Choosing frequency and timing.
HOW OFTEN
As infrequently as the task allows.
Every minute is rarely necessary and consumes resources continuously.
FOR APPLICATION SCHEDULERS
Every fifteen minutes suits most sites.
Every five for shops processing orders.
FOR MAINTENANCE TASKS
Daily or weekly.
FOR BACKUPS
Daily for anything with changing data. Weekly for a static site.
WHAT TIME
Outside your busy period.
For a Nigerian audience, that means overnight local time rather than overnight elsewhere.
CHECK THE SERVER TIMEZONE
Before scheduling anything time-sensitive.
STAGGERING
Offset multiple jobs so they do not run simultaneously.
CONSIDERING DURATION
A job must finish comfortably within its interval.
If it does not, lengthen the interval.
WHAT TO AVOID
Everything on the hour Heavy jobs during business hours Frequency chosen without thinking