Most of us have at least one task we redo every few weeks that’s just structured enough to feel like it should be automated, but just messy enough that a simple script won’t cut it. For me, it was converting Python in Excel workbooks into standalone Jupyter Notebooks. That means extracting the PY() cells, pulling the data into a CSV, and reassembling everything in the right order. Not rocket science, but tedious enough that I kept putting it off.
That kind of task is exactly where AI can save you real time. Not on the flashy, creative stuff, but on the unglamorous work that eats up your afternoon. In this walkthrough, I show how I went from a one-off chat prompt to a fully repeatable workflow using Claude skills and Cowork.
The approach has three stages. First, get it working as a one-off prompt in Claude’s chat. Second, once you’re happy with the result, convert that prompt into a skill, which is a reusable set of Markdown instructions that Claude picks up automatically whenever it senses the right context. Third, pair that skill with Cowork so you can point it at a folder and let it run, no file uploading required.
What makes this a good fit for a skill is that the steps are structured (pull the data, parse the PY() cells, build the notebook) but each workbook is a little different. Claude has to reason about cell order, data sources, and edge cases every time. That blend of repeatable structure and case-by-case judgment is exactly where skills shine.
This same pattern applies well beyond Python-in-Excel. Anytime you have a process with clear rules but some ambiguity (normalizing codes, flagging unusual amounts, identifying material variances, writing commentary) you can follow the same path: chat, skill, Cowork. Once you start looking for these opportunities, you’ll find them everywhere.
Think about the tasks on your own plate that fit this pattern: structured but not identical every time. Pick one, get it working in Claude’s chat, and turn it into a skill. You might be surprised how quickly a 30-minute chore turns into a 30-second workflow.
If you want to learn more workflows like this and get hands-on practice building your own, consider joining my Modern Excel AI membership:
It’s the best way to stay ahead of what’s possible with AI and Excel.