Work with files and documents
Summarize PDFs, clean spreadsheets, make slides and reports.
Best tools for this
Read these chapters
Claude · Chapter 1.2 · 3 min readClaudeOffice files that really work
Claude · Chapter 2.6 · 3 min readClaudeArtifacts: real documents, not just chat
Claude · Chapter 1.8 · 3 min readClaudeSlides and one-pagers
Claude · Chapter 3.3 · 3 min readClaudeGiving ChatGPT files and pictures
ChatGPT · Chapter 1.6 · 3 min readChatGPTCanvas
Gemini · Chapter 1.11 · 3 min readGemini
Ready prompts to copy
Summarize a long PDF and list the actions
Goal. Know what a long document says and what I have to do about it, in five minutes.
Open. Chat, any plan; attach the PDF.
Read the attached document. I am [who, e.g. a tenant / a small business owner / a parent]. 1. Summarize it in 5 plain-language bullets. 2. List every action, deadline or payment it asks of me, as a table: what, by when, page number. 3. Tell me the one thing I must not miss, and anything that looks unusual or unfair. Quote the document's exact words for anything about money or dates.
What you get · Watch out
What you get. Five bullets, an actions table with page numbers, one warning.
Watch out. Very long files get cut; say *read pages X to Y* if the end is missing. Check money and dates against the page it cites. If stuck: Chapters 1.2, 4.8.
Goal. My scribbles from a meeting or a voice memo become a tidy document I can send.
Open. Chat, any plan; type / and choose Doc for an editable document.
Here are my raw notes: [paste]. Turn them into a clean document titled [title] for [who will read it]. Keep every fact and decision; remove repetition; fix grammar; do not add anything that is not in the notes. Structure: a 3-line summary, then sections [Decisions / Actions with owner and date / Open questions / Notes]. Flag anything unclear with [?] so I can fill it in.
What you get · Watch out
What you get. A document with the sections above and [?] marks where you need to check.
Watch out. Say "do not add anything", or Claude fills gaps with plausible guesses. Read the [?] marks before sending. If stuck: Chapters 1.8, 4.7.
Goal. A short, good-looking deck for a meeting.
Open. Chat with / Slides for a quick deck, or Claude Design for an on-brand one (paid plan).
Make a 6-slide deck for [audience] about [topic]. Purpose: [decide / inform / sell]. One idea per slide: 1 title + one line, 2 the problem, 3 what we propose, 4 proof or numbers, 5 cost and timing, 6 the ask. Big headline, max 20 words of body per slide, a place for one image each. Tone: [plain / confident]. Colors: [brand or "clean and neutral"]. Then give me the speaker notes for each slide, 3 sentences each.
What you get · Watch out
What you get. A deck you can edit slide by slide and export to PowerPoint or PDF, plus notes.
Watch out. Write the six ideas before asking; design cannot rescue an empty message. Check the export once in PowerPoint. If stuck: Chapters 1.8, 3.3.
Goal. A monthly budget in Excel where totals update when I change a number.
Open. Cowork, paid plan (the Excel skill loads by itself).
Build a monthly budget as an Excel file. Rows: [rent, food, transport, phone, savings, other, add mine]. Columns: the 12 months. Add: a total row, a total column, a difference-from-plan column, all as live formulas; a small chart of totals by month; a header row in bold; the sheet should print on one page. Test the formulas with sample numbers before you give me the file, and tell me what you tested.
What you get · Watch out
What you get. An .xlsx under Outputs with working totals and a chart; a note on what was tested.
Watch out. Name your rows; Claude's guesses are generic. Open it in Excel once and change a number to see the totals move. If stuck: Chapters 2.1, 2.6.
Goal. Two messy lists become one clean list without duplicates.
Open. Cowork, paid plan; attach both files.
Attached are two spreadsheets of [customers / products / records]. Merge them into one clean Excel file. Match records on [email / ID / name+phone]. Standardize: names (Title Case), phones ([format]), dates ([format]), trim spaces, fix obvious typos in [column]. For duplicates, keep the most recent and put the other in a sheet called "Merged duplicates". Put rows you could not match confidently in a sheet called "Check". Give me the file plus a short report: rows in, rows out, duplicates found, what you changed.
What you get · Watch out
What you get. One Excel file with Clean, Merged duplicates and Check sheets, and a report.
Watch out. Say what counts as the same record; email is safest. Look at the Check sheet; that is where the mistakes hide. If stuck: Chapters 2.1, 2.6.
Goal. Know how two offers differ and where the traps are, before I sign.
Open. Chat, any plan; attach both files; effort High.
Attached are two [contracts / offers / quotes] for [what]. I am the [tenant / buyer / client]. 1. A table of the differences: clause, document A, document B, which is better for me and why. 2. Risks in each: anything one-sided, unusual, or unclear, with the exact wording quoted. 3. Five questions I should ask before signing. Be specific and quote the text. Do not give legal advice; tell me what to check with a lawyer.
What you get · Watch out
What you get. A differences table, a risk list with quotes, five questions.
Watch out. Claude is not a lawyer; use this to prepare for one, not to replace one. Make sure both files are readable (not blurry scans). If stuck: Chapters 1.2, 4.8.