Claude Cowork Setup Guide

How to set up Claude Cowork completely in 1 hour: 1. Download the Claude desktop app. 2. Click the Cowork tab at the top. 3. You need a Pro plan ($20/mo). 0-10 min: Build your 'Claude Cowork' folder. Create "CLAUDE COWORK" on your computer. Inside: About me, Projects, Templates, Output files. 10-25 min: Write your .md files. about-me .md = who you are, how you work. anti-ai-style .md = every word you'd never use. 25-35 min: Set Global Instructions. Go to Settings → Cowork → Edit Global Instructions. Folder rules. Naming conventions. What Claude must read before every task. 35-45 min: Create your first Cowork Project. Cowork tab → Projects → +. Pick a task you do every week. Scoped memory = it remember what it did last week. 45-55 min: Run your first real task. Prompt: "I want to [task]. Ask me questions first." Claude generates clickable forms to prompt you. It creates a real .docx in your folder. 55-60 min: Schedule a task. "Every Monday at 7am, create my weekly briefing." Pro tip: Always add "Use AskUserQuestion" to every prompt.