The way most people use AI tools today is broken. We treat them like vending machines—insert a task, get one output, move on. But the real power shift happening right now isn’t about better individual outputs. It’s about agent waterfalls: cascading sequences of automated tasks that flow after a single trigger, saving you hours of manual handoffs between tools.
Why This Matters for Content Creators and Educators
If you’re creating YouTube videos, courses, or any educational content, you already know the pain. You record a video, then spend 2-3 hours doing all the stuff that comes after: writing social posts, drafting emails, creating tutorial materials, posting to your community. Every step requires you to copy content from one tool to another, craft new prompts, and manage the handoffs manually.
Agent waterfalls change this completely. One video upload triggers an entire sequence: transcript gets analyzed, social posts get created, emails get drafted, tutorial content gets published—all automatically, while you’re doing something else (or sleeping).
Breaking Down the Concept
Core Principle 1: Sequential vs Parallel Workflows
Think of your content workflow like water flowing over a dam. Some tasks MUST happen in order—these are sequential. The transcript has to be analyzed before you can write an email about it. But once that analysis is done, other tasks can run at the same time—these are parallel. The email, social posts, and tutorial materials can all be generated simultaneously because they all depend on the same analysis, not on each other.
“We’re going to have to start thinking: are we in parallel? Are they connected? Are they disconnected? Is it a single flow?”
In Your Context: Look at what you do after publishing a video. Write down every task. Which ones MUST happen first? (That’s your sequential chain.) Which ones could happen at the same time once the first task is done? (Those are your parallel branches.) This is how you map your first waterfall.
Core Principle 2: One-and-Done vs Cascading Automation
Tools like Notebook LM are powerful—they create beautiful infographics, slide decks, and study guides. But here’s the limitation: you get ONE output per request. Want a quiz? Make a request. Want flashcards? Another request. Want a summary? Another one. Each task requires you to come back, make a decision, and trigger the next step.
“If I want to get one of those done, I have to let one task come over the waterfall. That’s one and done.”
Agent waterfalls work differently. You set up the sequence once: “When I upload a video, run the transcript analyzer, then create the tutorial body, then draft the email, then generate social posts.” After that initial setup, every new video triggers the entire cascade automatically. Multiple “dam gates” open at once.
In Your Context: Think about your most repetitive content workflow. How many manual steps are you doing every single time? That’s your waterfall opportunity. Each of those manual steps can become an automated link in the chain.
Core Principle 3: Skills as Building Blocks
Claude Skills are just markdown files (.md) that teach the AI how you want specific tasks done. No coding required—if you can write instructions in a Google Doc, you can build a Claude skill. Each skill handles one job well: analyze transcripts, write emails, create social posts. Then you chain them together into waterfalls for complete workflows.
“I just want to be in a position where I don’t have to worry about it. These tasks in a sequence actually get taken care of for me.”
In Your Context: Start by identifying your most painful repetitive task. “I always have to write a LinkedIn post after publishing a video.” That’s one skill. “I always have to send an email to my list.” That’s another skill. Build your skill library one pain point at a time, then connect them into waterfalls.
The Mental Model Shift
The fundamental change here isn’t about which AI tool has better features. It’s about shifting from task-based thinking to system-based thinking. Instead of “What AI tool should I use for this task?”, you’re asking “How can I automate this entire sequence?”
| Old Approach (Task-Based) | New Approach (Waterfall-Based) |
|---|---|
| Upload video → Use Notebook LM to create infographic → Copy text to social media tool → Write LinkedIn post → Copy to scheduling tool → Move to next task | Upload video → Trigger waterfall → Transcript analyzed → Tutorial posted → Email drafted → Social posts scheduled → All done automatically |
| You’re the bottleneck at every step | You’re only involved at the trigger point |
| 2-3 hours of manual handoffs per video | 5 minutes to review automated outputs |
Apply This Framework
Three Ways to Use This Today:
- Map one workflow: Take your YouTube publishing process (or course creation, or blog writing) and write down every task you do. Mark which ones must happen in order (sequential) and which ones could happen at the same time (parallel). That’s your first waterfall map.
- Identify your first skill: Look at your most painful repetitive task. “I always have to…” is your signal. That painful task becomes your first Claude skill. Write simple instructions for how you want it done (like you’re training an assistant), save it as a .md file, and that’s your first building block.
- Build one cascade: Start small—connect just two tasks. Example: “Analyze transcript, then create social post.” Once that works reliably, add the next link in the chain. Build your waterfall one connection at a time.
Discuss in Community
What’s the most time-consuming part of your content workflow right now? The thing you do after creating content that eats up 1-2 hours every time? That’s likely your first waterfall opportunity. Share it in the community and let’s help you map out the sequence.
