10 Python Scripts That Save You Hours Every Week

 

10 Python Scripts That Save You Hours Every Week

Let’s be honest—we all have those annoying, repetitive tasks that eat up our time: renaming files, cleaning spreadsheets, copying data, checking emails, you name it. The good news? Python is here to automate your digital life.

Whether you're a freelancer, marketer, student, or small business owner—these 10 simple Python scripts can save you hours every single week. No complex AI needed. Just clean, practical automation.

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⏱️ 1. Rename Hundreds of Files in Seconds

Use case: Got a folder full of badly named images or PDFs?

python
import os

folder = 'my_folder'
for count, filename in enumerate(os.listdir(folder), start=1):
    ext = os.path.splitext(filename)[1]
    new_name = f'document_{count}{ext}'
    os.rename(os.path.join(folder, filename), os.path.join(folder, new_name))

✅ Why it helps: Stop manually renaming files one by one.

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📂 2. Organize Files Into Folders Automatically

Use case: Dump folder? Automatically sort files by type.

python
import os
import shutil

source = "downloads"
dest_map = {
    "Images": [".png", ".jpg"],
    "Docs": [".pdf", ".docx"],
    "Videos": [".mp4", ".mov"]
}

for file in os.listdir(source):
    ext = os.path.splitext(file)[1].lower()
    for folder, extensions in dest_map.items():
        if ext in extensions:
            shutil.move(os.path.join(source, file), os.path.join(source, folder, file))

✅ Why it helps: Turns a digital mess into a neat workspace.

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📊 3. Clean Excel Data in One Click

Use case: Tired of deleting empty rows and fixing dates manually?

python
import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_excel("sales.xlsx")
df.dropna(inplace=True)
df['Date'] = pd.to_datetime(df['Date'])
df.to_excel("cleaned_sales.xlsx", index=False)

✅ Why it helps: Clean messy Excel sheets in seconds.

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📧 4. Send Automated Emails with Attachments

Use case: Weekly reports or follow-ups?

python
import smtplib
from email.message import EmailMessage

msg = EmailMessage()
msg["Subject"] = "Weekly Report"
msg["From"] = "you@example.com"
msg["To"] = "client@example.com"
msg.set_content("Hi! Please find the report attached.")

with open("report.pdf", "rb") as f:
    msg.add_attachment(f.read(), maintype='application', subtype='pdf', filename="report.pdf")

with smtplib.SMTP_SSL("smtp.gmail.com", 465) as smtp:
    smtp.login("you@example.com", "your_password")
    smtp.send_message(msg)

✅ Why it helps: Send bulk or routine emails like a boss.

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🌐 5. Scrape Website Data into Excel

Use case: Pull product prices, job listings, or contact info.

python
import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import pandas as pd

url = 'https://example.com/products'
page = requests.get(url)
soup = BeautifulSoup(page.text, 'html.parser')

products = [(item.text, item['href']) for item in soup.select('.product-title a')]
df = pd.DataFrame(products, columns=["Title", "Link"])
df.to_excel("products.xlsx", index=False)

✅ Why it helps: Say goodbye to copy-paste scraping.

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🧼 6. Remove Duplicates From CSVs

python
df = pd.read_csv("data.csv")
df.drop_duplicates(inplace=True)
df.to_csv("deduped_data.csv", index=False)

✅ Why it helps: Instantly cleans up CRM or form data exports.

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📝 7. Convert PDF to Text

Use case: Extract content from resumes, invoices, etc.

python
import PyPDF2

with open('file.pdf', 'rb') as f:
    reader = PyPDF2.PdfReader(f)
    text = ''.join([page.extract_text() for page in reader.pages])
    with open('output.txt', 'w') as out:
        out.write(text)

✅ Why it helps: Turn uneditable PDFs into searchable content.

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⏲️ 8. Automate Time Tracking

Use case: Freelancers or remote workers logging hours.

python
import time

start = time.time()
input("Press Enter when you stop working...")
end = time.time()

hours = round((end - start) / 3600, 2)
print(f"You worked for {hours} hours.")

✅ Why it helps: Track productivity without fancy tools.

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📅 9. Create Calendar Events Automatically

python
from datetime import datetime
import csv

with open('meetings.csv') as f:
    for row in csv.DictReader(f):
        print(f"Scheduled meeting with {row['Name']} at {row['DateTime']}")
        # You can integrate with Google Calendar API here

✅ Why it helps: Automate recurring event setups.

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🔄 10. Bulk Convert Images (e.g., JPG to PNG)

python
from PIL import Image
import os

for file in os.listdir('images'):
    if file.endswith(".jpg"):
        img = Image.open(os.path.join('images', file))
        img.save(os.path.join('images', file.replace(".jpg", ".png")))

✅ Why it helps: Perfect for designers, photographers, or marketers.

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👩‍💻 Final Thoughts: Code Once, Save Forever

The beauty of Python isn’t in building billion-dollar apps—sometimes, it's just about taking back your time. These scripts are like little digital assistants: reliable, fast, and never asking for a raise.

So next time you find yourself doing the same thing for the third time in a row—pause, and ask yourself:

Can Python do this for me?
Spoiler: It probably can.

 

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