This post is part of a series focusing on Time Management for Teens, Students, and High Schoolers. Get the complete online course here or order the book here!
Great Quotes About Time Management
In this lecture, I wanted to step back from my own methods for time management, goal-setting and productivity and focus instead on what other people have said about it.
I feel like I’ve learned a lot about life by overhearing great quotes from super-smart people and I wanted to share some that I’ve found on the subject of time management and offer a little commentary about why I liked each quote.
As we go along, please be sure to pause and COPY DOWN any quotations you particularly like and put them somewhere you will see them on a regular basis!
Great Quotes about Focus and Time-Management
The first set of quotes deals with the subject of FOCUS.
I like these because they agree with my belief that, if possible, we should each choose our top, number-1 focus in life in order to reach our highest potential:
Tony Robbins - author, entrepreneur, and speaker - says:
“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.”
From this quote we learn that we should identify our top one to five priorities as soon as possible and concentrate our powers upon them.
Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone) said:
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
This quote, from the inventor of the telephone, which billions of people use EVERY DAY, is perfect proof that we should make the wise choice of focusing our attention on a LIMITED number of goals.
Zig Ziglar (author, speaker, and legendary salesman) says:
“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
Zig Ziglar had a funny name, but he was a fantastic businessman who got stuff done.
This quote is a great reminder that we all have the same amount of time in the day.
Some of us just put it to better use than others by setting their direction and sticking to it with focus.
Great Quotes About Planning and Execution:
The next quotes deal with the topics of planning, action, and execution:
I like these quotes because I think I’m at my best when I’m ACTING on my dreams.
It can be hard to get started and to maintain action, so learn from the best in the following quotes:
Dwight Eisenhower, US President and Commanding General during World War 2 said:
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
This quotation comes from a battle-tested commanding general in one of the biggest armed conflicts of human history – and he’s telling us to PLAN ahead of time so that we can IMPROVISE when reality actually hits and things start to get a little nuts.
When you feel like life is a battlefield and you’re overwhelmed with demands on your attention, it’s especially important to make your time for your battle plan!
Although plans ALWAYS change, you’ll be more prepared because you made your plan A, plan B and plan C long before the battle started.
Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest US Presidents said:
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
This whimsical and simple quote, whether it was truly said by Abe Lincoln or not, reminds us that wise preparations are two-thirds of good time management.
Now, don’t misinterpret this to mean that you should spend a lot of time planning instead of chopping.
Keep in mind, Abe wasn’t sitting around for four hours before going to work!
In fact, his whole plan was really only two steps long: Step 1) sharpen axe, step 2) chop tree.
Abe wasn’t planning for those four hours, he was preparing. There’s a tremendous difference but we often mix the two up.
He spend four hours of hard work sharpening, followed by another two good hours of cutting.
The important thing is that, once he knew his specific goal of chopping the tree, he wisely budgeted his time with a simple plan from the beginning to the end - leading to the fastest and most efficient outcome.
Napoleon Hill, productivity researcher and grandfather of the self-improvement genre, told us:
“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
Napoleon Hill is a favorite author of mine and he knew EVERYTHING there is to know about becoming successful, productive and happy because he spend twenty years personally interviewing hundreds of the smartest and most successful people alive in his day, in every possible industry and field.
Then he wrote about the common threads that united successful people, and one of them was taking action BEFORE everything was “perfect.”
He’s considered the “grandfather” of the self-improvement industry and continues to be read around the world by people like you and me who want to get more out of life.
Another way of saying Mr. Hill’s idea is “don’t wait for all the lights to turn green before leave your home to start driving.”
Make the best plan you can, then begin IMMEDIATELY to put it into action.
If you can do this, you’ll pretty much already be in the top 20% of the competition.
On the subject of energy and personal efficiency, Tony Robbins says:
“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body.The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.”
This quote from productivity guru Tony Robbins reminds us how incredibly important our physical health and vitality are.
Whenever possible, we should be keeping ourselves healthy, well-fed, and well-exercised.
Keeping our bodies in good health makes it easier for us to get results in our school, creative work, and career!
Great Quotes About Procrastination and Wasting Time:
On the subjects of procrastination and wasting time, the following two quotes apply:
Bruce Lee, actor, martial artist, and cultural icon said:
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
Bruce Lee was a master of discipline and action, so take his advice - don’t THINK too much - just DO!
Be like a karate master - you’re either training, fighting, or meditating.
Everything is focused on your ultimate goal, and you never waste time hesitating or sitting around and thinking too much.
Thomas Sowell, noted economist and author, opines that:
“The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings.”
Use this quote as a reminder to NOT be the person calling another group meeting.
Instead, be the one who GETS THINGS DONE and barely has TIME for attending meetings.
A Final Word On Time-Management…
And, to go a little counter to everything all the other advice so far, here’s one last bit of wisdom about using your time to the fullest…
Author Marthe Troly-Curtin gives us this classic quote about taking it easy from time to time:
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
Of course this one reminds us that as long as we’re enjoying ourselves and having a good time in life then we are “doing it right” –
So never feel guilty about having a good time doing stuff you love with people you care about!
Use These Great Quotes As Personal Inspiration!
That’s a short list of my favorite quotes from interesting and famous people talking about time management and productivity.
I’ve discovered that their words can be an incredibly-useful inspiration that I can use to boost my OWN energy!
Their words give me energy and remind me that I’m not the first person to struggle with time management.
Remember to pick at least one of the quotes, copy it down, and put it somewhere you will see it!
Do YOU Have A Favorite Time-Management Quotation?
Do YOU have a favorite quote about time management - either from my list, one you already know, or a quote you recently found?
Please share it with us in the comments below so we can all be inspired by it, and I’ll meet you in the next article!
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