
FORMAT: What the finished result should look like.
TONE: How it should sound.

Starter prompt

You are helping me with [TYPE OF WORK].

CONTEXT:
[Relevant background, files, goals, audience, constraints]

TASK:
[What I need you to accomplish]

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
[What a strong result must accomplish]

FORMAT:
[Structure, length, output type]

TONE:
[Voice and writing requirements]

Before answering, identify any missing information that would materially improve the result. Ask me only for information you truly need.

Improve

You do not have to write every great prompt yourself

Prompt improver

Review my goal, the context available to you, and the task I am trying to accomplish.

Before completing the work, improve my instructions.

Identify:

missing context

unclear requirements

hidden assumptions

better ways to structure the task

useful constraints

questions worth answering first

Then give me:

The improved prompt

A short explanation of what you changed

Any information you still need from me

Tools

Put Claude closer to your real work

Connect the tools you already use, when it makes sense for the work you do.

Google DriveGmailSlackNotionCalendarGitHub

Do not connect everything because you can.

Connect the places where the information Claude needs already lives.

Projects

Create Projects for work you repeat

Content SystemSalesCompany StrategyCustomer ResearchProduct DevelopmentPersonal AssistantMarketingWeekly Planning

Each Project should contain

· Relevant core files
· Project-specific context
· Reference documents
· Reusable instructions
· Examples of strong output

Project designer

I want to create a Claude Project for [PURPOSE].

Help me design the minimum useful setup.

Tell me:

What permanent instructions belong in the Project

What files I should add

What information should stay outside the Project

What reusable prompts I should create

What recurring workflows this Project should support

Keep the setup simple. Do not add structure unless it improves the quality of Claude's work.

Weekly review

Your Claude setup should improve as you use it

01Review your core files
02Delete outdated instructions
03Save prompts worth reusing
04Improve weak Project instructions
05Add useful context you keep repeating
06Remove information that creates noise
07Look for work Claude should take over next

Weekly review prompt

Review how I have been using Claude recently.

Help me improve my AI working system.

Look for:

instructions I keep repeating

tasks that should become reusable prompts

information that belongs in my core files

recurring work that deserves its own Project

unnecessary complexity

gaps in my current setup

opportunities to reduce manual work

Give me the five highest-value improvements to make next.

Your goal is not better prompts.

Your goal is a better system.

When Claude understands your context, preferences, tools, projects, and recurring work, you spend less time explaining and more time doing.

Start with the two core files. Then build from there.

Build my Claude system

Save this page. Come back as your setup grows.

Go deeper

Advanced Claude

Ten techniques that change how Claude reasons before it produces anything.

35 Claude Cowork Workflows

Ready-to-run prompts for the work you already do every week.

Keep going

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New prompts, new tools worth trying, and links to our latest classes.

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