How to automate repeat work with Claude

Short answer: list everything you do on a repeating schedule, then give Claude the task and the schedule together rather than prompting it each time. If AI only runs when you drive it prompt by prompt, you are still doing the work. The change is handing over the trigger, not just the task.

If AI only works when you sit down and drive it, prompt by prompt, you are still doing the work. The moment you step away, it stops.

The change is small: give Claude the task and the schedule, not just the task. Then leave it alone.

Step 1: Write your repeat list

Pen and paper for ten minutes. Everything you do on a schedule, weekly or monthly, no matter how small.

Mine included editing videos, posting them, building carousels, checking analytics, chasing invoices, writing the Monday report. Yours will be longer than you expect, and that is the point: these are the jobs eating your week that nobody would ever hire for.

Be specific. "Content" is not a task. "Turn last week's best reel into a carousel and schedule it" is.

Step 2: Give each one a cadence

A task without a time never runs. Hand each job over with exactly when it should happen and what should land at the end.

Every Monday at 9am, do this without me asking:

1. Pull my Instagram numbers for the last 7 days
2. Compare them with the 7 days before
3. Tell me what went up, what went down, and your best guess at why
4. Give me three things to do this week

Keep it to one page. Text me when it is done.

Three things make a task stick: the trigger (every Monday at 9am), the steps, and what you get at the end. Leave any of them vague and you will end up supervising it.

Step 3: Walk away, then correct once

Let it run. The first output will be about 80 percent right. Correct it once, in specifics, and tell it to remember.

Two changes for next week:
- Skip stories, I only care about feed posts
- When something drops, tell me which post caused it rather than just the percentage

Remember both for every future run.

That is the loop. Not a better prompt each time, one correction that sticks.

What this actually gives back

The obvious win is hours. The real win is that the job stops needing you to remember it. A task with a cadence happens whether or not you are having a good week.

Frequently asked questions

Does my computer need to be on?

For tasks running on your own machine, yes, the app needs to be open. Plenty of jobs can run in the cloud instead. Decide which ones matter enough to need that.

What happens when it gets something wrong?

You correct it once and it holds. That is different from a prompt you rewrite every time, which is what most people are stuck doing.

Which task should I start with?

The one you put off. Usually reporting or admin, because it is repetitive and the output is predictable.

How do I know it ran?

Ask for a message at the end. Mine texts me. If a task runs silently you will not trust it, and you will end up checking, which defeats the point.

If you want help working out which of your jobs are worth handing over first, that is what a workshop is for.

Related reading

Two worked examples of this pattern: running your inbox with Claude and turning Claude into your video editor. Both are scheduled jobs rather than prompts.

If you want help finding the repeat work in your business, have a look at how I work.