The Three Patterns
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Core Concept
Once you can spot which pattern a task is, you know exactly how to brief Cowork on it. This chapter front-loads the recipes so the three live demos that follow can stay tight - no re-teaching the pattern during the demo, just watching it play out on real material.
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 - Recognize the three shapes
- Organize. Take a chaos of files and give it structure.
- Extract. Pull information out of documents into a usable format.
- Synthesize. Turn raw material into a finished deliverable.
Step 2 - Learn the ORGANIZE recipe
Four steps.
- SCAN - Cowork reads the folder. Nothing moves yet.
- PROPOSE - Categories, naming convention, files to flag.
- APPROVE - You tweak the plan. Add, drop, merge.
- EXECUTE - It moves, renames, and dedupes.
Plan first. Action second. Every time.
Step 3 - Learn the EXTRACT recipe
Four steps.
- DEFINE - You spell out the schema. Columns, fields, format. Cowork can't guess this.
- READ - Cowork processes each document.
- VERIFY - Source per row so you can spot-check.
- EXPORT - Clean .xlsx or .csv ready to go.
Step 4 - Learn the SYNTHESIZE recipe
Four steps.
- BRIEF - Material plus format, length, audience, tone.
- DRAFT - First version. Won't be perfect.
- ITERATE - Redirect. Cut, expand, restructure.
- POLISH - Tighten the language. Ship.
Step 5 - Learn the three universal rules
Across all three patterns.
Whether it's a folder plan, an extraction schema, or a draft outline - you see the plan before it runs.
Numbers, names, dates, anything with stakes - you spot-check.
Step three of every recipe is you. Approve, verify, iterate. Not optional.
Why This Matters
Every file task from here on is one of these three patterns. Recognizing which pattern you're in tells you exactly how to brief Cowork. Skip this framework and you'll fumble every demo. Learn it and every demo lands.
What Should Be Possible After This
- Name the three file patterns and match each to a task in your own work.
- Recite the four steps of each recipe.
- Name the three universal rules and explain what each means.
- Spot when a workflow request is really two patterns stacked and needs to be split.
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The Three Patterns
Core Concept
Once you can spot which pattern a task is, you know exactly how to brief Cowork on it. This chapter front-loads the recipes so the three live demos that follow can stay tight - no re-teaching the pattern during the demo, just watching it play out on real material.
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 - Recognize the three shapes
- Organize. Take a chaos of files and give it structure.
- Extract. Pull information out of documents into a usable format.
- Synthesize. Turn raw material into a finished deliverable.
Step 2 - Learn the ORGANIZE recipe
Four steps.
- SCAN - Cowork reads the folder. Nothing moves yet.
- PROPOSE - Categories, naming convention, files to flag.
- APPROVE - You tweak the plan. Add, drop, merge.
- EXECUTE - It moves, renames, and dedupes.
Plan first. Action second. Every time.
Step 3 - Learn the EXTRACT recipe
Four steps.
- DEFINE - You spell out the schema. Columns, fields, format. Cowork can't guess this.
- READ - Cowork processes each document.
- VERIFY - Source per row so you can spot-check.
- EXPORT - Clean .xlsx or .csv ready to go.
Step 4 - Learn the SYNTHESIZE recipe
Four steps.
- BRIEF - Material plus format, length, audience, tone.
- DRAFT - First version. Won't be perfect.
- ITERATE - Redirect. Cut, expand, restructure.
- POLISH - Tighten the language. Ship.
Step 5 - Learn the three universal rules
Across all three patterns.
Whether it's a folder plan, an extraction schema, or a draft outline - you see the plan before it runs.
Numbers, names, dates, anything with stakes - you spot-check.
Step three of every recipe is you. Approve, verify, iterate. Not optional.
Why This Matters
Every file task from here on is one of these three patterns. Recognizing which pattern you're in tells you exactly how to brief Cowork. Skip this framework and you'll fumble every demo. Learn it and every demo lands.
What Should Be Possible After This
- Name the three file patterns and match each to a task in your own work.
- Recite the four steps of each recipe.
- Name the three universal rules and explain what each means.
- Spot when a workflow request is really two patterns stacked and needs to be split.
Thanks for your feedback!
