Feeling unproductive and desperately in need of some motivation? We got you!
We all know how important productivity is for success. Yet, there are days when you’re in a slump, unable to be productive, and barely completing your daily tasks on time. Even when you try your best to focus, the multiple distractions and productivity killers seem to stop you. Well, you’re not alone.
One of the best ways to beat this slump is to read the words of those who’ve experienced and overcome it.
In this blog, we’ve gathered 50 productivity quotes from authors, entrepreneurs, motivational speakers, and productivity consultants to help you get back in the game.
50 Productivity Quotes to Help You Stay Motivated
Here are the best quotes to help you stay motivated:
Productivity quotes on time management
We’ve grown up on the staple that time is money, a famous quote expressing time’s importance. We can’t talk about productivity goals without a mention of time management; however, it is something many of us struggle with!
1. Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year—and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!
Tony Robbins, Author and coach
David Allen, author and creator of the time management system ‘Getting Things Done’ via Wikipedia > 2. Actually, the most productive time I’m in is when I have the freedom to make a creative mess; you too. I need room to be crazy, to make some mistakes, to brainstorm, to be chaotic, to go a little off the edge. That is going to be your most productive time.
David Allen, Author and productivity expert
3. Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important.
Steven Covey, Educator and author
4. Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.
Leo Babauta, Author and journalist
5. Saying ‘I don’t have time’ really means ‘it’s not a priority.’ If someone offered you a ton of cash to do whatever you claim you don’t have time for…you’d probably find the time!
Laura Vanderkam, Writer and speaker
6. One of the great challenges of our age, in which the tools of our productivity are also the tools of our leisure, is to figure out how to make more useful those moments of procrastination when we’re idling in front of our computer screens.
Joshua Foer, Journalist and author
7. Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes in a day.
Denis Waitley, Motivational speaker and writer
8. Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.
Louisa May Alcott, Novelist and poet
9. Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends.
Brian Tracy, Motivational public speaker and author
10. If you don’t measure your time, it’s tough to stop procrastination or improve your productivity. Because if you want to manage your time better, you have to know where it goes first. How do you know your time? Keep an activity log. An activity log is exactly what you imagine — an hour by hour record of what you’re doing throughout the day.
Darius Foroux, Investor, entrepreneur, and author
Brian Tracy, motivational public speaker, self-development author, and chairman of Brian Tracy International via Wikipedia > 11. To Eat that Frog is a time management term that means to do your worst task first. Every morning organize your tasks, and choose the biggest and worst tasks to do first. By doing this you will eliminate the opportunity to push it back throughout the day and not complete it.
Brian Tracy, Motivational public speaker and self-development author
12. Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.
Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker
13. Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.
Thomas Edison, Inventor and businessman
14. I take time blocking seriously, dedicating 10 to 20 minutes every evening to building my schedule for the next day. Sometimes people ask why I bother with such a detailed level of planning. My answer is simple: it generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40 hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure.
Cal Newport, Author and associate professor
15. Stressing output is the key to improving productivity while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.
Paul Gauguin, Painter and sculptor
Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator, author, and founder of modern management via Wikipedia > 16. First, one tries to identify and eliminate the things that need not be done at all, the things that are purely a waste of time without any results whatsoever. To find these time wasters, one asks of all activities in the time records: ‘What would happen if this were not done at all?’ And if the answer is, ‘Nothing would happen,’ then obviously the conclusion is to stop doing it.
Peter Drucker, Management consultant, educator, and author
17. You don’t need a new plan for next year. You need a commitment.
Seth Godin, Author, entrepreneur, speaker
Also Read: Tips to improve productivity
Productivity quotes on consistency
The results you want to see, the goals you want to achieve, and the habits you want to form—don’t happen in one day. They develop when you work on them every day. This is true for anything you do.
Therefore, consistency is a must-have for a strong work ethic . It is also essential to productivity, ensuring you progress towards your goals.
Here are some quotes on productivity and consistency.
1. I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the unsuccessful ones is pure perseverance.
Steve Jobs, Entrepreneur, inventor, and investor
Janet Yellen, American economist and 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury via Wikipedia > 2. Productivity growth, however it occurs, has a disruptive side to it. In the short term, most things that contribute to > productivity growth > are very painful.
Janet Yellen, Economist
3. Over the long run, the unglamorous habit of frequency fosters both productivity and creativity.
Gretchen Rubin, Author, blogger, and speaker
Bruce Lee, a Hong Kong-American martial artist via Wikipedia > 4. I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks, but I do fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
Bruce Lee, Martial artist and actor
5. Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle, Ancient philosopher and polymath
6. Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.
Paul J. Meyer, Author and motivational speaker
7. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker
8. Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.
Michael Jordan, Businessman and basketball star
9. Productivity is not about eureka moments, your big break, pulling off all-nighters, and drinking Red Bull all day. If you want to achieve things in life, it’s about aiming for daily progress. You want to exercise, work, read, learn, study, every single day.
Darius Foroux, Investor, entrepreneur, and author
10. Consistency is the key! If you can’t be consistent, then you can’t be anything.
Tony Gaskins, Motivational speaker, author, and life coach
11. People often say that motivation doesn’t last long. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
Zig Ziglar, Author and motivational speaker
Nolan Bushnell, American businessman and Founder of Chuck E. Cheese via Wikipedia > 12. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today.
Nolan Bushnell, Business leader and engineer
13. People like consistency. Whether it’s a store or a restaurant, they want to come in and see what you are famous for.
Millard Drexler, Business leader
14. It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.
Albert Einstein, Theoretical physicist
15. The 90/90/1 rule helps you create vast amounts of productivity. It’s a simple rule — for the next 90 days, spend the first 90 minutes of your work day on the single most game-changing opportunity. Nothing else. Zero distractions.
Robin Sharma, Writer
16. Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.
Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker
Productivity quotes on focus and hard work
Your productivity plan is incomplete if it doesn’t consider hard work and focus. Because if you can’t work hard and focus on your work, how can you be productive?
So when you want to be more productive , start by focusing. And if you’re wondering how to focus, our productivity experts have something to say about that, too! Read on to learn.
1. If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one.
Jack Ma, Business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
2. If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.
David Allen, Author and productivity consultant
3. The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.
Walt Disney, Animator, film producer, and entrepreneur
4. It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.
Babe Ruth, Legendary Baseball player
5. Scientists now know that the brain is incapable of paying positive attention to two things at the same time. What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50 percent.
Susan Cain , Writer and lecturer
Warren Buffett, Business leader, investor, and philanthropist via US Intl Trade Administration & Wikipedia
6. You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.
Warren Buffett, Business leader, investor, and philanthropist
7. Don’t worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.
Tom Rath, Researcher and author
8. Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.
Stephen King, Author
9. I began to discover that by focusing deeply on just one important thing at a time— hyperfocusing—we become the most productive version of ourselves. I began to view attention as the most important ingredient we can add if we’re to become more productive, creative, and happy.
Chris Bailey, Writer and productivity consultant
10. You must remain focused on your journey to greatness,
Les Brown, Politician and motivational speaker
11. The best way to drive performance in an organization is to create an environment in which information can flow freely, mistakes can be highlighted, and help can be offered and received.
Simon Sinek, Author and inspirational speaker
12. Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.
Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor, scientist, and engineer
13. There is no royal, flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it. For if I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard.
CJ Walker, Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist
Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host and Chairwoman of Harpo Productions and Oprah Winfrey Network via Wikipedia > 14. The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.
Oprah Winfrey, Talk show host, producer, actor, and author
15. The best people on the planet in terms of creativity and productivity are not spending their finest hours addicted to distraction. They are doing work that matters.
Robin Sharma, Writer
16. Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.
David Rockefeller, Economist and investment banker
17. When people think of ways that work to enhance employee productivity, their first thought often goes to sophisticated tools and platforms. However, I believe there is a tool with a much lower barrier to entry that may improve employees’ productivity by enhancing their well-being. That tool is mindfulness.
Suzanne Taylor, Business coach
Related: Podcasts to motivate you
Amp Your Productivity Up with ClickUp
Inspired by these quotes and ready to get back to work? There are dozens of productivity hacks out there that you can use. And among these many hacks, one of the best is using a tool that helps you be more productive.
ClickUp is a customizable productivity, collaboration, and all-in-one project management tool designed to enhance efficiency. It offers multiple features that ensure you get back on track easily and quickly.
Curious how? Here’s a glimpse into some of its features:
ClickUp’s Everything View
Get a bird’s-eye view of your organization with Everything View
ClickUp offers a unique feature, Everything View, that lets you see tasks from all your lists and spaces across every level of your organization in a single view. You can filter, sort, save, and even share this view with others.
If you’re using ClickUp for personal productivity, use ClickUp’s Calendar View and List View for maximum efficiency.
Our List View is highly flexible. You can sort, group, tag, and filter tasks for better organization. The Calendar View lets you sync your tasks with Google Calendar and view your daily, weekly, and monthly agendas the traditional way.
ClickUp Templates
Talking about productivity without talking about time-saving templates is impossible. Here are the best ClickUp Templates you can use:
1. ClickUp Personal Productivity Template
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Become more efficient and productive with ClickUp's Personal Productivity Template
This fully customizable template allows you to organize and prioritize tasks, track progress, and streamline productivity. You can also set recurring tasks to take breaks throughout the workday.
2. ClickUp for Productivity Template
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Focus on your most important tasks with the ClickUp for Personal Productivity template
This template balances your personal and work lives and ensures nothing gets left behind. It’s a beginner-level template, so you can use it easily. It offers 7 views, 30 statuses, and an automation feature for whenever you change a custom field.
3. ClickUp Personal Productivity Report Template
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Record and monitor your team’s productivity with ClickUp's Productivity Report Template
The template lets you monitor the time you spend on each task, identify areas for improvement, and create reports to measure progress compared to your preset goals. It also gives you an overview of your progress over a specified period and monitors your team’s output.
ClickUp Time Tracking
Improve your productivity by tracking how you are spending your time with ClickUp’s time-tracking feature
Track time quickly and from any device with ClickUp’s time-tracking feature . You can set estimates and update your time on any device, anytime, anywhere. You can also add notes to your time entries for better understanding.
With this feature, you can understand where your time went and, accordingly, work to improve your productivity.
ClickUp Notepad
Stay organized and productive with ClickUp Notepad
Have an idea that you quickly want to jot down? Or add a task to your checklist before you lose the thread? ClickUp Notepad lets you do just that and a whole lot more.
With ClickUp Notepad , you can organize your notes, tasks, and checklists in one place and convert them into trackable tasks. This way, you don’t have to switch between different apps and tabs. Because, of course, context switching can impair your productivity!
ClickUp Automation
Automate routine tasks with pre-built automation in ClickUp
Use ClickUp’s 100+ Automations to increase productivity by automating repetitive tasks. You can use the pre-built ones or customize them as per your needs.
For instance, you no longer have to worry about assigning tasks or changing task statuses or priorities—ClickUp will do it for you. The best part is that you can also automate your favorite daily-use tools with ClickUp.
ClickUp’s To-Do Lists
Never forget a task with to-do lists in ClickUp
A to-do list in ClickUp is one of the best tools to manage tasks and enhance productivity. Create multi-functional to-do lists from anywhere and on any device using ClickUp. You can add formatting and colors, link items with tasks or assignees, set reminders, and more.
Boost Productivity Like a Pro
Quotes express some of our most strongly felt emotions, opinions, and thoughts. We hope the productivity quotes we shared with you provided a much-needed pause and a healthy dose of motivation to go along with it.
Don’t forget to choose the quotes that resonated the most with you and keep them as a reminder for when things feel difficult.
On your mission to increase productivity, remember to leverage an app that drives productivity in all aspects of life. Saving people time by making the world more productive is ClickUp’s mission. And its plethora of features help you do just that. See it for yourself today. Sign up for free !
FAQs
1. What is a famous quote about productivity?
There are many famous quotes about productivity. However, one of the most famous quotes is by Paul J. Meyer: “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
2. What is a motivational quote about efficiency?
Bruce Lee once said, “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” It is a perfect quote about efficiency that describes the importance of doing instead of merely thinking.