20 Python Scripts To Automate Your Daily Tasks

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Let's face it no matter how much we love coding, most of our daily digital tasks are mind-numbingly repetitive. From renaming files and scraping emails to organizing PDFs and muting Slack during meetings the digital chaos is real.

But here's the good news: Python doesn't just shine in data science and backend magic it's your behind-the-scenes butler for daily life. I've been using Python for over 4 years, and automating my routine tasks wasn't just life-changing it was sanity-saving.

In this post, I'm not giving you ideas. I'm giving you real, working scripts. Some are one-liners. Some are weekend-build worthy. All are practical, powerful, and… honestly, pretty satisfying.

Let's roll.

Rename 100+ Files in Seconds

We've all had that "IMG_20210714_83473.jpg" folder staring at us like a digital mess.

import os

folder_path = "path_to_folder"
for count, filename in enumerate(os.listdir(folder_path)):
    ext = os.path.splitext(filename)[1]
    new_name = f"image_{count+1}{ext}"
    os.rename(os.path.join(folder_path, filename), os.path.join(folder_path, new_name))

import os

folder_path = "path_to_folder"
for count, filename in enumerate(os.listdir(folder_path)):
    ext = os.path.splitext(filename)[1]
    new_name = f"image_{count+1}{ext}"
    os.rename(os.path.join(folder_path, filename), os.path.join(folder_path, new_name))

Why it's cool: Rename photos, documents, or downloads without clicking yourself into a coma.

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Auto-Mute Slack (or Teams) During Zoom Calls

Your coworkers don't need to hear your dog barking in stereo.

import time
import pyautogui

# Mute Slack notifications every day at 10AM
while True:
    current_time = time.strftime("%H:%M")
    if current_time == "10:00":
        pyautogui.hotkey("ctrl", "shift", "m")  # or customize per platform
    time.sleep(60)

import time
import pyautogui

# Mute Slack notifications every day at 10AM
while True:
    current_time = time.strftime("%H:%M")
    if current_time == "10:00":
        pyautogui.hotkey("ctrl", "shift", "m")  # or customize per platform
    time.sleep(60)

Pro Tip: Combine with schedule library to avoid writing a while loop.

Batch Convert Markdown to PDF

For devs who write docs or blog drafts in markdown and want them to look good.

import markdown
import pdfkit

with open("article.md", "r") as f:
    html = markdown.markdown(f.read())
pdfkit.from_string(html, "article.pdf")

import markdown
import pdfkit

with open("article.md", "r") as f:
    html = markdown.markdown(f.read())
pdfkit.from_string(html, "article.pdf")

Use Case: Compile your entire Zettelkasten knowledge base into a clean PDF book.

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Instantly Extract Emails from Any Website

Emails are still gold. Especially when scraped legally.

import requests, re

url = "https://example.com"
html = requests.get(url).text
emails = re.findall(r"[a-zA-Z0-9_.+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9-]+\.[a-zA-Z0-9-.]+", html)
print(set(emails))

import requests, re

url = "https://example.com"
html = requests.get(url).text
emails = re.findall(r"[a-zA-Z0-9_.+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9-]+\.[a-zA-Z0-9-.]+", html)
print(set(emails))

Real World: Scrape your university faculty page to batch email professors. No more Ctrl+F.

Auto-Close Annoying Popups

Browser popups and app naggers — meet your match.

import pyautogui

while True:
    close_btn = pyautogui.locateCenterOnScreen("close_button_image.png")
    if close_btn:
        pyautogui.click(close_btn)

import pyautogui

while True:
    close_btn = pyautogui.locateCenterOnScreen("close_button_image.png")
    if close_btn:
        pyautogui.click(close_btn)

Note: Screenshot the "X" button to match. Works like magic on Windows prompts.

Convert All Word Docs to PDF in a Folder

Because .docx is so 2005.

import win32com.client
import os

word = win32com.client.Dispatch("Word.Application")
folder = "path_to_docs"
for doc in os.listdir(folder):
    if doc.endswith(".docx"):
        doc_path = os.path.join(folder, doc)
        pdf_path = doc_path.replace(".docx", ".pdf")
        doc_obj = word.Documents.Open(doc_path)
        doc_obj.SaveAs(pdf_path, FileFormat=17)
        doc_obj.Close()
word.Quit()

import win32com.client
import os

word = win32com.client.Dispatch("Word.Application")
folder = "path_to_docs"
for doc in os.listdir(folder):
    if doc.endswith(".docx"):
        doc_path = os.path.join(folder, doc)
        pdf_path = doc_path.replace(".docx", ".pdf")
        doc_obj = word.Documents.Open(doc_path)
        doc_obj.SaveAs(pdf_path, FileFormat=17)
        doc_obj.Close()
word.Quit()

For Windows Only: Sorry Mac users. I still love you.

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Weather in Your Terminal

No more tab-switching to check the skies.

import requests

city = "Lahore"
api_key = "your_openweather_api_key"
url = f"https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q={city}&appid={api_key}&units=metric"
data = requests.get(url).json()
print(f"{city}: {data['main']['temp']}°C, {data['weather'][0]['description']}")

import requests

city = "Lahore"
api_key = "your_openweather_api_key"
url = f"https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q={city}&appid={api_key}&units=metric"
data = requests.get(url).json()
print(f"{city}: {data['main']['temp']}°C, {data['weather'][0]['description']}")

Tip: Schedule it to run every morning via cron or Task Scheduler.

Clean Up Your Desktop (Like a Grown-Up)

Sort files into folders by type. Your future self will thank you.

import os
import shutil

path = "C:/Users/you/Desktop"
file_types = {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".png", ".jpeg"],
    "Docs": [".pdf", ".docx"],
    "Zips": [".zip", ".rar"]
}
for file in os.listdir(path):
    ext = os.path.splitext(file)[1]
    for folder, extensions in file_types.items():
        if ext in extensions:
            shutil.move(os.path.join(path, file), os.path.join(path, folder, file))

import os
import shutil

path = "C:/Users/you/Desktop"
file_types = {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".png", ".jpeg"],
    "Docs": [".pdf", ".docx"],
    "Zips": [".zip", ".rar"]
}
for file in os.listdir(path):
    ext = os.path.splitext(file)[1]
    for folder, extensions in file_types.items():
        if ext in extensions:
            shutil.move(os.path.join(path, file), os.path.join(path, folder, file))

Pro Tip: Run every Friday evening. Go into the weekend clean.

Summarize Long YouTube Lectures

Because "Watch Later" is code for "Never".

from youtube_transcript_api import YouTubeTranscriptApi
from openai import OpenAI

video_id = "YourYouTubeID"
transcript = YouTubeTranscriptApi.get_transcript(video_id)
text = " ".join([t['text'] for t in transcript])
# Summarize with GPT-4o-mini
response = OpenAI().chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": f"Summarize this: {text}"}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

from youtube_transcript_api import YouTubeTranscriptApi
from openai import OpenAI

video_id = "YourYouTubeID"
transcript = YouTubeTranscriptApi.get_transcript(video_id)
text = " ".join([t['text'] for t in transcript])
# Summarize with GPT-4o-mini
response = OpenAI().chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": f"Summarize this: {text}"}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

Automatically Reply to Emails (With Class)

Let AI draft a smart, short, human-sounding response.

from openai import OpenAI

incoming_email = """Hey, are you available for a quick sync this week?"""
prompt = f"Reply briefly and politely to this email: {incoming_email}"
response = OpenAI().chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": prompt}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

from openai import OpenAI

incoming_email = """Hey, are you available for a quick sync this week?"""
prompt = f"Reply briefly and politely to this email: {incoming_email}"
response = OpenAI().chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": prompt}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

Use Case: Auto-reply when you're deep in flow. Or just tired.

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Check for Broken Links in Your Website

Don't let 404s embarrass you in front of clients.

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

url = "https://your-portfolio.com"
html = requests.get(url).text
soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")
for link in soup.find_all("a"):
    try:
        res = requests.get(link.get("href"))
        if res.status_code != 200:
            print(f"Broken: {link.get('href')}")
    except:
        print(f"Error: {link.get('href')}")

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

url = "https://your-portfolio.com"
html = requests.get(url).text
soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")
for link in soup.find_all("a"):
    try:
        res = requests.get(link.get("href"))
        if res.status_code != 200:
            print(f"Broken: {link.get('href')}")
    except:
        print(f"Error: {link.get('href')}")

Auto-Backup Important Files to Cloud

Because external drives will betray you one day.

import shutil
import datetime

source = "C:/Users/you/Documents"
dest = f"D:/Backups/{datetime.date.today()}"
shutil.copytree(source, dest)

import shutil
import datetime

source = "C:/Users/you/Documents"
dest = f"D:/Backups/{datetime.date.today()}"
shutil.copytree(source, dest)

Add-on: Sync to Dropbox or Google Drive with their CLI APIs.

Schedule Daily Motivational Quotes

Feed your terminal some soul.

import requests

quote = requests.get("https://api.quotable.io/random").json()
print(f"{quote['content']} - {quote['author']}")

import requests

quote = requests.get("https://api.quotable.io/random").json()
print(f"{quote['content']} - {quote['author']}")

Tip: Add this to .bashrc or .zshrc for a quote on every terminal start.

Automatically Kill High-CPU Processes

When Chrome eats 95% of your RAM.

import psutil

for proc in psutil.process_iter(['pid', 'name', 'cpu_percent']):
    if proc.info['cpu_percent'] > 80:
        psutil.Process(proc.info['pid']).terminate()

import psutil

for proc in psutil.process_iter(['pid', 'name', 'cpu_percent']):
    if proc.info['cpu_percent'] > 80:
        psutil.Process(proc.info['pid']).terminate()

Warning: Don't use on production servers. Or during Zoom.

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Record Your Screen with Python

No OBS? No problem.

import pyautogui
import cv2
import numpy as np

screen_size = (1920, 1080)
out = cv2.VideoWriter("screen.avi", cv2.VideoWriter_fourcc(*"XVID"), 20.0, screen_size)
for i in range(200):
    img = pyautogui.screenshot()
    frame = np.array(img)
    frame = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_BGR2RGB)
    out.write(frame)
out.release()

import pyautogui
import cv2
import numpy as np

screen_size = (1920, 1080)
out = cv2.VideoWriter("screen.avi", cv2.VideoWriter_fourcc(*"XVID"), 20.0, screen_size)
for i in range(200):
    img = pyautogui.screenshot()
    frame = np.array(img)
    frame = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_BGR2RGB)
    out.write(frame)
out.release()

Text Yourself Reminders via Twilio

Set a Python cron to text you, "Drink water."

from twilio.rest import Client

client = Client("SID", "AUTH_TOKEN")
client.messages.create(
    to="+123456789",
    from_="+198765432",
    body="Hydrate. Now."
)

from twilio.rest import Client

client = Client("SID", "AUTH_TOKEN")
client.messages.create(
    to="+123456789",
    from_="+198765432",
    body="Hydrate. Now."
)

Download All Images from a Website

Scrape and save in seconds.

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests, os

url = "https://example.com"
html = requests.get(url).text
soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")
os.makedirs("images", exist_ok=True)
for img in soup.find_all("img"):
    src = img["src"]
    img_data = requests.get(src).content
    with open(f"images/{src.split('/')[-1]}", 'wb') as f:
        f.write(img_data)

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests, os

url = "https://example.com"
html = requests.get(url).text
soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")
os.makedirs("images", exist_ok=True)
for img in soup.find_all("img"):
    src = img["src"]
    img_data = requests.get(src).content
    with open(f"images/{src.split('/')[-1]}", 'wb') as f:
        f.write(img_data)

Auto-Sort PDFs Based on Content

Organize your research papers like a pro.

import fitz
from sentence_transformers import SentenceTransformer
from sklearn.cluster import KMeans
import os

folder = "pdfs"
model = SentenceTransformer("all-MiniLM-L6-v2")
abstracts, files = [], []
for f in os.listdir(folder):
    doc = fitz.open(os.path.join(folder, f))
    abstracts.append(doc[0].get_text("text"))
    files.append(f)
embeddings = model.encode(abstracts)
labels = KMeans(n_clusters=3).fit_predict(embeddings)
for i, label in enumerate(labels):
    dir_path = f"{folder}/cluster_{label}"
    os.makedirs(dir_path, exist_ok=True)
    os.rename(os.path.join(folder, files[i]), os.path.join(dir_path, files[i]))

import fitz
from sentence_transformers import SentenceTransformer
from sklearn.cluster import KMeans
import os

folder = "pdfs"
model = SentenceTransformer("all-MiniLM-L6-v2")
abstracts, files = [], []
for f in os.listdir(folder):
    doc = fitz.open(os.path.join(folder, f))
    abstracts.append(doc[0].get_text("text"))
    files.append(f)
embeddings = model.encode(abstracts)
labels = KMeans(n_clusters=3).fit_predict(embeddings)
for i, label in enumerate(labels):
    dir_path = f"{folder}/cluster_{label}"
    os.makedirs(dir_path, exist_ok=True)
    os.rename(os.path.join(folder, files[i]), os.path.join(dir_path, files[i]))

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Create a Personal Dashboard with Gradio

All these automations? Build a simple UI to run them.

import gradio as gr

def rename_files(path):
    # Your renaming function here
    return "Files Renamed"
demo = gr.Interface(fn=rename_files, inputs="text", outputs="text")
demo.launch()

import gradio as gr

def rename_files(path):
    # Your renaming function here
    return "Files Renamed"
demo = gr.Interface(fn=rename_files, inputs="text", outputs="text")
demo.launch()

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Contents

Rename 100+ Files in Seconds

Auto-Mute Slack (or Teams) During Zoom Calls

Batch Convert Markdown to PDF

Instantly Extract Emails from Any Website

Auto-Close Annoying Popups

Convert All Word Docs to PDF in a Folder

Weather in Your Terminal

Clean Up Your Desktop (Like a Grown-Up)

Summarize Long YouTube Lectures

Automatically Reply to Emails (With Class)

Check for Broken Links in Your Website

Auto-Backup Important Files to Cloud

Schedule Daily Motivational Quotes

Automatically Kill High-CPU Processes

Record Your Screen with Python

Text Yourself Reminders via Twilio

Download All Images from a Website

Auto-Sort PDFs Based on Content

Create a Personal Dashboard with Gradio

Take This With You