25 Productivity Quotes for Work That'll Inspire You to Work Harder and Smarter

When you're struggling to focus, what's your go-to strategy? Reading a few inspirational productivity quotes always does the trick for me. Not only do I feel a surge in motivation, but I remember why I'm doing what I'm doing: Because commitment, hard work, and passion will help me fulfill my goals.

Next time you're struggling to connect the small day-to-day details with the bigger picture, come back to this list.

Productivity Quotes for Work

1) "Focus on being productive instead of busy." -Tim Ferriss

2) "If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." -Bruce Lee

3) "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

4) "There is no substitute for hard work." -Thomas Edison

5) "What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50%." -Susan Cain

6) "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

7) "I always had the uncomfortable feeling that if I wasn't sitting in front of a computer typing, I was wasting my time -- but I pushed myself to take a wider view of what was 'productive.' Time spent with my family and friends was never wasted." -Gretchen Rubin

8) “Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.”
-Leo Babauta

9) “'Tomorrow’ is the thing that’s always coming but never arrives. ‘Today’ is the thing that’s already here and never leaves. And because that’s the case, I would much prefer to invest in today than sit around waiting for an arrival that’s not arriving.”
-Craig D. Lounsbrough

10) “Those who seize the day become seriously rich.”
-Richard Koch, author of The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less

11) "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it." -Steve Jobs

12) "Gentleness doesn’t get work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs." -Coco Chanel

13) "Luck is not chance, it’s toil; Fortune’s expensive smile is earned." -Emily Dickinson

14) “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” -Paul J. Meyer

15) “Stressing output is the key to improving to productivity, while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.” -Andrew Grove

16) “If you commit to giving more time than you have to spend, you will constantly be running from time debt collectors.” -Elizabeth Grace Saunders

17) “Life is too complicated not to be orderly.” -Martha Stewart

18) “My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.”
-Francine Jay

19) “Never mistake motion for action.”
-Ernest Hemingway

20) “Always deliver more than expected.” Larry Page

21) “If you don’t have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.” -Zig Ziglar

22) “I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” -Oprah Winfrey

23)“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” -Peter Drucker

24) “Lost time is never found again.” -Benjamin Franklin

25) “While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” –Henry C. Link

Hopefully these quotes have kickstarted your drive. Now that you've had a quick (and inspiring!) break, it's time to get back to work.