Learning Timeline
Key Insights
Claude’s Context Advantage
Unlike ChatGPT, which sometimes experiences 'context drift' (mixing up context between chats), Claude maintains memory and writing style more cleanly and consistently over the long term.
The Growing MCP Ecosystem
Since MCP is open-source, new integrations are added almost every week. Always check the directory to find the latest productivity tools that can be connected directly to Claude.
Skills as Workflows
Think of 'Skills' as fully briefed employees. You can have dozens of workflows acting like different versions of Claude for every specific business need.
Prompts
Google Drive Integration
Target:
Claude
Pull my latest invoice from Google Drive and summarize the total amount due.
Running Custom Skills
Target:
Claude
Use my [Skill Name] to format the following information into a project brief according to my style guide.
Step by Step
How to Connect Claude to External Apps (MCP)
- Open the Claude platform and access the 'MCP Connectors' or 'Integrations' section through the provided directory.
- Select the application you want to connect from a list of over 50 integrations (e.g., Google Drive, Slack, Gmail, or GitHub).
- Click on your chosen app and provide authorization (Authorize) for Claude to access that account.
- Once connected, enter your command directly into the chat box, for example: "Pull my latest invoice from Google Drive".
- Wait for Claude to automatically search for and pull that file or data into the conversation.
- Use the retrieved data to proceed with analysis or writing tasks without needing to manually upload files.
Building and Using Custom 'Skills'
- Prepare a set of custom instructions (Custom Instructions) containing your style guide, writing format, and workflow rules.
- Save those instructions as a unique 'Skill' within the Claude system.
- Give the skill a specific name, such as 'Brief Builder'.
- When starting a new chat, type a command to invoke that skill, for example: "Use my Brief Builder skill for this task".
- Claude will automatically apply all the rules and context saved in that skill without you needing to repeat instructions.
- Repeat this process to build various other skills that act like different 'versions of Claude' for every type of task.
