# n8n: Run a Workflow on a Schedule (Every Monday at 8am) > Set the n8n Schedule Trigger to run every Monday at 8am, test it without waiting, write the reminder and check the time zone. Free beginner lesson. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-schedule-trigger-tutorial · Updated 2026-10-17 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) ## Practice it step by step [Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-schedule-trigger) [Take the free module: why it matters, practice and a quick check →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/n8n-beginner/5) You do every step yourself in a practice copy of n8n. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 6 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-schedule-trigger) Free · Live now · [n8n Automation Toolkit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/n8n-automation-toolkit) · [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) · ~6 min · 23 steps · Beginner Updated October 17, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check) The [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) [Schedule Trigger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/schedule-trigger) starts a workflow by itself at set times. In this free lesson a made-up consulting firm builds a Monday 8am timesheet reminder in a practice copy of the n8n editor: Trigger Interval Weeks, Monday, 8am; a test run with [Execute step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/execute-step); a reminder message built with an expression; and a check of the workflow's time zone in Settings. You also learn the rule that trips everyone up: a schedule only runs by itself after you publish. ## At a glance | Question | Answer | | --- | --- | | What you build | Use the n8n Schedule Trigger to run a workflow by itself: every Monday at 8am, a timesheet reminder. Set the interval, test it now, and check the time zone. | | Tools | n8n | | Time | About 6 minutes, 23 steps in 5 parts | | Level | Beginner, no coding needed | | Cost | Free | | Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-schedule-trigger) | ### The 5 parts, in short 1. Pick the trigger: Add the first step, On a schedule. 2. Every Monday at 8am: Open Trigger Interval, Weeks, Remove Sunday, Open the weekdays, and 3 more steps. 3. Test it now: Test it now, Read the output. 4. Write the reminder: Add a step, Search for Edit, Pick Edit Fields, Add a field, and 5 more steps. 5. Time zone and going live: Open the workflow menu, Settings, Check the time zone. **Start here first:** [n8n: What Is n8n? Build Your First Workflow](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-tutorial-for-beginners-first-workflow) (module 1 of n8n Automation Toolkit) **In the course:** [Part 9 · n8n Automation Toolkit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/part-9-n8n-automation-toolkit) (Module 74 of the [full course](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course)) **Part of:** [n8n for Beginners: Your First Automations](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/n8n-beginner) (step 4 of 9). Next up: [n8n: Send Form Answers Straight to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-form-to-google-sheets) ## Schedule settings used Trigger Rules > Trigger Interval 1, as set in the lesson. | Setting | Value | | --- | --- | | Trigger Interval | Weeks | | Weeks Between Triggers | 1 | | Trigger on Weekdays | Monday | | Trigger at Hour | 8am | | Trigger at Minute | 0 | | Timezone (Settings) | Default - America/New York | ## Set the schedule Add first step... > On a schedule opens the Schedule Trigger. Under Trigger Interval 1, choose an interval from Seconds to Months or Custom (Cron). For Weeks you pick Weeks Between Triggers, Trigger on Weekdays, Trigger at Hour and Trigger at Minute. ## Test it now Execute step fires the trigger once, immediately, and outputs one item with the timestamp, Readable date, Day of week, Hour, Minute and Timezone. A test says the day you click; the real runs carry the time they fired. ## Publish to make it run The node says it will run on the schedule you define once you publish. Until you click Publish, nothing happens on Monday. Check ··· > Settings > Timezone first so 8am means 8am where your team is. ## Links - [n8n](https://n8n.partnerlinks.io/2a7wq6ej1z0t) (affiliate link): the workflow tool this lesson teaches (free trial, no credit card). - [n8n docs: Schedule Trigger](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.scheduletrigger/): intervals, cron and time zones. Disclosure: links marked "affiliate link" are partner links. If you sign up through one, Stepthrough may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The lesson is free either way and does not depend on it. ## Try it yourself, free Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of n8n, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts. [Start “n8n: Run a Workflow on a Schedule (Every Monday at 8am)”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-schedule-trigger) ## Step by step: n8n: Run a Workflow on a Schedule (Every Monday at 8am) All 23 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work. ### 1. Pick the trigger 1. **Add the first step.** Every Monday someone at Summit Street Consulting chases the team for timesheets, and [invoices](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/invoice) go out late when they forget. You will make n8n do the chasing. Click **Add first step...**. Every Monday, someone at Summit Street Consulting chases the team for timesheets. When they forget, invoices go out late. You'll make n8n do the chasing. 2. **On a schedule.** Click **On a schedule**: *Runs the flow every day, hour, or custom interval*. It runs the flow every day, every hour, or on any interval you choose. ### 2. Every Monday at 8am 3. **Open Trigger Interval.** The note says it **will run on the schedule you define here once you publish it**. Under **Trigger Interval 1**, open **Trigger Interval** (it says **Days**). Read the note at the top. It runs on this schedule once you publish it. Under Trigger Interval, open the box that says Days. 4. **Weeks.** The choices go from **Seconds** to **Custom (Cron)**. Choose **Weeks**. You can pick anything from seconds to a custom cron rule. 5. **Remove Sunday.** **Weeks Between Triggers** stays **1** (every week). **Trigger on Weekdays** starts on **Sunday**. Click the **×** on Sunday. Weeks between triggers stays at one. Every week. It starts on Sunday. 6. **Open the weekdays.** Click the **Trigger on Weekdays** box. 7. **Monday.** Choose **Monday**. 8. **Open Trigger at Hour.** Open **Trigger at Hour** (it says **Midnight**). Now the time. It says Midnight. 9. **8am.** Choose **8am**. **Trigger at Minute** stays **0**. The minute stays at zero. ### 3. Test it now 10. **Test it now.** You don't want to wait until Monday. Click **Execute step** to fire the trigger once, right now. You don't want to wait until Monday to test it. It fires the trigger once, right now. 11. **Read the output.** One item with the time it fired: **Day of week: Saturday**, **Timezone: America/New_York**. A test uses the moment you click; on Monday at 8 it will say Monday. Close the node. One item, with the time it fired. Day of week, Saturday. Time zone, New York. A test run uses the moment you click. On Monday at eight, it'll say Monday. Close the node. ### 4. Write the reminder 12. **Add a step.** Click the **+** after **Schedule Trigger**. 13. **Search for Edit.** Type **Edit**. 14. **Pick Edit Fields.** Click **Edit Fields (Set)**. 15. **Add a field.** Click **Add Field**. 16. **Name it.** Type **message**. Name it message. 17. **Drag in the day.** Drag **Day of week** from the INPUT onto **value** (here, click it). Here, click it. 18. **Finish the message.** Paste the rest of the message after the expression. 19. **Run it.** Click **Execute step**. 20. **Close the node.** The output reads **Saturday reminder: please submit last week's timesheets by noon today.** In real life you would add a Gmail or Slack node next to send it. Close the node. The message is ready. In real life you'd add a Gmail or a Slack step next, to send it to the team. Close the node. ### 5. Time zone and going live 21. **Open the workflow menu.** One more check: the time zone. Click **···** next to the workflow name. One last check. Eight a m where? 22. **Settings.** Click **Settings**. 23. **Check the time zone.** **Timezone** says **Default - America/New York**: the workflow runs at 8am in that zone. Change it here if your office is elsewhere. Close the window with the **×** (no need to save). Time zone says, default, America New York. So it runs at eight in the morning, New York time. If your office is somewhere else, change it here. Close the window. ## Frequently asked questions **Why is my n8n Schedule Trigger not running?** Most often the workflow is not published. A schedule only runs by itself after you click Publish. Also check the workflow time zone in Settings. **How do I run an n8n workflow every Monday?** Schedule Trigger > Trigger Interval Weeks, remove Sunday, choose Monday, set Trigger at Hour, then Publish. **Can I use cron in n8n?** Yes. Choose Custom (Cron) as the Trigger Interval and type a cron expression, such as 30 8 * * 1-5 for weekdays at 8:30. [Start this module free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-schedule-trigger) - Previous in n8n Automation Toolkit: [n8n: Items, JSON and Expressions, Explained by Doing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-items-json-expressions-tutorial) - Next in n8n Automation Toolkit: [n8n: Send Form Answers Straight to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-form-to-google-sheets) ## More in n8n Automation Toolkit - [n8n: What Is n8n? Build Your First Workflow](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-tutorial-for-beginners-first-workflow): What n8n is and how it thinks, then your first workflow: a client inquiry form that catches every request and writes a one-line summary. No code, no accounts to connect. - [n8n: Summarize Customer Emails with OpenAI](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-openai-summarize-emails): Your first AI step in n8n: send each customer email to OpenAI with one prompt and get a one-line summary plus the next step. No agent needed, about a cent of API use. - [Find and Use n8n Templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/find-and-use-n8n-templates): Skip the blank canvas. Find a ready-made workflow in the n8n template gallery, import it into your workspace, connect Google Sheets and Gmail, test it with a real form… - [Litescrape in n8n: Swap SerpApi for a Cheaper Search API](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/litescrape-n8n-serpapi-alternative): Switch a weekly n8n competitor-price workflow from SerpApi to Litescrape's Google Shopping API: change the HTTP Request URL, move the key into a Bearer Auth credential… - [n8n: Execute Step, Execute Workflow and Publish](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-execute-step-execute-workflow-publish): Learn the buttons in today's n8n editor: run one node with Execute step, pin test data, run everything with Execute workflow, then Publish and copy the Production URL. - [Webhooks and Forms in n8n: Capture Data from Anywhere](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-webhook-and-form-trigger-tutorial): Stop losing quote requests between inboxes. Build a form n8n hosts for you, catch entries from your own website with a webhook, and save every request to one Google… [All 18 modules in n8n Automation Toolkit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/n8n-automation-toolkit) ## More n8n tutorials - [n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets): Build an AI agent for BrightPath Marketing that generates social media post ideas and saves them to Google Sheets — chat trigger, AI Agent, system prompt, model… - [Lovable + n8n: Build a Web App with an AI Backend](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/lovable-n8n-web-app-ai-backend): Build a contact form in Lovable and connect it to an n8n workflow — webhook trigger, AI Agent, Google Sheets, Gmail, and a Respond node that ties it all together. - [AI Receipt Extractor: Receipts to Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-receipt-extractor-n8n-google-sheets): Drop a photo of a receipt into an n8n chat. An AI agent reads it, pulls out the date, vendor and amount, picks a category, and adds a row to Google Sheets. - [n8n AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-email-responder-gmail-drafts-n8n): Build an n8n agent that watches your Gmail, reads each new customer email, and writes a reply as a draft in the same thread, ready for you to check and send. - [Daily Job Alerts: Email Each Tech Their Jobs from Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-daily-job-alerts-google-sheets-gmail): Every morning at 7, n8n reads a plumbing company's jobs sheet, skips anything not assigned yet, and emails each job to the tech it's assigned to — customer, address… - [Gmail AI Triage: Auto-Label Every Email and Draft Replies](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/gmail-ai-triage-labels-drafts-n8n): Build an n8n workflow that reads each new email, sorts it as a lead, a client or an invoice with a Text Classifier, adds the matching Gmail label, and drafts a reply to… ## Free cheat sheet Print it or save the PDF: the key steps and checks from this lesson on one page, free. - [n8n Beginner Cheat Sheet: Triggers, Items, Expressions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/n8n-beginner): A free one-page n8n beginner cheat sheet: what n8n is, triggers vs actions, items and JSON, expressions, test vs production, schedules, forms and costs. [All free printable cheat sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets) ## Terms in this lesson Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Schedule Trigger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/schedule-trigger) · [Execute step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/execute-step) · [Invoice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/invoice) · [Edit Fields (Set) node](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/edit-fields-node) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Browse related tutorials [n8n Automation Toolkit (18)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/n8n-automation-toolkit) · [n8n tutorials (47)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n)