Claude Code for product managers: research, writing, context libraries, custom to-do system, more

By How I AI Podcast

Categories: AI, Product

Summary

Teresa Torres, author of Continuous Discovery Habits, demonstrates how to build a custom Claude-powered task management system using Claude Code and slash commands to automate daily workflows, manage research, and coordinate tasks without vendor lock-in. By pair programming with Claude for non-coding tasks, she's created a personalized system that integrates with existing tools like Trello and generates daily digests of prioritized work.

Key Takeaways

1. Build custom task management for yourself rather than adopting generic tools, because how you manage tasks is idiosyncratic and a custom system can work exactly the way you want it to work.
2. Use slash commands in Claude Code to create repeatable workflows—Teresa created /today command that automatically checks Trello, generates a prioritized task list from markdown files, and includes a research digest every morning.
3. Ask 'how can AI help?' for every task by considering three questions: Can it automate it? Can it augment it? Do I want AI to do it for me? This shifts from figuring out AI use cases to letting your AI pair program with you.
4. Build with data ownership in mind by avoiding vendor lock-in—Teresa moved from Trello because her notes were locked in a third-party tool, weren't searchable, and she couldn't easily export her data.
5. Implement pair programming methodology for non-coding tasks like task management, writing, and research to leverage Claude as a collaborative buddy rather than just an automation tool.

Topics

• Claude Code for Non-Technical Use Cases
• Custom Task Management Systems
• AI-Augmented Productivity Workflows
• Slash Commands and Automation
• Data Ownership and Vendor Lock-in

Transcript Excerpt

Why has Claude code become your [music] buddy? >> I was writing my notes in my task management tool and that was Trello. As time went on, I just started to get really worried about how am I ever going to get my data out of Trello. And so I was like, I wonder if Claude can help. And that was like one thing. Maybe I could just do this better with Claude. And by moving my task management to Claude, now Claude sees my tasks and I can literally start my day and be like, "Claude, what's on my to-do li...