A Field Guide from RE Reset
Build an automated morning brief that runs before you sit down. Every day. Without you touching it.
Chapter One
Before you build anything, you need the right tool. Claude Pro is a $20/month subscription to Anthropic's AI assistant. It's the one tool that will actually run your morning brief.
Not ChatGPT. Not Gemini. Claude. It connects directly to your email, your calendar, and your files. No Zapier. No middleware. No developer.
Open your browser. Navigate to claude.ai. Click "Get Started" in the top right.
Sign up with your Google account or email. Use the email you want connected to your AI assistant (your business email works great).
Click your profile icon in the bottom left. Hit "Upgrade to Pro." It's $20/month. This unlocks everything you need: extended conversations, connected apps, and Claude Code.
Ranger Tip
Use your business email when you sign up. When Claude pulls your inbox later, you want it reading the emails that actually matter to your deals. Personal Gmail full of Amazon receipts won't help you close.
Chapter Two
You need two things installed. Claude Desktop gives you a chat interface. Claude Code lets you build routines that run on a schedule.
Go to claude.ai/download. Grab the Mac or Windows version. Install it. Sign in with the account you just created.
Claude Code is a separate tool. It's available as a desktop app, a VS Code extension, and a terminal tool. Go to claude.ai/code and pick whichever install method feels comfortable. The desktop app is the easiest if you've never used a terminal.
Launch it. Sign in with your Pro account. The interface looks different from Claude Desktop. Same AI, different tools. This is where your routines live.
Field Note
Why two apps? Desktop handles conversations. Code handles automation. You'll use both. The routines you build in Code pull data from the same connectors you set up in Desktop.
Chapter Three
Before you build anything, know where things are. Claude's interface is simple, but there are a few key areas you need to find.
Fig. 1 — The lay of the land
Your conversation history. Every chat you've had is saved here. You can also create Projects to organize conversations by topic (one for deals, one for marketing, etc.).
Click your icon in the bottom left. This is where you manage your subscription, find Integrations (connectors to Gmail, Calendar, etc.), and adjust preferences.
The main area. This is where you talk to Claude. Type a question, paste a document, or ask it to pull data from your connected tools.
Where you type. You can also attach files by clicking the paperclip icon, or use the @ symbol to reference connected apps directly.
Chapter Four
Three terms you'll hear. They sound similar but do different things.
These link Claude to your real tools. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, Notion. Once connected, Claude can read your emails, check your schedule, and pull files. Found in Settings > Integrations. These are the ones you'll set up today.
Pre-built instructions you create for Claude. Type / in the input bar to see them. Instead of typing "read my email and summarize what's urgent" every morning, you save it as a skill and run it with one command.
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It's the technical layer that powers connectors. When someone says "MCP," they mean the standard way Claude talks to external tools. Connectors are built on MCP.
Ranger Tip
For today, forget about MCP. Focus on connectors (link your tools) and skills (save your prompts). That's it. MCP is something you'll appreciate later when you're building more advanced automations.
Chapter Five
Claude Desktop and Claude Code both connect to your email and calendar. They handle automation differently.
Uses Projects with custom instructions. You set up a project once, and every new conversation starts with Claude already knowing what to do. Simpler. Good first step.
Has a built-in Routines panel. You create a routine, set a schedule, and it runs automatically. Every day at 6:30am. No clicking. No typing. It just runs.
Use Desktop when you want to drive the conversation. Use Code when you want the work done before you sit down.
This guide walks through building a Routine in Claude Code.
Ranger Tip
A Routine is a set of instructions that Claude runs on a schedule you set. Write it once. Set the schedule. Claude runs it the same way every time. Chapter 8 walks you through building one.
Chapter Six
Time to wire things up. We're connecting your Gmail so Claude can read your inbox and help you triage what matters.
In Claude, click your profile icon (bottom left of the sidebar). Then click Settings. Find the Integrations tab. You'll see a list of available connections.
Find Gmail in the list and click Connect. A Google sign-in window will pop up. Choose the Google account you use for business. Grant the permissions it asks for.
Go back to a new conversation. Type this:
If it works, Claude will pull your latest emails and summarize them. If it asks for permission to access Gmail, approve it.
Ranger Tip
Claude reads your email in the conversation but doesn't store it permanently. Each time you start a new chat, it needs to pull fresh data. Your emails stay in your Gmail. Claude just reads them when you ask.
Chapter Seven
Same process. Different tool. Connect your Google Calendar so Claude can see your schedule.
Settings > Integrations. Find Google Calendar. Click Connect. Authorize with the same Google account.
New conversation. Try this:
Claude should show you today's schedule with all the details. If you have back-to-back calls, it'll tell you. If you have gaps, you'll see those too.
Field Note
Gmail and Google Calendar are connected. Two connections, five minutes of setup. Now you can build your first routine.
Chapter Eight
Time to build your first Routine. This one reads your inbox, pulls your calendar, and gives you a morning brief. It runs on a schedule. You don't touch it.
Open Claude Code. In the left sidebar, click Routines. You'll see a panel that says "Create templated routines that can be kicked off on schedule, by API, or webhook."
Click + New routine in the top right.
Fig. 2 — The Routines panel in Claude Code
Give your routine a name: Morning Brief. Then write the instructions. This is what Claude will follow every time the routine runs:
Set when it runs. For a morning brief: Every weekday at 6:30 AM.
The routine runs remotely. Your laptop can be closed. You can be asleep. The brief runs at 6:30, and it's ready when you open your computer.
Save it. Your first routine is live.
Every weekday morning, Claude reads your inbox, pulls your calendar, cross-references them, and gives you a structured brief. Emails grouped by urgency. Schedule with context. Priorities based on what's actually happening that day. Same output. Same quality. No effort from you.
Ranger Tip
Routines can also be triggered by API or webhook. A new lead hits your CRM? That can kick off a deal-screen routine. A meeting ends? Trigger meeting notes. Start with the schedule. Add triggers later.
Chapter Nine
One routine down. Here are five more that real estate investors build right after their morning brief. Same process. Create the routine. Write the instructions. Set the schedule.
Runs 30 minutes before any calendar event. Pulls recent emails from the attendees, checks what you discussed last time, and gives you three talking points. Run it on a schedule or trigger it manually before a call.
Reads your inbox, categorizes every message, and drafts responses to the ones that need it. You review the drafts, edit if needed, approve. 30 minutes of inbox scanning turns into a 5-minute review.
Feed it a property address or a seller lead sheet. It runs the numbers, flags red flags, and compares to your buying criteria. 20 minutes of analysis per property, done in seconds.
Schedule for Friday at 4pm. Summarizes your week: emails sent, meetings held, follow-ups you missed, and what needs attention next week. Pulls the data from your connected tools. Clean report, no manual tracking.
Runs at 5pm. Checks what you committed to this morning, flags anything that didn't get done, and moves unfinished items to tomorrow.
Ranger Tip
Build one routine per week. Morning brief this week. Meeting prep next week. Email triage the week after. In a month you'll have a stack of routines running before lunch. 40 hours a month back.
The Rule of Thumb
If you do something more than three times a week and it takes more than five minutes, it should be a slash command. Write down your top three time-wasters. That's your build list.
You built your first routine. We build the other fifty. RE Reset designs full AI operating systems for real estate investors. Lead scoring. Deal analysis. Contractor management. CRM automation. All running on autopilot.
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