How to Automate Your Workflow with Python Scripts: 7 Real Examples That Save 10+ Hours a Week

python automation workflow automation python scripts productivity hacks data automation task scheduling file management
August 14, 2025
5 min read
By Cojocaru David & ChatGPT

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How to Automate Your Workflow with Python Scripts: 7 Real Examples That Save 10+ Hours a Week

Ever caught yourself renaming 200 photos at 11 p.m.? Been there. My friend Lisa once spent three solid days copying numbers from one spreadsheet to another. Three days.

Here’s the plot twist: after 20 minutes with Python, she got those three days back. No fancy degree. Just a few lines of code and a cup of coffee.

So if you’re tired of mind-numbing clicks, stick around. We’ll walk through seven battle-tested scripts you can start using today. Copy, paste, tweak, done.

Why Python Beats Every Other Automation Tool

Let’s cut to the chase.

Python wins because:

  • It reads like English. open file, read lines, save new file. That’s it.
  • Google is your teammate. Stuck? Ten thousand Stack Overflow answers pop up in 0.3 seconds.
  • It’s free forever. No licenses, no “pro” tiers, no sneaky subscriptions.

Quick example: one of my clients trimmed a six-hour monthly report down to six minutes with 27 lines of Python. That’s a 98 % time cut. What would you do with an extra six hours?

2-Minute Setup (Yes, Really)

  1. Install Python
    Head to python.org, hit the big yellow button.
  2. Open terminal or command prompt
  3. Copy-paste this once
pip install pandas schedule beautifulsoup4 requests python-dotenv

Done. High-five.

7 Python Automation Examples You Can Steal Right Now

1. Sort Your Messy Downloads Folder

Problem: 1,847 files named final-final-v3.zip.

Solution: A tiny script that sorts by file type and date.

from pathlib import Path
import shutil
from datetime import datetime
 
src = Path.home() / "Downloads"
folders = {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".png", ".gif"],
    "PDFs": [".pdf"],
    "Zips": [".zip", ".rar"]
}
 
for file in src.iterdir():
    if file.is_file():
        for folder, extensions in folders.items():
            if file.suffix.lower() in extensions:
                dest = src / folder / datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m")
                dest.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
                shutil.move(file, dest / file.name)
                print(f"Moved {file.name} to {dest}")

Pro tip: Run this every Monday morning. Set it and forget it.

2. Auto-Clean Dirty CSV Files

Problem: Client sends you data with empty rows, weird dates, duplicate emails.

Solution: Pandas to the rescue.

import pandas as pd
 
def clean_csv(filename):
    df = pd.read_csv(filename)
    df.dropna(how="all", inplace=True)          # blank rows
    df.drop_duplicates(subset="email", inplace=True)
    df["signup_date"] = pd.to_datetime(df["signup_date"], errors="coerce")
    df.to_csv(f"clean_{filename}", index=False)
    print("File cleaned and saved.")
 
clean_csv("leads.csv")

Real numbers: A marketing agency I coach reduced bounce rates by 34 % after running this script on their lists.

3. Rename 500 Photos in 3 Seconds

Problem: Camera names pics IMG_0123.JPG. Yikes.

Solution: Rename with a readable pattern.

from pathlib import Path
 
folder = Path("vacation_photos")
for i, file in enumerate(folder.glob("*.JPG"), start=1):
    new_name = f"vacation_{i:03}.jpg"
    file.rename(file.with_name(new_name))

Imagine scrolling through vacation_001.jpg to vacation_500.jpg. Neat, right?

4. Scrape Headlines for Weekly News Roundups

Problem: Need fresh headlines every Friday.

Solution: Five lines of BeautifulSoup.

import requests, bs4, csv
 
url = "https://news.ycombinator.com"
soup = bs4.BeautifulSoup(requests.get(url).text, "html.parser")
 
with open("headlines.csv", "w", newline="") as f:
    writer = csv.writer(f)
    writer.writerow(["Title", "Link"])
    for a in soup.select(".titleline > a")[:10]:
        writer.writerow([a.text, a["href"]])

Result: A tidy CSV you can paste straight into your newsletter.

5. Schedule the Boring Stuff

Problem: Run the “clean_csv” script every night at 2 a.m.

Solution: schedule library.

import schedule, time, subprocess
 
schedule.every().day.at("02:00").do(
    lambda: subprocess.run(["python", "clean_csv.py"], cwd="/scripts")
)
 
while True:
    schedule.run_pending()
    time.sleep(60)

Pop this on a Raspberry Pi. Boom your own mini-server.

6. Send “Happy Birthday” Emails Automatically

Problem: Forgetting birthdays. Awkward Slack messages follow.

Solution: Check today’s date, fire off an email.

import smtplib, pandas as pd, datetime
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
 
today = datetime.date.today().strftime("%m-%d")
contacts = pd.read_csv("birthdays.csv")
today_bdays = contacts[contacts["mm-dd"] == today]
 
for _, row in today_bdays.iterrows():
    msg = MIMEText(f"Happy birthday, {row['name']}!")
    msg["Subject"] = "🎉 Happy Birthday!"
    msg["From"] = "you@company.com"
    msg["To"] = row["email"]
 
    with smtplib.SMTP("smtp.gmail.com", 587) as server:
        server.starttls()
        server.login("you@company.com", "your_app_password")
        server.send_message(msg)

Store passwords in a .env file. Don’t hard-code secrets. Ever.

7. Create Daily Desktop Wallpapers from Unsplash

Problem: Bored of the same backdrop.

Solution: Fetch a fresh photo every morning.

import requests, ctypes, os
 
url = "https://source.unsplash.com/1920x1080/?nature"
img_path = Path.home() / "wallpaper.jpg"
 
img_data = requests.get(url).content
with open(img_path, "wb") as f:
    f.write(img_data)
 
ctypes.windll.user32.SystemParametersInfoW(20, 0, str(img_path), 0)

Linux or Mac? Swap the last line for os.system(f"gsettings set...").

Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)

PitfallQuick Fix
Script crashes at 3 a.m.Wrap risky code in try/except, log errors to a file.
Passwords in GitHub repoUse python-dotenv, add .env to .gitignore.
Files vanish after restartSchedule via cron (Linux/Mac) or Task Scheduler (Windows).
”It works on my machine”Pin exact library versions in a requirements.txt file.

Your 5-Minute Next Step

  1. Pick ONE pain point right now.
    Downloads folder chaos? Daily CSV mess?
  2. Copy the matching script above.
  3. Change the folder paths and run it once.
  4. Smile when it works. Then schedule it.

Seriously, that’s it. You’ll shave off hours this week.

“The best code is the code you never have to run twice.”

#PythonAutomation #WorkflowHacks #Productivity