When was the last time you finished your workday feeling caught up?
Not "I answered a few emails" or "I crossed three things off my list."
I mean truly caught up.
Because if you're anything like me, your business to-do list has its own to-do list. 😩
Between creating content, responding to emails, serving clients, organizing ideas, and building systems, there is always something else that needs your attention.
For years, I thought that was just part of being a business owner. Work harder. Stay up later. Figure it out.
And honestly? That mindset helped me build a successful business.
I was a teacher for over 20 years, and I built Classroom to CEO into a business generating $20K months long before AI entered the picture.
But life has a way of reminding you that you can't carry everything forever.
In 2020, my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and suddenly all the things I thought were urgent didn't seem quite so important anymore.
That season taught me a lesson I still carry with me today:
My time matters.
And I don't want to spend it doing things that don't actually require me to do them.
So when AI popped on the scene, I wasn't looking for another shiny object. I was looking for a way to stop doing every single task in my business by myself.
That's when I stopped treating Claude like a search engine and started treating it like a business partner.
And friend, that changed everything.
Not because Claude replaced me, but because it helped me stop spending time on work that didn't need me.
These are the first five automations that started taking work off my plate. But friend, they're definitely not the only ones.
I've found dozens of ways to use Claude to save time, simplify my business, and stop doing work that doesn't actually require me.
In fact, I put together a checklist with 52 business tasks Claude can help you with, along with a prompt that helps you figure out which ones could make the biggest difference in your business right now.
Grab your free copy before you keep reading.
Now let's talk about the first task I handed over to Claude...
1. Writing content in my voice without starting from scratch
Before I figured this out, I would ask Claude to write a caption and spend twenty minutes rewriting it because it sounded like a press release.
The problem was not Claude. The problem was that Claude did not know me.
Once I started telling Claude exactly how I write, what phrases I use, what I never say, and who I am talking to, everything changed. Now when I need content I am editing, not rewriting.
The automation: before you write anything, run this prompt first.
Before we start, I want to teach you my writing voice. I write like a trusted business bestie. Warm but direct. Short paragraphs. No corporate language. I never say [list 3 to 5 things you never say]. I always write like I am talking to one specific person. I often use phrases like [list 3 to 5 of your natural phrases]. Apply this voice to everything you write for me in this conversation.
That prompt works. And you will need to paste it every single time you open a new chat because Claude starts from scratch with every conversation.
Now listen. That gets old fast.
The Sound Like Me Skill inside the Claude Skills Starter Pack solves this permanently. It is a set of instructions you install into Claude once and from that point forward Claude already knows your voice before you type a single word. No pasting. No re-explaining. Just content that sounds like you from the jump.
2. Turning one idea into a full week of content
I used to sit down to create content and spend more time staring at a blank screen than actually writing.
Now I pick one topic on Monday and Claude builds out my whole week.
One idea becomes a carousel, a caption for four platforms, a newsletter intro, and a reel hook. In one sitting. What used to take me an entire afternoon takes about twenty minutes.
I want to create a week of content around this topic: [your topic]. My niche is [your niche] and my audience is [describe your audience]. Give me: a 7-day content calendar with one post per day, captions for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Threads for each post, and a reel hook for the most shareable idea in the batch.
3. Building a personal email library around my offers
This one is quietly one of the most valuable things I have done in my business.
I used to write the same emails over and over. Follow-ups. Inquiry responses. Onboarding welcomes. Every time, starting from scratch.
Now Claude knows my offers, my audience, and the emails I send repeatedly. I ask for a template and it comes back already knowing what I sell and who I am talking to.
I want to build a personal email library. My business is [describe your business]. My main offers are [list your offers]. My audience is [describe them]. Write me templates for the following emails I send regularly: [list 3 to 5 email types you write often]. Each template should sound like me, reference my actual offers where relevant, and be ready to personalize with a name and specific details.
We actually build this live together every month inside AI Business U. More on that below.
4. Getting a prioritized action plan out of a messy brain dump
If you are a solopreneur there is a version of this that lives in your head right now.
The running list of everything that needs to happen. The half-finished projects. The ideas you wrote down somewhere. The things you keep meaning to do but cannot figure out where to start.
I used to carry all of that alone.
Now I brain dump everything into Claude and ask it to organize and prioritize based on my actual goals. What comes back is a clear action plan ranked by impact and urgency. Not a longer to-do list. A starting point.
Here is everything on my plate right now: [paste your full brain dump, messy is fine]. My biggest goal this month is [your goal]. Organize this into a prioritized action plan. Flag what moves the needle most, what can wait, and what I should probably let go of entirely.
5. Building an interactive tracker instead of a document
This one still gets me every time.
I used to create planning documents that lived in a folder and collected digital dust. A template is only useful if you actually open it. Most of us do not.
What changed for me was when I started asking Claude to build interactive tools instead of static documents. Checklists with progress bars. Trackers with checkboxes that save where you left off. Tools that feel like apps, not just files.
And this is where people's jaws drop every single time I show them.
Because what Claude can build is not a document. It is a fully functional interactive tool. You can check things off. Track your progress. Come back to it every week. And it lives right inside Claude.
I show this live every month inside my free workshop Take 3 Tasks Off Your Plate with Claude.
We build a 7-day content calendar, turn it into an interactive tracking system, and then build the full 52 task interactive tracker together in real time. You watch it render. You keep it. You use it the same week.
No prompt to copy. No figuring it out alone. We build it together.
The Real Shift
Friend, the biggest lesson here has nothing to do with AI.
It's this:
You don't have to do everything yourself.
Read that again.
You don't have to do everything yourself.
Some of the work on your plate doesn't actually require you anymore.
Not because you're not capable, but because your time is too valuable to spend on tasks that can be simplified, streamlined, or supported.
That's what Claude has done for me.
It didn't replace me.
It simply took work off my plate.
And every hour I get back is an hour I can spend serving clients, creating new offers, building relationships, and living my life.
That's the goal.
Not more productivity. More freedom.
And Claude is how you build the systems that get you there.
Want More Tasks Claude Can Do For You?
I've put together a free checklist called:
52 Business Tasks Claude Can Take Off Your Plate
Inside you'll discover dozens of practical ways solopreneurs are using Claude to save time, simplify their business, and stop carrying everything themselves.
Because friend...
You started your business to create freedom.
Not to become the busiest employee in the company.
Grab your free copy below.
Your Next Step
If you're reading this and thinking, "Okay Erica... but where do I start?" I've got you.
Every month inside AI Business U, I host a free workshop called:
Take 3 Tasks Off Your Plate With Claude
Together we'll build:
✔️ A 7-day content calendar
✔️ An interactive tracking system
✔️ A customized workflow you can actually use
No endless training.
No information overload.
No trying to figure it out alone.
We build together.
And by the end, you'll leave with something you can use immediately.
Come join us inside AI Business U. The next session is coming up and I'd love to build with you.
Recommended Resources
- Claude AI — claude.ai — Free to use. Start here.
- 52 Business Tasks Claude Can Take Off Your Plate — The free checklist that maps out every area of your business Claude can handle. Grab it above.
- ClaudeforSolopreneurs.com — claudeforsolopreneurs.com — More free prompts and guides like this one.
- AI Business U — aibusinessu.com/start — The free community where we build AI-powered systems together every month.