63 Quotes about Procrastination to Help You Get Things Done

Procrastination is a common struggle for many people, causing them to delay or avoid completing important tasks. In my personal experience, and as the new editor of this blog, I understand the importance of writing high-quality content that is well-researched and engaging for you, our readers. However, as someone who also struggles sometimes with perfectionism, I have found myself getting stuck in a cycle of procrastination when it comes to writing some blog posts (such as this procrastination quotes post!)

It can be a difficult habit to break, but some techniques can help all of us overcome procrastination and become more productive, once we understand the root cause. One technique is to reframe your mindset by reading quotes about overcoming procrastination to get started. Other techniques include breaking your tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, prioritizing them based on importance and urgency, eliminating distractions, and utilizing tools such as timers. By implementing these techniques, we can overcome procrastination and improve our productivity and overall well-being.

What is procrastination?

Procrastination refers to the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions that need to be completed. It is a common behavior that affects many people, and it can have negative consequences on productivity, performance, and well-being.

Best Quotes About Procrastination

1. “The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.” —Dawson Trotman

2. “It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.” —J. R. R. Tolkien, writer.

3. “He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin.” —Horace, Roman poet.

4. “If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.” —Ivan Turgenev, Russian novelist.

5. “Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today.” —Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President

6. “Getting an idea should be like sitting on a pin; it should make you jump up and do something.” —E. L. Simpson

7. “Begin while others are procrastinating. Work while others are wishing.” —William Arthur Ward, American motivational writer

8. “Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible.” —George H. Lorimer, American journalist

9. “Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.” —David Allen, American productivity consultant

10. “Often greater risk is involved in postponement than in making a wrong decision.” —Harry A. Hopf

11. “Anything worth putting off is worth abandoning altogether.” —Epictetus, Philosoper

12. “The momentum of continuous action fuels motivation, while procrastination kills motivation.” —Steve Pavlina, Motivational speaker

13. “Doing things at the last minute reminds us of the importance of doing things at the first minute.” —Matshona Dhliwayo, writer.

14. “Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin.” —Victor Kiam, American entrepreneur

15. “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” —Sydney Harris, American journalist

16. “We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it?” —Buddha

17. “Don’t let procrastination take over your life. Be brave and take risks. Your life is happening right now.” —Roy T. Benett, writer.

18. “Neither a wise nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President

Procrastination Quotes to Get You To Take Action

19. “Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” — Napoleon Bonaparte, French military commander

20. “The breeding ground of fear is procrastination and inaction. We overcome them not by preparation, but by taking action.” — Debasish Mridha, American author

21. “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” —Zig Ziglar, American writer

22. “You may delay, but time will not.” —Benjamin Franklin, inventor

23. “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” —Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President

24. “A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large.” —Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby, American author

25. “There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks.” —David Lloyd George

26. “Set a timer and compete to beat the clock to conquer procrastination.” —Monika Kristofferson

27. “Action will destroy your procrastination.” —Augustine Mandino

28. “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” —Lucius Annaeus Seneca, philosopher

29. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” —Karen Lamb, author

30. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” —Abraham Lincoln,, 16th U.S. President

Short Quotes about Procrastination

31. “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday” Don Marquis, American poet

32. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” Napoleon Hill, American self-help author

33. “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” David Allen, American productivity consultant

34. “Someday is not a day of the week.” Janet Dailey, American writer

35. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. American activist

36. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”
Dale Carnegie, American writer

37. “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that in itself is a choice.” William James

38. “If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.” Olin Miller

39. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” Stephen King, American writer

40. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur

41. “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter

42. “If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.” Norman Vincent Peale, American writer

43. “Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
Christopher Parker, English actor.

Motivational Quotes about Procrastination

44. “Procrastination is the thief of time: Year after year it steals, till all are fled, and to the mercies of a moment leaves the vast concerns of an eternal scene.” Edward Young, English poet.

45. “The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings.” Thomas Sowell, American writer.

46. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank, German diarist.

47. “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.

48. “The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, productivity. You can be, too.” Norman Vincent Peale, American writer.

49. “During a very busy life I have often been asked, “How did you manage to do it all?” The answer is very simple. It is because I did everything promptly.” Richard Tangye, British engineer

50. “If you believe you can accomplish everything by “cramming” at the eleventh hour, by all means, don’t lift a finger now. But you may think twice about beginning to build your ark once it has already started raining.” Max Brooks, writer

51. “Procrastination usually results in sorrowful regret. Today’s duties put off until tomorrow give us a double burden to bear; the best way is to do them in their proper time.” Ida Scott Taylor, writer.

52. “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day’s success.” Israelmore Ayivor, writer.

53. “If you procrastinate when faced with a big difficult problem… break the problem into parts, and handle one part at a time.” Robert Collier, American writer.

54. “My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” Charles Dickens, novelist

Empowering Quotes to Overcome Procrastination

55. “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand—and melting like a snowflake.” Francis Bacon, English Philosoper

56. “We are so scared of being judged that we look for every excuse to procrastinate.” Erica Jong, American novelist 

57. “So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don’t sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.” Lee Iacocca, American Businessman

58. “Perhaps the most valuable result of an education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.” Aldous Huxley, english novelist

59. “The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.” Dale Carnegie, American writer

60. “The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.” Alexander Graham Bell, inventor

61. “Following-through is the only thing that separates dreamers from people that accomplish great things.”Attributed to Gene Hayden (author of “The Follow-Through Factor: Getting from Doubt to Done“

62. “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” Dale Carnegie, American writer

63. “You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
What mood is that?
Last-minute panic.” Bill Watterson, American cartoonist

Why do we procrastinate?

Many factors can contribute to procrastination. Some of the most common causes include:

• Getting motivated is hard until things are urgent.
• Negative thoughts and feelings. 
• The task looks tedious. 

Perfectionism and distractions, such as social media, can also get in the way of doing the task. It is important to recognize the root causes of procrastination to effectively address the problem.

How to overcome procrastination?

Some techniques that can help you overcome procrastination and increase your productivity. 

Reframe our mindset to get motivated

Motivational quotes can be a powerful tool to help reframe our mindset and motivate us to overcome procrastination. Here are some tips for using motivational quotes to shift your thinking:

1. Find Inspiring Quotes: Start by finding quotes that resonate with you and inspire you to take action. Look for quotes that are specific and relevant to your goals. You can use any of the selected 30 procrastination quotes above to start

Also, if you are delaying things about some teamwork or going to the gym, we have some specific anti-procrastination quotes to get you motivated

https://www.goodmorningquote.com/motivational-workout-quotes/

https://www.goodmorningquote.com/inspirational-teamwork-quotes-sayings/

Remember, overcoming procrastination quotes are just one tool to help reframe your mindset, but it is just a starting point. Other things you could do:

2. Break tasks into smaller chunks and create a to-do list

Breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks can make them seem less daunting and easier to accomplish. This technique can help you feel less overwhelmed and more motivated to get started. Then, you can create a to-do list to help you prioritize these chunks and to cross off tasks as you complete them to give yourself a sense of accomplishment.

3: Set specific, achievable goals

Setting specific, achievable goals can help you stay focused and motivated. It’s important to set goals that are realistic and attainable so that you can feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve them.

4: Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management technique that involves working for a set amount of time, usually 25 minutes, and then taking a short break. During this time, eliminate distractions, such as social media or email notifications, so you can stay focused on your task.

5: Reward yourself

Rewarding yourself for completing tasks can help you stay motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s important to choose rewards that are meaningful and relevant to your goals.

6: Seek support

Seeking support from friends, family, or a coach can help you stay motivated and accountable, ideally, you would need to find someone who can provide encouragement and help you stay on track.

Conclusion

In conclusion, procrastination is a trap that many human beings fall into, and it can take a toll on our lives. It’s our lazy cousin of fear that keeps us from taking action and completing tasks. 

However, by understanding the root causes of our procrastination, such as fear of success or anxiety about failure, we can begin to stop procrastination and increase our productivity. 

Scientists have found that creating a schedule and breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps can help us overcome this bad habit of putting things off. Some of the most effective techniques include cultivating a positive mindset, setting clear goals, using time management tools, and eliminating distractions.

Remember, an uncompleted task is like an eternal hanging, causing us anxiety and stress. By facing the hard thing and taking action, we can turn our procrastination into action. So let’s stop procrastination, and use our time wisely. 

Do these procrastination quotes inspire you to get things done? If you are, please leave us a comment in the comment section below this article, we’d love to hear from you!