By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS
Last week, in 3 Steps to Get Started with Claude Cowork, you set up Cowork, gave it a place to work and handed off a first task. This is part two, where we build on what we started.
Picture a Monday morning. You open your laptop, and your weekly summary is already waiting. You didn’t ask for it today. You asked once, a few weeks ago.
Each one starts the same way: click the Cowork toggle in the chat window. You can use Cowork in a browser, but for full functionality, use the desktop app.
- Set your global instructions
Open Settings, select Cowork, and click Edit next to Global Instructions. Add a few lines Cowork should follow on every task, like “Never change my original files. Save a new copy instead.”
- Turn your plugin into shortcuts
When you ran /setup-claude, you installed a plugin matched to your role. Its skills are waiting in the / menu. Type / in a Cowork chat, pick a skill that fits something on your to-do list, and run it with your Project or folder selected. If you connected Microsoft 365, the skill can use your real calendar, email and files.
- Put a task on a schedule
Remember the calendar prep agendas from the first task we tried last week? Make that one repeat.
- Click Scheduled in the left sidebar.
- Click New task in the upper right, then set up manually.
- Enter a Name, like Monday meeting prep.
- Paste your prompt into Instructions.
- Open Work in a project or folder and choose a OneDrive folder (or one of your Projects).
- Set Frequency.
- Turn on Require this computer so Cowork can save to your folder.
- Click Save.
Try this for your instructions:
“Look at my calendar for the week and create a prep agenda for each meeting. Save each one in this folder.”
Each run shows up as its own session under Scheduled in the left sidebar, with the agendas saved in your folder. Set it up once, and as long as your computer is awake, Cowork takes it from there.