Your first-week Claude coding checklist

Before day 1

• ☐ Open Claude through the referral link and confirm current signup terms.
• ☐ Install an editor and create a project folder.
• ☐ Write a one-sentence project goal.
• ☐ Save a baseline (git commit or zip).

Days 1–2 — Learn the loop

• ☐ Ask Claude for a file map (no edits).
• ☐ Make one tiny visible change and verify it.
• ☐ Write 3 bullets: what worked, what confused you, what’s next.
• ☐ Steal one prompt from the prompt library.

Days 3–5 — Build and debug

• ☐ Ship one small feature per day (not three).
• ☐ When blocked, paste the error + steps before asking for a fix.
• ☐ Keep a “do not touch” list of files Claude should avoid.
• ☐ Midweek: re-read chat vs Code and switch tools if you’re stuck.

Days 6–7 — Polish and ship

• ☐ Add or update README run instructions.
• ☐ Clean one messy area (naming, comments, or dead code).
• ☐ Record a 60-second demo script (what you built + how to try it).
• ☐ Note three prompts you’ll reuse next week.

Related guides

7-day plan · Pitfalls · Beginner guide