Create a weekly summary in 20 minutes with Claude for Small Business

Install the plugin, connect the two tools, and run the command to generate a weekly summary – a single-page summary of your work week, created from your own data.

The weekly summary was automatically compiled.

In Lesson 1 , you used the standard version of Claude to compose an email. That was when Claude wasn't connected to any tools. Now, you'll install the actual plugin and let the workflow read data from both tools simultaneously.

Commitment : In 20 minutes, you'll have a one-page summary of your first week of the week – including meetings, urgent emails, and top priorities – compiled by Claude from your calendar and inbox. Just one installation, two connections, and one command.

Setup process takes 20 minutes.

Enable plugins - one-time installation in Claude Cowork
Connect the two tools - Google Calendar and Gmail
Run the command /monday-brief - view the entire work week on one page

Step 1 - Open Claude Cowork and enable the plugin (4 minutes)

Open Claude Cowork on your computer. (If you don't have Cowork installed, see the troubleshooting section below.)

Find the Customize tab in the toolbar, then select Browse plugins . Find Claude for Small Business and click the toggle switch to install it. That's the only installation step required – the entire suite of 15 workflows is now ready to use.

Quick check : Does Claude for Small Business show the "on" status in your plugin list? If not, go back to Customize → Browse plugins and toggle the switch on again – sometimes the first tap is just a preview.

Step 2 - Connect the two tools (5 minutes)

Open the Connectors panel . You'll see a list of applications that can be linked. For this first summary, connect the right two tools – the safest and least risky pair:

Google Calendar
Gmail (or Outlook)

Click on each tool and confirm your login. You're granting Claude permission to read your calendar and inbox—that's all. We'll connect QuickBooks and PayPal in Lesson 3, where the financial tools will be discussed in more detail.

Unique statement

In the Cowork message editor, enter the following command exactly:

/monday-brief Hãy tạo bản tóm tắt ngày thứ Hai dài một trang dựa trên dữ liệu từ Google Calendar và Gmail đã được kết nối của tôi. Nội dung bao gồm: các cuộc họp trong tuần, những vấn đề khẩn cấp hoặc email đang chờ phản hồi trong hộp thư đến, cùng 3 ưu tiên hàng đầu của tôi. Hãy trình bày gói gọn trong một trang.

Press the Enter key . Wait about 1 minute.

Instructions for filling in the information : There are no specific placeholders here - but if you're using Outlook instead of Gmail, change that keyword before running the command.

Results displayed : Within 1 minute, you will receive a single page including: a list of meetings for the week sorted by date, a shortlist of emails to respond to, and three suggested priorities.

Processing the results : Just skim through. Try to imagine how long it would take you to manually compile all this information on Monday morning.

If the results are not as expected : Please see the "When the system fails" section below - which lists the four most common problems and their corresponding solutions.

Key points to note in the summary.

Please read the summary carefully and pay attention to the following three points:

List the actual meetings . Instead of a generic notification like "you have a few calls," it says "Tuesday, 2 PM - call with [specific client name]." This is the result of the calendar connection feature.
List the actual emails . Show specific messages that are awaiting your processing, categorized by sender. This is a result of the Gmail connection feature.
Packed into one page . The main purpose is to provide a quick overview so you can grasp the information in a minute, rather than a lengthy report that requires careful reading.

If you see your actual meetings and email senders, it means the workflow has extracted the data directly. That's proof – a generic answer would only talk about Mondays in general.

Quick check : Find a specific meeting and a specific email in your summary. Are these actual items from your work week? If so, the connections are working and you're ready for Lesson 3.

What should you do when something goes wrong?

"I don't have Claude Cowork" - Claude for Small Business requires Cowork - a desktop application capable of using its tools. Install Claude Desktop and ensure Cowork is enabled, then return to Step 1.
"Unable to enable plugin" - Please update Claude Cowork to the latest version - the plugin browser is a recently added feature - then try again.
"The summary is too vague - no actual meeting" - Connectors were not successfully established. Reopen the Connectors console , confirm that both Calendar and Gmail show a connected status, and re-grant permissions to any items that are not connected.
"It only uses one tool" - Run the command again and specify the names of both tools: "uses BOTH my Google Calendar and Gmail."

Rapid results

If the summary lists actual meetings and emails, stop and observe what just happened: You just let the AI read data from your two tools and compile it into a single-page summary for the entire work week. Business owners who regularly perform this process report saving a significant amount of time each week—a whole morning that would normally be spent compiling information. Save this summary to a folder—in the summary project section, you'll make it an automated process for Monday.

Key points to remember

The setup process involves simply flipping a switch and two connection steps – installing the plugin, then linking Calendar and Gmail.
The weekly summary will read data from your tools and write a concise, one-page overview – it only provides you with information and does not send out or process any payments.
The meeting name and the actual email sender are proof that the workflow extracted the data directly.
Start with less risky tools first. Calendar and email are safe environments to familiarize yourself with the setup process before moving on to more financial tools.

Question 1:

After the summary is generated, what best demonstrates that it has actually read YOUR data?
- A. It accurately lists upcoming meetings and the actual names of the email senders.
- B. It is neatly presented with clear headings.
- C. It is produced quickly.
- D. It mentions that Monday morning is usually a good time to plan for the new week.
EXPLAIN:

A generic response typically only talks about planning in an abstract way. A truly effective summary will name the meetings and the people who emailed you—that specificity is proof that the process extracted actual data.
Question 2:

Why does this lesson prioritize connecting Google Calendar and Gmail first, instead of QuickBooks?
- A. QuickBooks is completely incompatible with Claude for Small Business.
- B. Connecting with calendars and email is less risky, so it's a safe environment to learn how to set it up before moving on to financial tools.
- C. Claude can only connect to a maximum of two tools.
- D. Calendars and emails provide a more detailed summary than financial data.
EXPLAIN:

Calendars and email are read-only connections and low-risk—a safe place to learn the setup process. Connecting financial tools like QuickBooks is the subject of a separate lesson (Lesson 3) because tools related to money require greater caution.
Question 3:

What function does the process of creating a weekly summary perform?
- A. It automatically sends emails to all team members at the beginning of Monday morning every week.
- B. It pays its outstanding bills at the beginning of the week.
- C. It reads data from connected tools and creates a concise (one-page) summary of your work week.
- D. It automatically schedules meetings in the spaces on your calendar.
EXPLAIN:

The Monday summary will read data from all connected tools—calendar, email, and later, ledger and billing data—and then compile it into an easy-to-understand information page. It doesn't send messages, process payments, or schedule appointments; it just provides you with information.

Review before you act

Confirm that the source information is current and authorized for use.
Check names, numbers, dates, claims, and links against the original records.
Edit the wording for your audience and keep a human approval step before any external action.