Step01
Set Up Frictionless Task Capture
Create an iPhone Shortcut with Dictate Text and append the result to one Reminders list or text inbox. Assign it to Back Tap or the lock screen so a thought can become a task without opening an app.
IntermediatePersonal
Automate Your Daily Planning with Claude Code and an iPhone Shortcut
Capture loose tasks by speaking into an iPhone Shortcut, then let Claude Code turn the inbox, your calendar, and learned preferences into a realistic day. Large tasks become one small scheduled action, and a simple activity log helps the plan improve from what you actually do.
Source episode · 09:30
How I AI: Hilary Gridley’s “Anti-System” for Automating Life with Claude Codewith Claire Vo
Hilary captures tasks from her iPhone lock screen, asks Claude Code to plan her day, and lets it compare the resulting calendar with a running log of what she actually completes.
Before you start
What you need
- An iPhone Shortcut that appends dictated tasks to a Reminders list or text inbox
- Calendar access
- A Markdown file containing observed scheduling constraints and preferences
- One or two priorities for the day
What you’ll make
A realistic calendar plan that schedules small next actions, preserves existing commitments, and records what actually happened.
Tools used
- ClaudeVisitClaude
Anthropic AI assistant
Step by step
The workflow
Follow the sequence once, then adapt the prompts, checks, and handoffs to your own setup.
5 steps
Step02
Initiate Daily Planning with Claude
Run the planning command in Claude Code. It should load the capture inbox, current calendar, and the Markdown file where it keeps practical scheduling preferences.
Example prompt
plan my day
Step03
Receive Intelligent Task Breakdown
Tell Claude the one or two outcomes that matter today. For anything large or repeatedly postponed, have it choose the smallest useful first action and place that action on the calendar.
Example prompt
My main outcome today is [priority]. I also need to handle [secondary task]. Use my reminders, calendar, and current preferences to build a realistic plan. If a task is too large for one block, schedule only the first concrete action. Leave transition time between commitments.
Step04
Use the 'Yappers API' for Continuous Learning
Keep Claude open while you work and give it short updates when plans change or tasks finish. It records those observations in the daily note so the system learns from actual behavior.
Step05
Review and Adapt Your System
Ask Claude to compare the planned calendar with the activity log. Use repeated gaps to update the preference file and improve the next plan, without turning the reflection into another required ritual.
Example prompt
Compare today's plan with what I actually did. What repeatedly received less or more time than expected? Which constraints or preferences should you update before planning tomorrow? Change only patterns supported by today's log or repeated prior observations.
What good looks like
- Captured tasks appear in the planning inbox without reopening the phone.
- The schedule respects existing meetings and current personal constraints.
- A large or repeatedly postponed task becomes one concrete first action that fits an available block.
- The daily log distinguishes planned work from completed work and improves future scheduling preferences.
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After the steps
Runbook notes
How to recover when the loop fails and where human judgment helps.
Recover
If it goes sideways
- Claude schedules around preferences or constraints that are no longer true.
- Correct the specific constraint in conversation and have Claude update the preferences file before replanning the affected blocks.
- The generated day fills every open minute or treats a large project as one calendar task.
- Require transition time and ask Claude to schedule only the next physical action for any task that cannot fit in one block.
- The system learns from idealized goals instead of what you actually complete.
- Use the daily activity log as the primary behavioral signal and remove preferences that are repeatedly contradicted by completed work.
- Dictated tasks stop appearing in the planning inbox.
- Run a test capture, confirm the Shortcut destination, and have Claude report the newest item and timestamp before planning.
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