Did you know ChatGPT has "Tasks" that run on a schedule?
Think about it like a cron but for text-based AI.
Unlike your smart phone reminders feature, tasks in ChatGPT aren’t limited to simple "remember to".
This is a lot more like the "intelligent agent" future we were promised!
You can also set up:
Scheduled searches
• Ask ChatGPT to look for something on a regular basis and notify you if it finds results.
• Example: “Search every Tuesday at 8 AM for ‘WordPress security patches’ and let me know if there’s news.”Recurring reminders
• Rather than a single alert, you can schedule something to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
• Example: “Remind me to review analytics every first Monday of the month at 9 AM.”Conditional alerts
• Have ChatGPT check for a condition and only notify you when it’s met.
• Example: “Every morning at 7 AM, check the Bitcoin price and tell me if it’s below £90,000.”One-time reminders
• A simple reminder at a specific date and time.
• Example: “Remind me to send the invoice on June 15 at 3 PM.”
How to phrase these requests
- For a reminder: start the prompt with “Tell me to…”
- For a search: start with “Search for…” and include what you want to track or monitor.
- For a conditional alert: include both the search or check (“Search for X” or “Check X”) and the condition (“notify me if X happens,” “if below/above,” etc.).
Examples
- Reminder only:
“Tell me to renew my domain on July 1 at 10 AM.” - Recurring reminder:
“Tell me to post my blog draft every Thursday at 5 PM.” - Scheduled search:
“Search for ‘Node.js security vulnerabilities’ every Friday at 6 PM and let me know if there’s a new report.” - Conditional check:
“Check the GBP/USD exchange rate at 9 AM daily and notify me if it’s above 1.30.”
You don’t need any special format. ChatGPT will translate your request into the appropriate schedule (VEVENT) behind the scenes. If you ever want to modify or cancel a task, just say so: “Change…” or “Cancel….”
ChatGPT Scheduled Task Ideas for Bloggers/Developers
Below is a list of practical scheduled task ideas for developers but that can be tailored to your role. Each task includes an example prompt, suggested frequency, and the purpose or value it provides. These cover reminders, conditional alerts, and scheduled searches.
| Task Name | Example Prompt | Frequency | Purpose / Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Blog Writing Reminder | Every morning at 8:00 AM, remind me to spend 30 minutes writing a new blog post, and suggest one trending marketing topic for inspiration. | Daily | Maintains a consistent writing habit by blocking out daily blogging time and providing a fresh topic idea. This ensures regular content creation and sparks creativity. |
| Weekly Content Review | Every Friday at 4:00 PM, remind me to review this week’s blog posts for grammar, SEO optimizations, and to respond to any reader comments. | Weekly (Fridays) | Helps maintain content quality and engagement by ensuring each week’s posts are polished and up-to-date. The reminder prompts timely editing, SEO improvements, and audience interaction. |
| Monthly Post Update Audit | On the first day of each month at 10:00 AM, remind me to audit older blog posts (older than 6 months) for outdated info or broken links, and list a few that might need updates. | Monthly | Ensures evergreen content stays relevant by scheduling regular updates. This monthly reminder prompts me to fix old posts, keeping the blog accurate and user-friendly (ChatGPT can handle such monthly reminders). |
| Weekly Content Brainstorm | Every Wednesday at 10:00 AM, generate 5 new blog post ideas based on this week’s trending topics in digital marketing. | Weekly (Wednesdays) | Provides a mid-week creativity boost by suggesting timely, relevant topics for the blog. This helps overcome writer’s block and align content with current trends for better SEO and audience interest. |
| Daily Competitor Content Alert | Every day at 12:00 PM, check a key competitor’s blog for new posts. If there’s a new article since the last check, summarize its key points and notify me. | Daily | Keeps me informed of competitors’ content. By monitoring industry blogs, I can quickly react to new topics or insights. This automated alert ensures I never miss important updates from others in my niche, without requiring me to manually check their site. |
| Weekly Plugin Update Check | Every Monday at 9:00 AM, search for any updates or security patches available for my WordPress plugins (e.g. Yoast SEO, WooCommerce). If new releases are found, list them along with their main changes. | Weekly (Mondays) | Proactively helps maintain site health by catching plugin updates early. This scheduled check alerts me to new versions or patches so I can update promptly (similar to how ChatGPT can check for external changes on a schedule). |
| Monthly WordPress Maintenance | On the first Monday of each month at 10:00 AM, remind me to perform WordPress maintenance: update all plugins/themes, run a backup, and check for any site errors or broken links. | Monthly (1st Monday) | Ensures I regularly perform critical site upkeep. This task reduces the risk of security issues or downtime by prompting backups and updates, using ChatGPT’s ability to schedule recurring maintenance reminders. |
| Weekly WordPress Security Check | Every Tuesday at 8:00 AM, search for any new WordPress or plugin vulnerabilities reported in the past week. If any critical issue is found, notify me with the details. | Weekly (Tuesdays) | Keeps me aware of security risks by regularly checking for newly disclosed vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem. Early alerts let me patch plugins or adjust security settings quickly to protect my site and data. |
| Weekly SEO News Brief | Every Monday at 7:00 AM, give me a brief summary (3-5 bullet points) of the latest SEO and digital marketing news from the past week. | Weekly (Mondays) | Helps me stay on top of online marketing trends and search engine updates. Starting the week with a curated news brief means I can quickly adapt my SEO strategy or content plan to any recent changes or new best practices. |
| Weekly Dev News Roundup | Every Friday at 3:00 PM, summarize notable updates in web development (especially Python and Node.js) that occurred during the week. | Weekly (Fridays) | Keeps my technical knowledge current by highlighting new releases, tools, or important discussions in the developer community. Regular summaries of Python and Node.js news ensure I stay informed about changes that could impact my projects or learning focus. |
| Daily Node.js Learning Prompt | Every weekday at 6:00 PM, present a quick Node.js tip or code snippet for me to learn, such as an explanation of a Node core module or a best practice example. | Daily (Weekdays) | Accelerates my Node.js learning by delivering a bite-sized lesson each day. This routine helps reinforce new concepts consistently and keeps me engaged in hands-on learning as I transition into Node development. |
| Weekly Coding Challenge | Every Monday at 9:00 AM, give me a small coding challenge (alternating between Python and Node.js) and provide an explanation of the solution. | Weekly (Mondays) | Keeps my programming skills sharp through regular practice. ChatGPT effectively becomes a coding coach by offering challenges and guided solutions (it can even supply a new coding problem every morning, as seen in examples), ensuring I continue to improve in both Python and Node.js. |
When coming up with ideas for your own, remember ChatGPT’s ability to remind, monitor, search, and notify on a schedule.