Tables, not paragraphs

If you'll scan it, sort it or paste it somewhere, ask for a table and name the columns.

Left to itself, Claude often answers in paragraphs. That's fine for reading. It's slow for finding who owes what by Friday.

You decide the shape. Say "a table," then list the columns you want, in order. Anthropic's own guidance says to be specific about the format you want. It also says to say what to do, not what to avoid.

Ask for the shape

Three steps. That's it.

1. 1

   Paste the notes

   Paste your notes into the box. Messy is fine. Half-sentences are fine.

2. 2

   Name the columns

   Ask for a table and list the columns: Owner, Task, Due.

3. 3

   Check the blanks

   Look at any row where the notes didn't say. Make sure Claude didn't guess.

Notes into a table

Find the notes from a recent meeting. Leave out anything from the "what not to paste" list. Paste them, then type:

Turn these notes into a table with three columns: Owner, Task, Due. One row per task. If the notes don't say, write “not stated”.

Copy the line

Read down the Due column. Every "not stated" is a question for whoever ran the meeting.

Need it in a spreadsheet? Ask for "an Excel file." Claude can create one on every plan. If it says it can't, file creation may be switched off, by you or by your company.