Claude Code for product managers: research, writing, context libraries, custom to-do system, and more | Teresa Torres
How I AI
Jan 19
Claude Code for product managers: research, writing, context libraries, custom to-do system, and more | Teresa Torres
Claude Code for product managers: research, writing, context libraries, custom to-do system, and more | Teresa Torres

How I AI
Jan 19
Shownote
Shownote
Teresa Torres is the author of Continuous Discovery Habits and an
internationally acclaimed speaker and coach. In this episode, Teresa
demonstrates how she’s built a personalized productivity system using Claude
Code to manage her tasks, automate research collection, and improve her writing.
She shows how non-developers can leverage AI tools to create personalized
workflows that match their unique needs and thinking style.
What you’ll learn:
1. How Teresa built a personalized task management system in Claude Code that
matches her exact workflow needs
2. Why she moved from Trello to a markdown-based system that gives her complete
control and searchability
3. How she automated academic research collection with daily digests of
relevant papers
4. Her strategy for organizing context files to make Claude more effective
without overwhelming it
5. Why “pair programming” with Claude has become her approach to everything
from writing to task management
6. How she uses Claude as a writing partner while maintaining her authentic
voice
7. The power of slash commands and automation to reduce friction in daily
workflows
—
Brought to you by:
Brex [https://brex.com/howiai]—The intelligent finance platform built for
founders
Graphite [https://graphitedev.link/howiai]—The next generation of code review
—
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction to Teresa Torres
(02:10) Why Claude Code became Teresa’s productivity tool of choice
(03:00) The evolution from browser-based AI to terminal-based workflows
(04:14) Demo: Creating a personalized task management system
(07:52) How the task system works with markdown files and Obsidian
(12:56) Quick recap
(14:13) Taking notes within tasks for better searchability
(15:54) Demo: Automated research digest workflow
(19:32) How the research plugin searches and summarizes academic papers
(24:43) Filtering overwhelming information sources
(29:00) Using small, focused context files instead of one large document
(32:58) Claude as a writing partner: review, research, and refinement
(35:34) Recap of workflows and lightning round
—
Tools referenced:
• Claude Code: https://claude.ai/ [https://claude.ai/]
• Obsidian: https://Obsidian.md/ [https://obsidian.md/]
• VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/ [https://code.visualstudio.com/]
• Descript: https://www.descript.com/ [https://www.descript.com/]
• ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/ [https://chat.openai.com/]
• Trello: https://trello.com/ [https://trello.com/]
—
Other references:
• Continuous Discovery Habits:
https://www.producttalk.org/continuous-discovery-habits/
[https://www.producttalk.org/continuous-discovery-habits/]
• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/ [https://scholar.google.com/]
• Claude Code: What It Is, How It’s Different, and Why Non-Technical People
Should Use It:
https://www.producttalk.org/claude-code-what-it-is-and-how-its-different
[https://www.producttalk.org/claude-code-what-it-is-and-how-its-different]
—
Where to find Teresa Torres:
Blog: https://producttalk.org/ [https://producttalk.org/]
Podcast: https://justnowpossible.com/ [https://justnowpossible.com/]
Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309
[https://www.amazon.com/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresatorres/
[https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresatorres/]
—
Where to find Claire Vo:
ChatPRD: https://www.chatprd.ai/ [https://www.chatprd.ai/]
Website: https://clairevo.com/ [https://clairevo.com/]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/
[https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/]
X: https://x.com/clairevo [https://x.com/clairevo]
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ [https://penname.co/]. For
inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email jordan@penname.co.
Highlights
Highlights
In this episode, Teresa Torres shares how she’s transformed her productivity by moving beyond conventional tools to build a customized, AI-powered workflow using Claude Code. Rather than relying on off-the-shelf apps, she demonstrates how non-technical users can harness AI in creative ways to design systems that align with their unique cognitive and professional patterns.
Chapters
Chapters
Introduction to Teresa Torres
00:00Why Claude Code became Teresa’s productivity tool of choice
02:10The evolution from browser-based AI to terminal-based workflows
03:00Demo: Creating a personalized task management system
04:14How the task system works with markdown files and Obsidian
07:52Quick recap
12:56Taking notes within tasks for better searchability
14:13Demo: Automated research digest workflow
15:54How the research plugin searches and summarizes academic papers
19:32Filtering overwhelming information sources
24:43Using small, focused context files instead of one large document
29:00Claude as a writing partner: review, research, and refinement
32:58Recap of workflows and lightning round
35:34Transcript
Transcript
Claire Vo: Why has Claude Code become your buddy?
Teresa Torres: I was writing my notes in my task management tool and that was Trello. As time went on, I just started to get really worried about how am I ever going to get my data out of Trello? And so I ...
