Inspirational quotes never go out of style, whether you need a quick hit of wisdom to get you out of a motivation rut or a quippy musing to round out a presentation at work. Here, we’ve rounded up our favorite productivity quotes hand-picked to get you in the right mindset to harness your full potential.
First, though, a friendly reminder that productivity is about much more than the number of crossed-out items on your to-do list. Instead of judging ourselves on the sheer volume of output we can muster, we should think of “successful” productivity as achieving the right outcomes for ourselves and our team.
Here’s to getting the right things done, and done well 🥂
16 productivity quotes to help you get sh*t done meet your goals
Whatever the work is, do it well – not for the boss, but for yourself. – Toni Morrison, American novelist
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, English-American writer and speaker
“Perfect” is the enemy of “good enough.” – Meg Whitman, American business executive
If I didn’t fill my schedule with things I felt were important, other people would fill my schedule with things they felt were important. – Melinda Gates, American philanthropist
Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence. – Alan Watts, English writer, speaker, and philosopher
If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done. – Dale Carnegie, American writer and lecturer
The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals?” but “What would excite me?” – Timothy Ferriss, American entrepreneur and investor
It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? – Henry David Thoreau, American naturalist and essayist
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. – Peter Drucker, Austrian-American management consultant, educator, and author
If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word. – Margaret Atwood, American poet and author of The Handmaid’s Tale
When we rush, we skim the surface, and fail to make real connections with the world or other people.
– Carl Honoré, Canadian journalist and author of In Praise of Slow
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Will Durant, American writer, historian, and philosopher
If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving isn’t for you. – Steven Wright, stand-up comedian, actor, and writer
Only those who have patience to do simple things perfectly ever acquire the skill to do difficult things easily. – “Gentleman” Jim Corbett, 20th-century American boxer
Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self‑conscious, and anything self‑conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things. – Ray Bradbury, American author
If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster. – Stephen Covey, professor, consultant, and author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People