If you've been scrolling past AI content thinking it isn't for you — this is your 5 minutes. Claude configured, your first prompt ready, one weekly ritual picked.
Go to claude.ai and sign up with the email you actually check — Claude saves things about you tied to this account.
The free plan is genuinely enough to start. You get around 15-40 messages every 5 hours, running on the same Sonnet model as paid. Upgrade later when you hit the wall, not before.
Download the mobile app (iOS or Android) while you're at it. You'll use Claude on your phone more than you think.
Most people's first prompt gets an okay result. Try this one instead — copy-paste it exactly:
I work as [your job]. My biggest headache at work right now is [the frustrating thing]. Before giving me advice, what questions do you need to ask me so you actually understand my situation?
Watch what happens. Claude asks you questions back. This makes AI feel like a collaborator instead of a vending machine. The better you answer, the better the advice gets.
Type "remember that..." followed by a fact about you. Claude saves these forever. Every chat after this already knows who you are.
remember that I work in [industry] as a [role]
remember that I hate bullet points in my emails
remember that I'm based in Melbourne and my work hours are evenings
remember that I write in Australian English
Spend 2 minutes dropping 5-10 facts about you and what you're working on. Future you will thank present you.
Click "Projects" in your left sidebar. Make one called "Work" (or whatever your main thing is). Projects are folders where Claude remembers context for a specific part of your life.
Start with one project. Don't build ten. One project, three documents, one system prompt: "I am [role] at [company], here's what I'm working on this quarter." Done.
This is where most people lose. They try it once and forget it exists. Pick ONE thing you already do every week and commit to using Claude for it:
The honest bit: The people making money with AI aren't using secret prompts. They just opened the thing and used it every day until it clicked. Do that one ritual for 7 days. After that you'll spot your own use cases naturally, because AI becomes a thing you reach for instead of a thing you forgot about.