60+ Procrastination Quotes to Inspire Action

How to Stop Procrastinating?

Procrastination is a common human problem, so we’ve collected these procrastination quotes to help anyone struggling with this malady.

Do you struggle with procrastination and the frustration and guilt of not doing the things you need or aspire to do?  If so, you’re just a habit away from taking daily action that will turn it around for you.

If you don’t struggle with it, that’s awesome! Perhaps you’re here for a friend… or to grab some quotes for work. Either way, we’re glad you’re here and hope you’ll find some favorite procrastination quotes here.

If you do struggle with getting things done, then you’re definitely not alone. But if you want to get your goals done, you can simply kick this habit with daily creativity and goal setting.

Procrastination is kryptonite to creators.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Table of Contents

• How to Stop Procrastinating?
  • Audio Article – Procrastination Quotes
• The Procrastination Problem
• The Good News About Procrastination
  • Examples of Procrastination Excuses
• Are You Working in Your Zone of Genius?
• Don’t Beat Yourself Up
• Overcoming Procrastination
• Manifest Your Dreams
• Procrastination Quotes

Over 9,900 people a month search the term, “How to stop procrastinating“.
Over 165,000 people per month search the word “Procrastination“.
And that’s just the numbers searching…

Those procrastination statistics are just the numbers of people who are actively searching the term. It doesn’t even touch the number of people who may be habitual procrastinators who never Google the word. Maybe they procrastinated on that too. ?

To help inspire you to take action, we’ve compiled an entire list of favorite procrastination quotes. But first, more perspectives on procrastination to help you along with your aspirations, because, well…

“Your dreams won’t get done without you.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Audio Article – Procrastination Quotes:

The Procrastination Problem

Research estimates that approximately 20% of people are chronic procrastinators.^[1]https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/why-wait-the-science-behind-procrastination

If you’ve ever procrastinated on anything, you’ll know how there’s nothing about procrastination that makes you feel good about yourself.  It’s a self-defeating habit that hinders the success of many creatives.

Corralling the free flowing creative spirit into time and space can be a challenge.  To lasso the wild horse of imagination and tame the bucking bronco of the creative mind is a bumpy ride. However, once harnessed, that beauty can take you wherever you want to go.

“You will never regret the results you achieve by requiring yourself to focus and get stuff done.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

The Good News About Procrastination

Are you here because you’re amongst the procrastinators who searched that term? If so, it’s likely that you’re tired of that pattern and ready to do something about it.

But If you’re procrastinating, there may actually be a good reason…and a good solution! If you’re always placing other things in front of your goals, that could be an indication that your heart isn’t really in it. If that’s it, maybe it’s time to assess and course correct if needed.

So don’t worry, but do look into this because you don’t want to delay getting on with the most important parts of your life.

Examples of Procrastination Excuses

• You don’t put your work out there because you don’t have a website yet.
• Not publishing your work because you haven’t decided which social platform to use.
• Not starting your business because you haven’t incorporated your business yet.
• Perfectionist…tweaking your website even though you’ve spent months and it looks decent enough.

“Procrastination always comes with excuses. Excuses diffuse dreams. Action builds them.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Are You Working in Your Zone of Genius?

Sometimes procrastination is not a ‘who’ (it is that’s procrastinating), but a ‘what’ that’s the cause. If you’re procrastinating on some things but not everything, it could be an indicator that your work is not yet in alignment with your soul purpose. In that case, procrastination could be a clue that you’re not yet working in your zone of genius.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do those things. Naturally, we all have to do things that we’d rather not do. But if you’re procrastinating doing the endeavor you believe to be your passion, it may be time to examine that and delve deeper into what lights you up. What fuels your inner flame?

If you’re uncertain as to your purpose, no worries! That’s actually common and a normal part of the process.

Your zone of genius is tapped into your inner reservoir of resilience… your personal Holy Grail which cup is perpetually full.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

If you’ve been in a procrastination rut, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t be hard on yourself when it feels like you’re coming up short, or spinning your wheels. It’s completely normal to get stuck and have doubts at various places along the way. It’s just another lesson to absorb. We learn through failure, trial and error, IF we keep testing, tweaking, adjusting and adapting.

One thing is certain: daily effort produces results. Daily doing dissolves doubt and keeps the horizon in view, even if that day’s ‘doing’ is re-planning for a better tomorrow. Even if that day’s doing needs to be undone or redone, that’s one mistake closer to knowing what works by ruling out what doesn’t.

So as you plan your next goal, envision what you’ll want to have done over the next 30 days. Decide your next action toward that. For goal setting, you may benefit by using the 90 Day Goals Journal. You can get that or a free 30 Day Goals PDF here.

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination… deferred dreams… plagues the majority. Become the minority. Become the mover and shaker in your own world.

The fastest way to plow through procrastination is to stop talking, analyzing and anguishing over what to do, and just get busy doing the next most important thing on your goals list.

One of the things that contributes to procrastination is perfectionism. Another contributor is the fear of failure.

Procrastination is the Moriarty to progress. So the fastest way to kill procrastination is to starve it by doing your work… by making progress… by diving in and doing before you have it all figured out. So don’t procrastinate on your dreams. They deserve to be kept alive through daily creative initiative.

Don’t overthink things. Just do. It is in the doing that we figure things out. Fuel your future. Do the work that matters to you.

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
~Don Marquis, humorist, poet, journalist, playwright, 1878-1937

Manifest Your Dreams

Procrastinators are often dreamers who stall out when their perfect vision is impeded by real world physical plane resistance. Dreamers subsequently often feel overwhelmed as to how to bring their vision to life… it’s so big… so grand… so far away that they feel defeated before they begin.

Remember… every journey begins with one step and then another. If you’re planning a vacation across the country or overseas, that’s far away too. But you begin planning and doing… planning and doing all the steps necessary to get there. Same for your journey of spinning your dreams to life.

We’ve covered finding yourself and your purpose in other articles. The purpose of this article is to share thoughts and a collection of procrastination quotes to help inspire you to action, and to keep you motivated.

PROCRASTINATION QUOTES

Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.
~Mason Cooley, American aphorist, 1927-2002

Achievement

Never mistake activity for achievement.
~John Wooden, basketball coach, author, 1910-2010

Action

An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.
~Arnold Glasow, businessman, published first book at 92 (1905-1998)

Never mistake activity for achievement.
~John Wooden, basketball coach, author, 1910-2010

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.
~Napolean Bonaparte, French revolutionary military leader, 1769-1821

“Procrastination becomes a burden removed by action.”
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

I never worry about action, but only inaction.
~Winston Churchill, British politician, army officer, writer, 1874-1965

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.
~Peter Marshall, (Ralph Pierre LaCock) TV-radio, actor, b.3/30/1926

Procrastination is a dream slayer, slave maker and life taker that shadows your mind and obscures your goals. Action is a super power. Take it.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.
~Michael Landon, actor, director, producer, 1936-1991

Begin and Procrastination Quotes

Begin. To begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.
~Decimus Magnus Ausonius, Roman poet, rhetoric teacher, 310-395 AD

Belief and Procrastination Quotes

Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.
~Roy T. Bennett, author, The Light in the Heart

You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.
~Brian Tracy, motivational speaker, author, b.1/5/44

Choices Quotes

Plant the orchard of your future with the seeds of today’s choices.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Create Daily

The more we create, the better we become at creating.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Creating daily places you in charge of the flow.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Procrastination is no match for consistent daily effort.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

When we pick up the pace, we increase our capacity.
~LeAura Alderson, creator, iCreateDaily.com®

Decisions

All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”
~Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Delay

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.
~ Mario Andretti, American-Italian race car driver, b.2/28/1940

If you choose to not deal with an issue, then you give up your right of control over the issue and it will select the path of least resistance.” 
~Susan Del Gatto, stress coach, author

Depression

“The best remedy for feeling stuck, depressed or anxious is to do the thing you feel you should be doing, but aren’t.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Dreams

Bring your dreams to life, one day at a time… it’s the only way anyone ever arrived at theirs.
~LeAura Alderson, creator, iCreateDaily.com®

“The moment you stop resisting doing what you know you need to do is the moment your life will turn the corner to your dreams.”
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily,com

When it comes to bringing your dreams to life, procrastination plagues the majority. Become the minority. Become the mover and shaker in your own world.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

“Your dreams won’t get done without you.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Pluck the fruits of your dreams and plant them in the soil of substance, daily, and they will grow and flourish. The day is the way™.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

Excellence

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today.
As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”
~Thomas J. Watson, IBM CEO, Author, 1874-1956

Excuses

“Become obsessed with your goals, not your excuses.”
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com

Procrastination is a burden that bashes dreams. Push excuses away with boldness, and you will become emboldened. Progress is power.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

“Procrastination always comes with excuses. Excuses diffuse dreams. Action builds them.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

If you’re a procrastinator, you will find every excuse not to do what you need to do. Here’s a thought: Do it first. I call it reverse procrastination.
~Jeff Goins, best selling author, coach, blogger, b.1982

Fear and Procrastination Quotes

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
~ Dale Carnegie, American writer, author, speaker, teacher, 1888-1955

Failure

Don’t let failure derail you. Let it reset your resolve to try again.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Focus and Procrastination Quotes

We must trim out what doesn’t belong in the future we’re aspiring to, and bring obsessive mental focus to the life we’re creating.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com

“You will never regret the results you achieve by requiring yourself to focus and get stuff done.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Goals

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
~Tony Robbins, Entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, life & business strategist, b.2/29/60

“The surest way out of procrastination is to set s simple goal and work it. Set another and work that…. then another, one goal at a time.”
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com

“How to get stuff done? Set a goal… achieve the goal… and then you set another.”
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

SIMPLE DAILY GOALS – 3 Steps, 2x Daily

How to Achieve Daily Mental Focus in 3 Short Steps

AMs
1. Make a list – brain dump, all the things to do today.
2. Decide the top 3 things that will move you closer to your goal.
3. Do those first. Ignore all else to every extent possible.

PMs
1. Any time you get those 3 things done with plenty of time, repeat this process.
2. At day’s end, assess your progress and improvements.
3. Plan tomorrow.

Don’t make your daily goals a big deal… just a big priority.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

Habits

Don’t think about what you don’t want to do. Don’t overthink it, debate it or argue it in your head. Leap to your feet or your seat, and do what you need to do immediately, before your excuses show up and trip you up.
~LeAura Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

“There’s no such thing as writer’s block… what’s necessary is to develop a habit.”
~Seth Godin, What to do When it’s Your Turn

Happiness

“It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit.”
~Denis Waitley, motivational speaker, author, b.1933

Haste

“May you make haste slowly in the aspiration that compels you.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com

Hustle and Procrastination Quotes

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
~Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President, 1809-1865

To invoke dynamic creativity put on some powerful, energizing music. Music that demands movement in response. Then jump in and dance your art out!
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Patience

“Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.”
~Richard G. Scott, scientist, religious leader, author 1928-2015

Planning and Procrastination Quotes

Keep working your plan and your plan will work!
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Problems and Procrastination

“There is no problem outside of you that is superior to the power within you.”
~Bob Proctor, speaker, mindset expert, author, b.7/5/1934

Progress

Pierce the pall of procrastination with progress. Don’t dither, don’t doubt, don’t dawdle and deliberate… just do.
~LeAura Alderson, coauthor – iCreateDaily 90 Day Goals Journal®

Procrastination is a burden that bashes dreams. Push excuses away with boldness, and you will become emboldened. Progress is power.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

Promises

“Self confidence grows every time you keep a promise to yourself.”
~Asha Dornfest, writer, author, blogger, b.1950

“Make measurable progress in reasonable time.”
~Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author, speaker, 1930

“Slow, steady progress is better than daily excuses.”
~Robin Sharma, leadership expert, author, b.6/16/1964

Regret

“Regret for wasted time is more wasted time.“
~Mason Cooley, American aphorist, 1927-2002

Responsibility and Procrastination Quotes

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
~Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President, 1809-1865

Stuck

“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to ­music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just sit there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.”
~ Hilary Mantel, fiction author,7/7/1952

“The best remedy is to do the thing you feel you should be doing, but aren’t.”
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Time and Procrastination Quotes

“The time I kill is killing me.”
~Mason Cooley, aphorist, 1927-2002

“All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.” 
~Martha Graham, multidisciplinary dancer, choreographer, entrepreneur, 1894-1991

“Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
~ M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist and author, The Road Less Traveled, 1936-2005

All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”
~Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again.
~Benjamin Franklin, American founding father, writer, 1706-1790

Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.
~Napoleon Hill, author, Think and Grow Rich

My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.
~Charles Dickens, English writer, social critic, 1812-1870

Winners and Procrastination Quotes

“The winner of the race never slows down before the finish line. She speeds up and gives it all she’s got.”
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

Work Ethic

“Don’t ask what’s the least you can do. Ask what’s the most you can bear.”
~Tom Bilyeu, cofounder Quest Nutrition & Impact Theory, b.3/30/1976

“You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.”
~Irish Proverb

Zone of Genius

Your zone of genius is tapped into your inner reservoir of resilience… your personal Holy Grail which cup is perpetually full.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

A Powerful Tool

If you still need more reinforcement and a great tip on a super simple powerfully transformative tool to end procrastination, check out these Mel Robbins Quotes. Be sure to also tune into her video interview with Tom Bilyeu of Impact Theory for the “stupid simple” tool Mel discovered and uses and teaches in her books, that ended her procrastination forever. You’ll find that interview at the very end of that article of Mel’s quotes.

iCreateDaily Journals and More on Shopify

A movement for creators serious about their work.

The Day is the Way.

iCreateDaily™ on Amazon