To gain data ownership and enable AI automation, Teresa Torres built a personalized task manager using Claude Code and local Markdown files. This allows her to prompt the AI to directly see and execute items from her to-do list, a capability not possible with third-party tools like Trello.

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The paradigm is shifting from using AI as a general chatbot to building a team of 'digital employees.' Claude Skills allow users to encapsulate a specific, repeatable workflow—like drafting a newsletter from tweets—into a tool that can be executed on demand, creating a specialized agent for that job.

Instead of relying on one-off prompts, professionals can now rapidly build a collection of interconnected internal AI applications. This "personal software stack" can manage everything from investments and content creation to data analysis, creating a bespoke productivity system.

Users can now upload instructional files to teach Claude AI specific abilities. This allows the AI to perform complex, branded tasks like creating presentations or designing posters according to a company's unique style guide, effectively turning it into a personalized expert assistant.

Instead of managing prompts in a separate library, save them as custom commands directly within your Claude Code project folder. This lets you trigger complex, multi-file prompts with a simple command (e.g., `/meeting_notes`), embedding powerful, recurring workflows directly into your development environment.

Instead of a complex database, store content for personal AI tools as simple Markdown files within the code repository. This makes information, like research notes, easily renderable in a web UI and directly accessible by AI agents for queries, simplifying development and data management for N-of-1 applications.

The process of building AI tools is becoming automated. Claude features a 'Skill Creator,' a skill that builds other skills from natural language prompts. This meta-capability allows users to generate custom AI workflows without writing code, essentially asking the AI to build the exact tool they need for a task.

Teresa Torres created a system using Python scripts and Claude to automate her research workflow. The script searches preprint servers like arXiv for keywords daily, and Claude then generates detailed summaries of saved papers, delivering a "research digest" directly to her to-do list each morning.

The true advantage of AI coding tools like Claude Code is not just task automation, but the ability for non-engineers to build a suite of personal, custom applications. This "personal software" is the ultimate unlock for scaling a marketer's unique craft and workflows.

Create a single command that triggers scripts for your AI to consolidate tasks from various sources (like Trello), generate a daily to-do list in a notes app, and pull in new research. This streamlines your morning routine and provides immediate focus for the day.

Teresa Torres defined a `/today` slash command in Claude Code. This shortcut triggers a detailed, pre-written prompt that scans her task files, checks for team updates, and generates a prioritized daily to-do list in Obsidian, automating a repetitive and complex morning routine.