How to Actually Use Claude. 18 steps that unlock 100% of its potential
This guide provides 18 actionable steps to fully leverage Claude. It covers setting up Projects and Custom Instructions for persistent context, shifting your mindset to treat Claude as a thinking partner rather than a search engine, and using advanced techniques like style cloning, Extended Thinking, and token-saving prompts. Ready-to-use templates are included for Feynman-style learning, travel planning, expense analysis, and business idea stress-testing. A key insight: simply specifying output length can cut token usage by 40-60%. Aimed at users who want to go beyond basic Q&A and make Claude work for them.
Claude has been out for two years. Most people who use it every day are still using 10% of what it can do.
Not because it's complicated. Because nobody showed them what the other 90% looks like.
This guide fixes that. By the end you will have Claude set up in a way that remembers you, understands you, and works the way you actually think. And you will know how to use it for things most people have never tried.
Claude 问世已经两年。大多数每天使用它的人，仍然只用了它 10% 的能力。
并非因为它很复杂，而是因为没人向他们展示另外 90% 是什么样子。
这篇指南就是为了解决这个问题。读完以后，你会把 Claude 设置成能记住你、理解你、按照你真实的思维方式工作的状态。而且你还会知道如何用它做大多数人从未尝试过的事情。
Start Here
1 - Create a Project, not a chat
Every time you open a new Claude chat, it starts with zero memory. It doesn't know your name, your work, your goals, or how you like to communicate. You spend the first few messages re-explaining yourself, or you don't, and Claude gives you something generic that doesn't fit how you actually work.
Projects fix this. A Project is a persistent workspace where Claude keeps context across every conversation inside it. You set it up once and every session that follows starts with Claude already knowing who you are.
Go to Claude, click Projects in the sidebar, and create a new one. Name it something like "Work" or "Personal" depending on how you plan to use it. Everything that follows goes inside this Project.
从这里开始
1 - 创建 Project，而非单次聊天
每次打开新的 Claude 聊天，它都是从零记忆开始的。它不知道你的名字、你的工作、你的目标，也不了解你喜欢的沟通方式。你要么在开头几条消息里重新解释自己，要么不解释，然后 Claude 就会给你一些根本不符合你实际工作方式的通用回复。
Projects 能解决这个问题。Project 是一个持久的工作区，Claude 会在其中保留每一次对话的上下文。你只需设置一次，之后在这个 Project 里的每一次会话，Claude 一开始就已经知道你是谁。
进入 Claude，点击侧边栏的 Projects，新建一个。根据你的使用场景，取名为“工作”或“个人”。后续所有操作都在这个 Project 里进行。
2 - Tell Claude who you are
Before Claude can help you well, it needs to understand you. Most people skip this step entirely and wonder why Claude gives them answers that feel slightly off.
Paste this into your Project and fill in every field honestly. The more specific you are, the better every single response becomes.
Save this inside your Project's knowledge base. Claude will read it at the start of every conversation in this Project.
2 - 告诉 Claude 你是谁
在 Claude 能真正帮到你之前，它需要了解你。大多数人都完全跳过这一步，然后奇怪为什么 Claude 给出的回答总觉得哪里不对。
把这段提示粘贴到你的 Project 里，诚实填写每一项。你越具体，Claude 的每一次回应就越好。
把它保存到 Project 的知识库中，Claude 会在该 Project 的每一次对话开始时自动读取。
3 - Turn that into Custom Instructions
Pasting your background is a good start. But Custom Instructions go further. They tell Claude not just who you are, but exactly how to behave with you by default.
Paste this prompt into Claude after you've filled in the template above:
Take the output and paste it into your Project Instructions. This becomes Claude's permanent operating mode for every conversation in this Project.
3 - 转为自定义指令
粘贴你的背景信息是个好的开始，但 Custom Instructions（自定义指令）能更进一步。它们不仅仅告诉 Claude 你是谁，还会告诉它默认情况下该以什么方式与你互动。
在填写完上面的模板后，把这条提示粘贴给 Claude：
把生成的结果粘贴到你的 Project Instructions 里。这将成为 Claude 在该 Project 中每一次对话的永久运行模式。
Claude Is Not What You Think
4 - Claude is not a search engine
Most people use Claude the way they use Google. They type a question and wait for an answer. That is the lowest-value way to use it.
Claude is not a retrieval tool. It is a thinking partner. It doesn't just pull information, it reasons, synthesizes, argues, and builds on context. The moment you treat it like a search engine, you cut its usefulness by 80 percent.
Stop asking Claude what something is. Start asking Claude to help you think through something.
Instead of: "What is prompt caching?"
Try: "I'm building a workflow that calls Claude 20 times per session. Walk me through how prompt caching works and whether it would actually reduce my costs given that context."
The second prompt gives Claude a problem to solve with you. The first gives it a definition to recite.
Claude 并非搜索引擎
4 - Claude 不是搜索引擎
大多数人把 Claude 当 Google 用：打一个问题，等一个答案。这是价值最低的用法。
Claude 不是检索工具，它是思考伙伴。它不只是提取信息，还会推理、综合、论证，并根据上下文展开。一旦你把它当搜索引擎，它的有用程度就立刻下降 80%。
别再问 Claude“某个东西是什么”，而是让它帮你思考某个问题。
不要问：“什么是提示缓存？”
试试这样问：“我正在构建一个工作流，每个会话会调用 Claude 20 次。请带我了解提示缓存的原理，并结合我的使用场景，告诉我它是否真的能降低我的成本。”
第二个提示给 Claude 一个与你一起解决的问题，第一个提示只让它背一遍定义。
5 - Ask Claude to ask you questions first
This is one of the most powerful techniques almost nobody uses. Before Claude starts any complex task, tell it to gather information from you first.
When Claude asks you questions before starting, the output is dramatically better because it's built on the right foundation. Without this, Claude makes assumptions and you spend time correcting things that could have been right the first time.
Use this before any important task:
Or for a specific task:
5 - 让 Claude 先向你提问
这是一个几乎无人使用的强大技巧。在 Claude 开始处理任何复杂任务之前，先让它从你这里收集信息。
当 Claude 在动手前先向你提问，最终的输出会好非常多，因为它建立在正确的基础上。如果不这样做，Claude 就会做出假设，然后你不得不花时间去纠正那些本可以一次做对的事情。
在任何重要任务之前使用这条提示：
或者针对特定任务使用：
What Even Regular Users Don't Know
6 - Style cloning
When Claude writes in your voice without examples, it writes in its own voice. The output is grammatically correct and completely wrong in tone. It sounds like AI because it is.
Give Claude three to five samples of your own writing. Ask it to analyze your patterns, not just describe your style. After that analysis, it writes like you, not like a polished corporate assistant.
普通用户也不知道的事
6 - 风格克隆
当 Claude 在没有示例的情况下模仿你的语气写作时，其实是在用它自己的语气。输出语法正确，但语气完全不对。它听起来就像 AI，因为它本来就是 AI。
给 Claude 提供三到五个你自己的写作样本。让它分析你的模式，而不仅仅是描述你的风格。经过分析之后，它写出来的东西就会像你，而不是像一个打磨过的企业助理。
7 - Claude as your sparring partner
Most people ask Claude to help them with ideas. That means Claude builds on what you say, adds to it, expands it. You get agreement and elaboration.
That is useful sometimes. But it is not how you stress-test an idea.
Before committing to any plan, decision, or piece of writing, ask Claude to attack it. Not critique it. Attack it. The distinction matters.
7 - 让 Claude 做你的争辩对手
大多数人让 Claude 帮忙完善想法，这意味着 Claude 会在你说的基础上进行补充和扩展，你得到的是赞同与详细阐述。
这有时很有用，但它不是验证想法可靠性的方式。
在对任何计划、决定或作品做出承诺之前，让 Claude 攻击它。不是批评，而是攻击。这个区别很重要。
8 - Extended Thinking
Most Claude users have never turned this on. Extended Thinking is a mode where Claude reasons through a problem step by step before giving you an answer, instead of going straight to the output.
For simple tasks, you don't need it. For complex decisions, analysis, or any question where you want Claude to actually think rather than pattern-match, turn it on.
In Claude, click the brain icon before sending your message. Or add this to your prompt:
The difference in output quality on hard questions is significant.
8 - 延伸思考
大多数 Claude 用户从未开启过这个功能。Extended Thinking 是一种模式，Claude 在给出答案之前会逐步推理问题，而不是直接输出结果。
简单任务不需要它；但对于复杂的决策、分析，或任何你希望 Claude 真正思考而非进行模式匹配的问题，请打开它。
在 Claude 中，发送消息前点击大脑图标，或在提示中加入这条指令：
在难题上，输出质量的差异非常显著。
9 - Claude writes prompts for Claude
This is the most underused thing you can do. If you're not sure how to prompt Claude for a specific task, ask Claude to write the prompt for you.
Claude knows what kinds of instructions produce better results. Let it use that knowledge on your behalf.
9 - 让 Claude 为 Claude 写提示
这是最被低估的做法。如果你不确定如何为某个具体任务设计提示，让 Claude 帮你写提示。
Claude 知道什么样的指令能带来更好的结果，就让它替你利用这个知识。
How to Spend Fewer Tokens and Get More
10 - Specify the output length
Claude's default is to write as much as it thinks is appropriate. That is usually more than you need, which means more tokens used, more time spent reading, and more noise in the output.
Tell Claude exactly how long you want the answer before it starts.
This one instruction cuts token usage on most tasks by 40 to 60 percent without losing any of the value you actually need.
如何花更少的 Token，获得更多回报
10 - 指定输出长度
Claude 默认会写它认为合适的长度，而这通常远超你的需要——这意味着消耗更多 Token、花更多时间阅读，以及输出中更多的冗余信息。
在 Claude 开始回答之前，明确告诉它你想要的回答长度。
单这一条指令就能在大多数任务上降低 40% 到 60% 的 Token 用量，而且不会损失你真正需要的价值。
11 - Remove the preamble
Every Claude response defaults to starting with something you didn't ask for. "Great question. Let me break this down for you." Or a full restatement of what you just said. Or a disclaimer. Or a closing summary that repeats everything it just told you.
You didn't ask for any of that. It costs tokens and it wastes your time.
Add this to your Custom Instructions:
11 - 移除开场白
Claude 的每一次回复默认都以一些你根本没要求的套话开头。比如“问得好，让我为你拆解一下”，或者把你刚说过的话重述一遍，或者加一段免责声明，或者在结尾再把已经告诉你的内容总结一遍。
这些都不是你要的。它们消耗 Token，也浪费你的时间。
把这条加到你的 Custom Instructions 里：
12 - Don't re-explain yourself every conversation
If you're pasting the same background information into every new chat, you are wasting tokens every single time and training yourself into a habit that costs you more as Claude usage scales.
This is exactly what Projects and Custom Instructions are for. Put your context in once. Let Claude read it automatically at the start of every session. Never paste your background again.
If you are not using Projects yet, start there before anything else in this article.
12 - 不要在每次对话中重新解释自己
如果你在每次新建聊天时都粘贴相同的背景信息，你就是在一次又一次地浪费 Token，并养成一个随着 Claude 使用量增加将让你付出更高成本的习惯。
这正是 Projects 和 Custom Instructions 的用武之地。把上下文放进去一次，让 Claude 在每次会话开始时自动读取。再也不要粘贴你的背景信息了。
如果你还没用上 Projects，请在本文任何其他内容之前先从这里开始。
13 - Start a new chat for a new topic
Claude carries the context of everything said earlier in a conversation. When you switch topics inside a long chat, Claude still has all the previous context loaded. That means more tokens used on every response, slower processing, and context bleed from earlier in the conversation affecting your new topic.
When you switch to something unrelated, start a fresh chat inside your Project. You keep the Project memory. You lose the irrelevant baggage.
13 - 新话题开新会话
Claude 会携带对话中此前说过的所有上下文。当你在一个长对话中切换话题时，Claude 仍然加载着之前所有的上下文，这意味着每次回复要消耗更多 Token，处理速度变慢，而且以前的上下文会渗入并影响你的新话题。
当你切换到不相干的内容时，在同一个 Project 里开启一个新会话。这样你保留了 Project 的记忆，却丢掉了不相干的包袱。
Ready to Use Right Now
These are complete prompts you can copy and use immediately.
14 - Understand anything through analogies (Feynman method)
Most explanations Claude gives by default are technically correct and practically useless. They use the same vocabulary as the thing you're trying to understand, which means you walk away with a definition but not actual comprehension.
The Feynman method forces understanding through simplicity. If Claude can't explain it in plain terms using analogies, it means the explanation isn't clear enough yet. This prompt works for anything from investing to quantum physics to how a specific API works.
现成的，马上就能用
以下是你可以直接复制使用的完整提示词。
14 - 用类比理解任何事物（费曼方法）
Claude 默认给出的大多数解释，在技术上正确，但在实用上毫无用处。它们使用与你试图理解的对象相同的词汇，这意味着你走的时候带着一个定义，却没有真正的理解。
费曼方法通过简单性来强制理解。如果 Claude 无法用平实语言结合类比解释清楚，那说明解释本身还不够清晰。这个提示适用于从投资到量子物理，再到某个具体 API 如何工作的任何话题。
15 - Travel plan built around how you actually travel
Most travel planning starts with destinations and ends with a generic itinerary you could find on any travel blog. Claude can do something different: build a plan around your specific travel style, pace, budget, and what actually matters to you, not what's on every must-see list.
The key is giving it real information about you, not just dates and locations.
15 - 围绕你真实的旅行方式制定计划
大多数旅行规划从目的地开始，最终得到一个在任何旅行博客上都能找到的通用行程。Claude 可以做出不同的事：围绕你具体的旅行风格、节奏、预算和真正对你重要的东西来制定计划，而不是塞满每个必看清单上的项目。
关键在于给它关于你的真实信息，而不仅仅是日期和地点。
16 - Monthly expense analysis with real conclusions
Most people look at their bank statement and feel vaguely bad about their spending without understanding what's actually happening. Claude can turn raw numbers into a clear picture of where your money is going and what you should actually do about it.
This works best when you paste real data, not estimates.
16 - 带真实结论的月度支出分析
大多数人看着银行账单，隐约觉得自己的开销不对劲，却不理解到底发生了什么。Claude 可以把原始数字变成一张清晰的图景，显示你的钱流向了哪里，以及你真正应该做些什么。
当你粘贴的是真实数据而非估计值时，这个方法效果最好。
17 - Claude as your personal thinking partner
Most people don't have someone in their life who will listen without judgment, ask the right questions, and help them work through something they're stuck on without pushing their own agenda. Claude can fill that role, but only if you give it the right instructions.
This isn't therapy. It's structured self-reflection with an outside perspective that helps you think more clearly.
17 - 让 Claude 做你的个人思考伙伴
大多数人的生活中没有一个人会不带评判地倾听，提出恰当的问题，并在不推行自己意图的情况下，帮助你梳理你卡住的事情。Claude 可以扮演这个角色，但前提是你给它正确的指令。
这不是心理治疗，而是带有外部视角的结构化自我反思，帮助你更清晰地思考。
18 - Stress-test any business idea before you commit
Most business ideas die because people fall in love with them before testing them. They spend months building something nobody wants because they never honestly asked whether the idea was actually good.
Claude can act as a ruthless first filter. Not to kill ideas, but to find the real problems before they cost you time and money.
18 - 在投入之前对任何商业想法进行压力测试
大多数商业想法之所以死亡，是因为人们在验证之前就已经爱上了它们。他们花了几个月构建没人想要的东西，因为他们从未诚实地问过：这个想法真的好吗？
Claude 可以扮演一个冷酷的第一道过滤器。不是为了扼杀想法，而是在它们消耗你的时间和金钱之前找出真正的问题。
The Actual Point
Claude is not smarter than you. It does not have better ideas than you. What it has is infinite patience, broad knowledge, and the ability to think through problems from angles you haven't considered.
The people who get the most from Claude are not the ones with the best questions. They are the ones who have set it up to understand them, who give it real context, and who know how to use it as a partner rather than a dispenser.
Most people will read this and keep opening Claude the same way they always have.
Set it up once. Change how you work permanently.
真正的要点
Claude 不比你聪明，它也没有比你自己更好的想法。但它拥有无限的耐心、广博的知识，以及从你未曾考虑过的角度思考问题的能力。
从 Claude 中获益最多的人，不是那些提出最好问题的人，而是那些把它设置为理解自己的人，那些给它真实上下文的人，那些知道如何把它当作伙伴而非信息分发器的人。
大多数人读完这篇，还是会按原来的方式打开 Claude。
设置它一次，永久改变你的工作方式。