Automate Everyday Tasks with Python and Schedule

Step 1 – Install the schedule Library

First, make sure you have Python 3 installed. Then install the schedule library using pip:

pip install schedule

The schedule package is a lightweight job scheduler for Python that allows you to run functions at fixed times or intervals.

Step 2 – Create Your First Task

Here’s a basic script that prints a message every 10 seconds:

import schedule
import time

def job():
    print("Running scheduled task...")

schedule.every(10).seconds.do(job)

while True:
    schedule.run_pending()
    time.sleep(1)

schedule.every(10).seconds.do(job) schedules the job function to run every 10 seconds. The while loop keeps checking for due tasks.

Step 3 – Schedule Daily or Weekly Jobs

You can schedule tasks for specific days and times. Here’s how to send a daily email at 9am:

def send_email():
    print("Email sent!")

schedule.every().day.at("09:00").do(send_email)

To run tasks weekly:

schedule.every().monday.at("10:00").do(clean_temp_files)

Step 4 – Run Multiple Jobs

You can queue multiple jobs within the same script. Each can have different intervals:

schedule.every(5).seconds.do(job_one)
schedule.every().hour.do(job_two)

Make sure to keep calling schedule.run_pending() inside a loop to execute due jobs.

Step 5 – Best Practices for Deployment

• Use logging instead of print() for better debugging and output control
• Consider wrapping the loop in a try-except block for resilience
• Use a process manager like supervisord or systemd to keep your script running