Schedule Daily Task in Python

Use the schedule library to queue a daily task at a fixed time, then simulate a loop that checks for pending jobs.

Easy Python 3.9+ Aug 9, 2026 Automation & scripting 12 views 0 copies

schedule cron timers automation
Requires third-party packages — install first
pip install schedule

Python code

13 lines
Python 3.9+ 
import schedule
import time
from datetime import datetime

def daily_task():
    print(f"Task executed at {datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')}")

schedule.every().day.at("10:30").do(daily_task)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    for _ in range(3):
        schedule.run_pending()
        time.sleep(1)

Output

stdout 
(no output, since the job is scheduled for 10:30 and the loop runs without triggering it; the script exits silently.)

How it works

The schedule.every().day.at("10:30") call registers a daily job that calls daily_task when the time matches. In the mock loop, schedule.run_pending() checks if any scheduled jobs are due and runs them; since the loop runs at a different time, nothing triggers. The time.sleep(1) pauses execution to simulate a simple polling loop. This pattern shows how to schedule jobs and test them without waiting for the actual time.

Common mistakes

  • Not calling `schedule.run_pending()` inside an infinite loop, so jobs never execute.
  • Misunderstanding `at()` time format – it must be a 24-hour HH:MM string.
  • Forgetting that `run_pending()` only runs jobs that are due, not all jobs.
  • Using `time.sleep()` too aggressively, which can block other tasks.

Variations

  1. Replace the fixed loop with `while True: schedule.run_pending(); time.sleep(1)` for a real scheduler.
  2. Use `schedule.every().day.at("10:30").do(lambda: print("Task"))` for a simple one-liner.

Real-world use cases

  • Running daily database backups at a fixed hour with a lightweight Python script.
  • Sending a scheduled report email to stakeholders every morning at 9 AM.
  • Triggering a data sync job between services at a specific time each day.

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Run locally

This sample needs third-party packages, so it cannot run in the browser IDE. Copy the code above, install the packages shown at the top, then run it in your own Python environment.

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