Claude's Hidden Superpowers for Busy Founders

I just discovered Claude can set reminders. Here’s everything else I didn’t know.

The 4am revelation

It’s 4am. I’m lying in bed with my brain refusing to shut up about all the things I need to do. I’m talking to Claude about my priorities - something I’ve done dozens of times - when I mention I need a reminder for my weekly review.

Claude just… sets it. Recurring. Every Sunday at 10am.

Then it sets four more reminders for the morning, 15 minutes apart, for the urgent things we’d just discussed.

The weight that lifted off my chest was physical. All those things I was holding in my head, terrified I’d forget by morning? Now they’re in my phone, scheduled to ping me at the right time.

I’ve been using Claude for months. I had no idea it could do this.

Here’s what else I’ve been missing.

1. Reminders that actually get set

What it does:

• Creates reminders in your Apple Reminders app
• Can set specific times or all-day
• Can make them recurring (daily, weekly, monthly)
• Can add to specific lists
• Can search your existing reminders
• Can mark things complete or update them

Ask for ALARMS, not just due dates

If you just say “remind me at 9am”, Claude will set a due date but you might not get an actual notification. You need to specifically say you want an alarm:

• “Remind me at 9am with an alarm”
• “Set a reminder for 2pm and alert me”
• “Remind me tomorrow at 10am - make sure it actually notifies me”

This is the difference between a reminder that exists and a reminder that actually interrupts your day when it matters.

How to use it:

Just ask naturally (but ask for that alarm!):

• “Remind me to call the accountant tomorrow at 2pm with an alarm”
• “Set a weekly reminder for Friday afternoon to review metrics and alert me”
• “Add milk, bread, and eggs to my shopping list”
• “What reminders do I have this week?”
• “Mark the dentist reminder as done”

Why it matters:

Your brain is not a storage device. Every task you’re holding in memory is using cognitive resources that could go toward actual work. Dump it into a reminder and free up the RAM.

2. Calendar that understands context

What it does:

• Creates calendar events directly in your calendar app
• Can search your existing events
• Understands relative dates (“next Tuesday”, “this afternoon”)
• Can update or cancel events
• Handles recurring events

How to use it:

• “Schedule a 30-minute call with Sarah next Wednesday at 3pm”
• “What’s on my calendar tomorrow?”
• “Move my 2pm meeting to 4pm”
• “Block out Friday afternoon for deep work”
• “Cancel all my meetings on the 15th” (it’ll confirm first)

Why it matters:

Instead of switching apps, opening calendar, tapping through menus - just say what you need. The context switch costs more than you think.

3. Messages ready to send

What it does:

• Drafts emails with subject lines
• Drafts text messages
• Creates them in a format you can send directly from your phone
• Doesn’t send automatically - you review first

How to use it:

• “Draft an email to my team about the project delay”
• “Write a text to my wife saying I’ll be 20 minutes late”
• “Help me write a follow-up email to the investor”

Why it matters:

The blank page is the enemy. Having a draft to edit is 10x easier than starting from scratch, especially for difficult messages you’ve been putting off.

4. Memory across conversations

What it does:

• Remembers context about you, your work, your projects
• Recalls previous conversations and decisions
• Builds up understanding over time
• You can ask it to remember or forget specific things

How to use it:

• “Remember that my deadline for the support bot is February 13th”
• “What do you know about my Pulse project?”
• “Based on what you know about me, what should I prioritise?”
• “Forget about the lineup builder project - I dropped it”

Why it matters:

You don’t have to re-explain context every conversation. Claude already knows your tech stack, your team, your blockers, your goals. It’s like having a colleague who actually paid attention in all the meetings.

5. Search past conversations

What it does:

• Searches through your previous chats
• Finds decisions you made, ideas you had, plans you created
• Can retrieve specific documents or code you generated before

How to use it:

• “Find that conversation where we designed the feedback engine”
• “What did we decide about the authentication approach?”
• “Show me recent chats about Pulse”

Why it matters:

How many times have you had a great idea, discussed it thoroughly, then couldn’t find the notes three weeks later? It’s all searchable now.

6. Documents that actually get created

What it does:

• Creates Word docs, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs
• Creates markdown files, code files, HTML pages
• You can download them directly

How to use it:

• “Create a PRD for the new feature”
• “Make a spreadsheet comparing these three options”
• “Write up our conversation as a project brief I can share with the team”
• “Generate a presentation for the investor meeting”

Why it matters:

The output of a planning conversation shouldn’t be “I’ll write this up later.” It should be an actual document, ready to use or share, created in the moment while context is fresh.

7. Location-aware help

What it does:

• Can get your current location
• Finds places near you
• Can display things on a map

How to use it:

• “What’s a good coffee shop near me for a meeting?”
• “Show me coworking spaces in my area”
• “What’s the weather like here today?”

Why it matters:

Minor, but useful. One less app to switch to.

8. Web search that’s already synthesised

What it does:

• Searches the web for current information
• Reads and summarises articles
• Compares multiple sources
• Fetches specific URLs you give it

How to use it:

• “What are the latest features in Claude Code?”
• “Research competitors to [product] and summarise”
• “Read this article and tell me the key points”
• “What’s the current best practice for [technical thing]?”

Why it matters:

You get the answer, not ten blue links to read yourself. Research that would take 30 minutes happens in 30 seconds.

The compound effect

None of these are revolutionary on their own. But combined:

Before: Have idea → try to remember it → forget half of it → eventually write it down somewhere → can’t find it later → have the same conversation again → finally create a document → forget to follow up

After: Have idea → discuss it → document created automatically → reminders set → calendar blocked → follow-up scheduled → searchable forever

The gap between “thinking about doing something” and “it’s actually in motion” shrinks to almost nothing.

The real superpower

It’s not any single feature. It’s this:

Claude can hold the complexity while you focus.

That 4am conversation? I dumped everything in my head - projects, deadlines, blockers, anxieties, half-formed ideas. Claude sorted it, prioritised it, documented it, and scheduled it.

I went back to sleep.

That’s the superpower. Not replacing your thinking, but extending it. Being the external system your brain desperately needs but you never have time to build.

What I’m going to try next

• Using calendar blocking for deep work sessions
• Weekly voice dump into Claude instead of trying to journal
• Having Claude draft difficult emails I’ve been avoiding
• Asking “what am I forgetting?” at the end of planning sessions

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Written at 4:30am after discovering I’ve been using 20% of what’s available.

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Quick reference

Need	Say This
Remember something	”Remind me to [x] at [time] with an alarm”
Block time	”Schedule [x] for [time]“
Check schedule	”What’s on my calendar [when]?”
Draft comms	”Draft an email/text about [x]“
Create docs	”Create a [doc type] about [x]“
Find old chats	”Find our conversation about [x]“
Remember context	”Remember that [x]“
Research	”Search for [x] and summarise”

Just ask naturally. It figures out the rest.