We all procrastinate. Sometimes, the hardest part is just getting started. We scroll through our phones, watch another episode, or find any excuse to put off what needs to be done. At times, it feels like we are our own worst enemy.
In these moments, a few well-chosen words can spark action. Quotes about procrastination remind us we’re not alone. These thoughtful phrases can inspire us to push past delay and seize the day, one small step at a time.
Inspirational Procrastination Quotes
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“One of these days is none of these days.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”
“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”
“Someday is not a day of the week.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: It’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”
“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
“Procrastination usually results in sorrowful regret. Today’s duties put off till tomorrow give us a double burden to bear; the best way is to do them in their proper time.”
“One of the most common causes of failure is procrastination.”
“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”
“Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.”
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
“Your ideas have legs and just as they can carry you forward, they also have the power to leave you behind.”
“Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today.”
“The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.”
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
“Great acts are made up of small deeds.”
“Success doesn’t just happen. It’s planned for, and then executed, one step at a time, continued over time.”
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible.”
Famous Procrastination Quotes
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”
“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.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
“Someday is not a day of the week.”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“It’s not about having time. It’s about making time.”
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it, is one of the greatest burglars of joy. Be deliberate, but once you’ve made up your mind, jump in.”
“We squander so much time trying to spare moments for tomorrow, that today passes in idle luxuries and misspent days.”
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
“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.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.”
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
“The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up.”
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
“The time to start is now, for no perfect moment is waiting to arrive.”
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
“Doing nothing is very hard to do… you never know when you’re finished.”
“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
“Yesterday is a cancelled check: tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.”
“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
Humorous Procrastination Quotes
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.”
“The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“Someday is not a day of the week.”
“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.”
“I’m not a procrastinator. I’m just extremely productive at unimportant things.”
“Procrastination gives you something to look forward to.”
“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!”
“Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?”
“Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.”
“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”
“My biggest regret in life is that I didn’t follow my first instinct and procrastinate more.”
“Procrastination: the fine art of shelf-deception.”
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
“Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”
“I told him I’m busy today and can’t get to it. So far, no one has figured out that ‘busy’ means watching Netflix on my couch.”
“Procrastinate now, don’t put it off.”
“Hard work pays off after time, but laziness pays off now.”
“One of these days, is none of these days.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with the last-minute panic.”
“If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.”
“Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“Last-minute heroics: because nothing inspires productivity quite like the eleventh hour.”
“Eventually is a nice way of saying never.”
“Procrastination is the human way of balancing a budget of time.”
“Delay is the deadliest form of denial.”
“One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow.”
“Doing nothing is very hard to do… you never know when you’re finished.”
“It’s not procrastination, it’s prioritizing!”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
Thought-Provoking Procrastination Quotes
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
“Delay is the deadliest form of denial.”
“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
“In delay, there lies no plenty.”
“The time to begin is now.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it, is one of the greatest burglars of joy. Be deliberate, but once you’ve made up your mind—jump in.”
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
“We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them.”
“Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.”
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
“Do first what you don’t want to do most.”
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”
“Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”
“A task deferred is a task augmented.”
“Stop talking. Start walking.”
“To think too long about a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
Productivity Boosting Procrastination Quotes
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.”
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
“The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it, is one of the greatest burglars of joy.”
“Procrastination is opportunities’ assassin.”
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
“The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“Begin while others are procrastinating. Work while others are wishing.”
“You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
“It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.”
“He who is outside his door has the hardest part of his journey behind him.”
“Someday is not a day of the week.”
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
“In delay there lies no plenty.”
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
“The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up.”
“If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”
“Success is not for the chosen few, but for the few who choose.”
“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”
Celebrity Procrastination Quotes
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”
“The two rules of procrastination: 1) Do it today. 2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow.”
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.”
“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”
“I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.”
“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.”
“Someday is not a day of the week.”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”
“One of these days, is none of these days.”
“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
“What is deferred is not avoided.”
“Procrastination is the soul rebelling against entrapment.”
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin it.”
“Action will destroy your procrastination.”
“Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”
“Great acts are made up of small deeds.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
Historical Procrastination Quotes
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
“My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“In delay, there lies no plenty.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“Procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder.”
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
“It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.”
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up.”
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
“Someday is not a day of the week.”
“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”
“Following-through is the only thing that separates dreamers from people that accomplish great things.”
“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.”
“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”
“Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.”
“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.”
“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”
“The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it, is one of the greatest burglars of joy.”
“One of these days, is none of these days.”
“The cost of procrastination is the life you could have lived.”
“Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!”
Lifestyle Changing Procrastination Quotes
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“There is nothing so fatal to character as half-finished tasks.”
“Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”
“One of these days, is none of these days.”
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”
“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.”
“If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.”
“Do it now. Sometimes ‘later’ becomes ‘never’.”
“The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.”
“The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it is one of the greatest burglars of joy.”
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
“Stop letting your potential go to waste because you don’t feel confident or ready enough. People with half your talent are making serious waves while you’re still waiting to feel ready.”
“The future depends on what you do today.”
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
“Action will destroy your procrastination.”
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”
In Conclusion
Wrapping up the list of the best procrastination quotes, it’s clear that many great minds have grappled with the urge to delay tasks. These quotes offer funny, wise, and thought-provoking insights into why we put things off and how it affects us. They remind us that while procrastination is a common human experience, we can always find motivation and humor in our shared struggles.
Whether you’re looking for a burst of inspiration or a good laugh, these quotes are here to help. Next time you find yourself stalling, think back to these words and see if they can nudge you towards action. After all, sometimes a few well-chosen words are all we need to get moving.