What do successful people say about productivity? Why do some people have increased productivity while other people seem to be wasting time? How can we learn to work smarter, not harder? These are all great questions that we will explore in this article.
If we want to have improved productivity, we can study the words successful people to find the golden nuggets. We were not meant for a life of mediocrity. We were born to win. Stop procrastinating on your goals. Eliminate your bad habits and your self-limiting beliefs. Let's take a deep dive into powerful productivity quotes from highly successful people.
Top 21 Powerful Productivity Quotes
Here is a list of motivational quotes from highly influential people to help boost your productivity:
Tim Ferriss, author of "The 4-Hour Workweek"
For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. "Someday" is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it's important to you and you want to do it "eventually," just do it and correct course along the way.
Bruce Lee, actor
If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.
Peter Drucker, management consultant
Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.
Walt Disney, The Walt Disney Company
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.
Seth Godin, author of "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?"
You don’t need a new plan for next year. You need a commitment.
Corita Kent, American Catholic religious sister, designer, and educator
Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.
Criss Jami, author of "Diotima, Battery, Electric Personality"
Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.
Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker
You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
Warren Buffett, investor
You’ve gotta keep control of your time, and you can’t unless you say no. You can’t let people set your agenda in life
Richard Branson, Virgin Group
My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, “Oh God, I’ve got to do this today"
David Allen, productivity consultant
Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started.
Frank Sinatra, singer
The best revenge is massive success.
Albert Einstein, physicist
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new
Muhammad Ali, boxer
Don't count the days, make the days count.
Bill Gates, Microsoft
It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.
Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company
If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.
Benjamin Franklin, Found Father of United States
Gentleness doesn’t get work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs.
Jerry West, NBA Player
You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.
Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Brian Tracy, motivational speaker, and self-development author
Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'
Paul J Meyer, author of "Become the Coach You Were Meant to Be"
Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.
Douglas Hofstadter, American scholar
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
Final Words
From studying the famous quotes of these influencers, we learn to stop overthinking things and start taking action. How do you take more action today? You can start your day with goal setting and end every day with tracking your progress. Start putting focused long-term effort into your big goals. Plan to win in decades, not days. It always takes longer than you think to create anything worthwhile. Find opportunities to create value for others, instead of just yourself. When you start making each day count, you will find that everything starts to shift in your favor. If you are just starting out, fall in love with your journey. It's the journey you chose. Never give up on yourself.