Learn Python plan: 8 weeks, one small project every week
Tutorials make Python look easy, then you open an empty file and freeze. The fix is building small real things early. This prompt has your todo.is agent plan 8 weeks around your goal (automation, data analysis or web), give you daily exercises, and review the code you send back. It can run and test your code in its own workspace.
The prompt
- Make me an 8-week plan to learn Python. I am [EXPERIENCE LEVEL] and I want Python for [GOAL]. I have [HOURS PER WEEK] hours a week on [OPERATING SYSTEM]. Order it: setup and the REPL, variables and types, if/for/while, functions, lists and dicts, files and CSV, errors and debugging, modules and pip, then [SPECIALTY TOPIC]. Each week ends with a small project I build myself, with the requirements and 3 test cases. Each day: a 30-minute exercise with a hint and a hidden solution. Give me a PDF plan and a .zip with starter files for each project, email both, and every Saturday at 10:00 ask me on Telegram for that week's project code so you can run it, test it and review it.
What to change
- [EXPERIENCE LEVEL]: E.g. "never coded", "I know some Excel formulas" or "I code in JavaScript".
- [GOAL]: E.g. "automating reports at work", "data analysis", "a job as a junior developer", "school".
- [HOURS PER WEEK]: E.g. "5".
- [OPERATING SYSTEM]: Windows, Mac or Linux, so setup steps match your computer.
- [SPECIALTY TOPIC]: E.g. "pandas and charts", "web scraping with requests", "Flask basics", or "you choose from my goal".
Example result
- Learn Python in 8 weeks: automating work reports
- Never coded · 5 hours a week · Windows · specialty: pandas and Excel files
- Week 1: setup and first scripts
- • Install Python from python.org (tick "Add to PATH"), then VS Code with the Python extension
- • Variables, strings, numbers, print() and input(), f-strings
- • Project: a tip calculator that asks for the bill and the number of people
- Week 2: decisions and loops
- • if / elif / else, comparison operators, for and while, range()
- • Project: a guess-the-number game with a limit of 7 tries
- Week 3: functions
- • def, parameters, return values, why small functions are easier to test
- • Project: a unit converter with one function per conversion
- Week 4: lists and dictionaries
- • Lists, slicing, list comprehensions, dicts, looping over .items()
- • Project: a to-do list that adds, removes and prints tasks
- Week 5: files and CSV
- • open() with a with block, reading lines, the csv module, pathlib
- • Project: read sales.csv and print total sales per region
- Week 6: errors and debugging
- • Reading a traceback from the bottom up, try/except, using the VS Code debugger
- • Project: make week 5 survive missing files and bad rows
- Week 7: packages
- • pip and virtual environments (python -m venv .venv), importing your own modules
- • Project: rename every file in a folder with today's date
- Week 8: pandas and Excel
- • pd.read_excel(), filtering, groupby(), to_excel(); install openpyxl too
- • Project: turn a monthly export into a summary sheet with one row per manager
- Week 5 project tests
- • sales.csv with 3 rows returns North 1,200 and South 450
- • An empty file prints "No sales found"
- • A row with a missing amount is skipped and counted
- Sample code review note
- • Line 12: you open the file without with, so it stays open if an error happens. Use with open(path) as f:.
How to do it with todo.is
- Fill in your experience, your goal and your computer, then copy the to-do.
- Send it to your agent in todo.is, or by Telegram or WhatsApp.
- You get a PDF plan and a .zip of starter files by email.
- Each Saturday, send your project code or the .py file. Your agent runs it, tests it and replies with a review.
Tips for a better result
- Type the code yourself. Copy-pasting tutorial code feels fast but you remember almost none of it.
- Learn to read tracebacks early. The last line says what went wrong, the line above says where.
- Pick projects that touch your real life or job. A script that saves you 10 minutes a week is motivating.
- When stuck for more than 20 minutes, send your agent the error and your code, and ask for a hint, not the answer.
learn Python plan: FAQ
- How long does it take to learn Python? You can write useful small scripts after 6 to 8 weeks of a few hours a week. Being job-ready as a developer usually takes several months to a year of regular practice and projects.
- Is Python good for complete beginners? Yes. Its syntax is short and readable, error messages are fairly clear, and it is used for automation, data, web and teaching.
- Can my agent run my Python code? Yes. It runs and tests code in its own workspace and tells you what failed and why. It does not run anything on your computer.
- Do I need a powerful computer? No. Any laptop from the last several years runs Python and VS Code fine.
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