1.4 Cowork Features

Time: ~15 minutes

What You'll Learn

How to use the todo list feature
Tips for better prompting
When to start fresh vs continue a conversation
How to iterate on outputs

Key Concepts

Todo Lists

Claude automatically creates todo lists for complex tasks. You can also ask:

"Add these items to the todo list: review feedback, draft proposal, create presentation"

Better Prompting

Be specific about what you want:

Vague: "Summarize this"
Better: "Summarize this focusing on action items and deadlines, in bullet points"

Iteration

Don't settle for the first output:

"Make that shorter" "Try a more formal tone" "Add a section about risks"

When to Start Fresh

Continue when building on previous work
Start fresh when switching to a completely different topic

In Your Scenario

You'll take a breather from the chaos to level up your Cowork skills. These productivity features will help you move faster through the rest of the course — and in your real work.

Real-World Applications

These tips work with any AI tool:

Be specific about format and audience
Iterate until it's right
Provide context about your goals

How to Start

start lesson 1.4

1.3 Working with Files 1.5 Agents