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Fix it once

⏱ 35 min7 steps

Some chores come back every week: chasing the same supplier, hunting for the same , retyping the same answer. You'll list the ones that repeat, have Claude add up the minutes, and pick the simplest fix for each, with software as the last thing you try. Bring a week of memory, or last week's calendar. The list tends to come out short the first time, because chores you've done for years stop looking like chores. Step 1 has a way to find them.

file One document on your computer, like a letter or a photo. Files live inside folders. All words
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  1. List the chores that repeat

    A roofer might re-send the same photos to every insurer. A store might count the same stock by hand every Monday. In an office it's often the latest version of a file, and a one-person dog groomer might answer the same three questions by text every day.

    1. On paper or in a note, write every chore you or your staff do more than once a month.
    2. Next to each, write how often it happens, about how many minutes it takes each time, and who does it.
    finding One thing an audit found, with the link and the words that show it. All words
    That's not what I see
    I can't think of many.
    Look through last week's calendar, your sent emails and your texts. Anything you typed or did twice counts. So does anything someone asked you where to find.

  2. Start a new chat and score the chores

    This adds up the minutes each chore costs you in a month and sorts the list, so the biggest is at the top.

    drafts and sorts; a person approves anything with a price, a date or your name on it. Here Claude does the sums and sorts. You score the chores and pick the fix.

    Use roles, not names, for who does each chore, like the office or the Saturday staff.

    1. Open the or claude.ai and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    I own a small business, [what you do]. Below is a list of chores that repeat, with how often each one happens, how many minutes it takes and who does it. Make a table with these columns: chore, times a month, minutes each time, minutes a month, and who does it. Show the sum for minutes a month. Use only the numbers I gave you. If I didn't give a number, write FILL IN and don't guess. Sort the table by minutes a month, biggest first. Don't suggest any fixes yet. My list: [paste your list]
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the first part in square brackets with what you do, like roofing, a hardware store or a small law office.
    2. Replace the last part in square brackets with your list.
    3. Send it.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsAI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words

    You should see:

    A table of your chores, sorted by minutes a month with the sums shown, and FILL IN where you didn't give a number.

    That's not what I see
    Claude changed one of my numbers, or rounded it.
    Reply: Use my numbers exactly as I gave them. Then check that row's minutes a month on a calculator.

  3. Mark how much each chore costs you

    Minutes aren't the whole cost. A five-minute chore that goes wrong and loses a customer is worse than a slow one nobody minds.

    1. Next to each chore, write a score from 1 to 5 for how much it annoys you or your staff.
    2. Write one line on what goes wrong when it's done badly or forgotten, like wrong part ordered or customer waits a day.
    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

  4. Have Claude suggest the simplest fix for each

    This prompt goes down a ladder of fixes, from stopping the chore to buying software, and stops at the first one that would work.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Here are my scores, from 1 to 5, for how much each chore annoys us, and what goes wrong when it's done badly: [your scores and notes]. For the five chores that cost us most, weighing minutes a month and my scores together, suggest the simplest fix. Show which five you picked and why in one line each. Try these in order, and stop at the first one that would work. 1. Stop doing it: say what would happen if nobody did it. 2. A rule, like "quotes go out by 4 pm" or "one order day a week". 3. A template or a checklist. 4. One shared folder or one shared list, so nobody hunts for things. 5. Software, last, and only if the first four can't work. Say in one line why each earlier fix wouldn't do. Don't name any software, app or brand. For each chore, give the first small step and how I'll know in two weeks that it worked. I decide which to try.
    1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your scores and notes from Step 3.
    2. Send it.

    You should see:

    The five chores Claude picked and why, each with one fix from the list, a line on why the simpler fixes wouldn't do, a first step and a check.

    That's not what I see
    Claude went straight to software, or named an app.
    Reply: Go back to the list in order. Try stop, a rule, a and a shared first. Don't name any app.template A starting point with blanks to fill in, so you don't start from nothing every time. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All words
    Stopping a chore sounds risky.
    Ask the person it's for whether they'd miss it. Or stop for two weeks and see who notices. You can always start again.

  5. Pick one fix to try

    Try one fix at a time, so that in two weeks you can tell whether it worked.

    1. Pick one fix from Claude's list, usually the one with the smallest first step.
    2. Write down who'll do the first step, the day you start, and the day two weeks later when you'll check.
    That's not what I see
    The best fix really is software.
    Then the lesson "Choose software without the sales pitch" walks you through picking one without being sold to.

  6. Save the chore-scoring sheet

    This prompt gives you the table in a form you can keep and add to.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Give me the chore table again as a plain table I can paste into a spreadsheet, with these columns: chore, times a month, minutes each time, minutes a month, annoying (1 to 5), fix, first step and check date. Keep FILL IN where I haven't decided. Above the table, write these rules: Try the fixes in order: stop, a rule, a template, a shared folder, and software last. One fix at a time. Check it after two weeks.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Open NumbersExcel, choose File > New, then double-clickclick BlankBlank workbook.
    3. Click the top-left cell, and press Command-VCtrl+V to paste.
    4. Save it as Chores.

    You should see:

    The rules above a plain table of chores with the fix, the first step and a check date for each.

    That's not what I see
    It all pastes into one column.
    Reply: Give me the table again in a code block, with a tab between each column. Click the copy button on the block, then paste again.
    I don't see a template chooser.I don't see Blank workbook, or I don't have Excel.
    Hold Option and chooseIn Excel, choose File > New., and Blank workbook is the first choice. Without Excel, use Google Sheets, which is free. Go to sheets.google.com, click Blank spreadsheet, click the top-left cell and press Ctrl+V.

  7. Set a two-week check

    1. Open the calendar app on your phone or computer.
    2. Add a 15-minute reminder two weeks from today.
    3. Call it Did the fix work? and add the chore's name.
    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

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Your challenge

Try one fix this week, on the chore at the top of your sheet. Write down when you started, and look again in two weeks: is it gone, smaller, or the same?

Last checked 2026-10-20

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