39 Inspiring Quotes to Start Planning & Organizing Your Life
Who doesn’t love a good quote.
When you need a boost of motivation, bite-size wisdom, gentle encouragement or just sound advice. A quote can handle all of that. Instead of succumbing to inertia and inaction, get inspired and get going with this list of wise words.
1. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” – Lao Tzu
You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just start. There’s magic in getting started. What’s next on your goals list? How small can you make the first step?
2. “Fail to plan, plan to fail” – Winston Churchill
Planning is thinking. You’re more likely to achieve what you want, if you’ve spent some time thinking about it.
And if you’re going to think, might as well make a plan, right?
3. “Organize your life around your dreams, and watch them come true”- Unknown
It’s easy to get caught up in the activities of daily life, so much so that you forget your dreams. They become esoteric someday-one day things. They don’t deserve to languish on that list. Make them a part of your life, make them your guiding light.
4. “A place for everything, and everything in its place” – Mrs Beeton
Isn’t this the truth. Create a home for everything. Put everything back in its place. This applies not only to physical items, to keep clutter at bay. But you can use it with your schedule. Make space for the events and occasions that matter to you.
5. “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” – William Morris
KonMarie taught us the Joy Test. Long before that, the smart ones knew if it wasn’t beautiful or useful, it had to go. And this also applies to memories, feelings and physical items. So don’t rush to fling your kids artwork out if it has a sweet memory baked into it.
6. “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up” - A. A. Milne
This encapsulates exactly how I think about being organized. It starts with our minds. First think, then plan, then do, then do again and again. Consistency is king, queen and prince and princess. But first, think.
7. “Once you have a clear idea of your priorities – that is your values, goals and high leverage activities, organize around them” – Stephen Covey
If you don’t know your why, you’ll stumble when it comes to your who, what, how and when. Spend some time working out what’s important to you and why. Put some effort into it. If you’re struggling, start with what you absolutely detest. Then see if the opposite is a true value for you.
8. “Stuff has gotten a lot cheaper, but our attitudes towards it haven’t changed correspondingly – we overvalue stuff” – Paul Graham
Can you complete this sentence? ‘He who has the most toys …’ How easy it is to fall for the temptation of more and more. Choose better value, choose the more meaningful option. You don’t have to sign up for the minimalist movement, just choose to be more meaningful.
9. “How many things are there which I do not want” – Socrates
Fulfill your needs and your wants won’t be many. After a satisfying meal, as the digestive process gets underway, have you ever thought I’d like to eat all of that again. Of course not, you’re satisfied and ready to move onto a slow drink, deep conversation or some entertainment. Satisfy your needs in life first, wants second.
10. “Happiness is a place between too little and too much” – Finnish Proverb
I have this theory that when it comes to what you own, there are 5 states. Lack. Enough. Clutter. Excess. Reserves. Abundance. I’ll come back and update the link to the eventual blog post, that’s how important I think this topic is.
11. “Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions” – Unknown
And never a truer word spoken. Shall I throw this out, shall I keep it? Where shall I put this? There are so many decisions to make when it’s time to tidy up and have a clear out. It’s exhausting just working through it. The easy option is to just do it later. Only later never comes, does it? Schedule it in and start with one small area.
12. “Out of clutter find simplicity” - Albert Einstein
Make things as simple as possible. Eat simple meals, dress simply, live a simple life, desire the simple option. Of course, it’s much easier said than done. But it’s a beautiful destination to aspire to. How can you make your life simple?
13. “The more things you own the more they own you” – Unknown
Let’s take a car and ponder this quote. There are quite a few things that we have to do as car owners; pay for road tax, insurance, book and pay for the annual service, keep the tank topped up, clean it once in a while. And that doesn’t take into account the occasional spare tyre, cracked windscreen … it all adds up. Things own us …
14. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things” - Albert Einstein
When we think about it, a lot of big goals are ideas, I want to be this, rather than I want to do this. Our true desire, our real goal is to be better, be happy for example. The steps along the way will involve things and people, but the main goal is a feeling.
15. “The most important things in life aren’t things. - Anthony J. D’Angelo
See the quote above. Things can help us get what we want, but things aren’t the main thing :)
16. “Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough” – Unknown
Just like the feeling of freedom and flexibility that comes with boarding a plane with hand luggage only. Travel through life with the essentials and nothing more. The essentials will be different for all of us.
17. “For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned” - Benjamin Franklin
Plan ahead, create systems and have everything in its place. Life feels better this way.
18. “You will never be completely ready. Start from wherever you are” - C.J. Hayden
I remember applying for a job with some hesitation. I asked a senior colleague for advice. His wise words were “You’re never ready’. You’re qualified for the job so go for it. Don’t wait to feel ready, just go for it”. He was right. I got the job, loved it and got on with it. Same thing with planning, organizing and setting up systems. Get started.
19. “Good order is the foundation of all things” - Edmund Burke
Start with your schedule. Monday to Sunday, we know what we do on any given day of the week. Could you make each day run a little smoother, could you plan and make the day less draining?
20. “Our life is frittered away by detail . . . simplify, simplify” - Henry David Thoreau
Let’s not make detail the devil. But no need to over-complicate either. If in doubt choose to simplify. Go big on the things that matter to you, otherwise keep it super-simple.
21. “One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time” - John Wanamaker
One step, a tiny step is how you start. And when you look back, you’ll be amazed at how far you have come.
22. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” - Leonardo DaVinci
Isn’t it just. A yay or a nay, a little black dress, a white tee and jeans, a top knot, a simple meal of pasta and pesto, a necklace of strung pearls, diamond studs, nude nails, clear lip gloss, the list could go on. Simplicity reigns supreme.
23. “There’s always room for improvement, you know – it’s the biggest room in the house” - Louise Heath Leber
Always. Continuous and steady improvement. The Kaizen approach to living. Let’s get better, step by step. Let’s prep and polish our lives one area after the other. Feels like a worthy cause to dedicate a lifetime to.
24. “Gentlemen, I do one thing at a time. I do it very well. And then I move on” - Major Charles Emerson Winchester III
Until you are fully proficient at any given thing, single task focus will save you. Multitasking isn’t a myth though. There’s a way to multi-task that makes it easier for you to get going and keep going with what you’re doing.
25. “Perfection is the death of possibilities” Mary Kay Hamm
And you know round these parts, we’re all about living a life full of possibilities. So set your standards high, hoping for perfection is a recipe for procrastination.
26. “I’m careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can strive for; perfection is God’s business” - Michael J. Fox
That’s a worthy cause we can get behind. Excellence. Doing your best whatever you’re turning your hand to.
27. “Less is more” - Mies Van Der Rohe
Raise your standards and get the best there is. Don’t clutter your mind, your schedule or your home with things, activities and people that don’t align with your chosen standards. Future you will thank past you for raising your standards.
28. “If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it” - Olin Miller
Best way to cure your tendency to procrastinate? Journal your way through an episode of procrastination right while you are in it. Are you staring down a deadline? Maybe deadlines drive you, no need to stress about last-minute working then. Or are you trying to deliver something you’d rather not be working on? Resolve now, to say no with gravitas and grace next time you’re asked.
29. “You can have it all. You can’t just have it all at once” - Oprah Winfred
Makes sense. Who would want an appetiser, main course and dessert all served on one plate to be eaten together. The key to real joy is knowing what you want and when you want it. Life can muddy the waters. This programme will clear the mental fog, so you can figure out what you want in life and have the energy to go for it.
30. “Joy is not in things; it is in us” - Richard Wagner
I think that’s why KonMarie’s Spark Joy test works. Hold an item and see how you feel inside. It’s not really the item that carries the power. It’s the item’s power to change our emotional state for the better. If it doesn’t do that it counts as clutter and it’s time to toss it.
31. “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week” - Spanish Proverb
That’s because non-planneurs put off until tomorrow what can be done today. Planneurs know that we share the load across today, tomorrow and the coming weeks and months ahead. Just peek inside our planners. Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly planners for the win.
32. “The best way to get something done is to begin” - Author Unknown
Are you new to planning? Head to the Free Planner Printable Library. Choose any planner. I’d recommend a weekly planner printable. Review next week’s schedule and activities, write it all down. And see how you feel going into next week. Planning on Friday for the week ahead works for me.
33. “The maxim ‘Nothing but perfection’ may be spelled ‘Paralysis” - Winston Churchill
And isn’t this one of the main drivers of procrastination. Learn to make peace with good enough. When you make a plan and it doesn’t go accordingly, don’t throw planning out the window. Just make another plan. Planning galvanises your grey cells. Over time you’ll find that when plans fail, you’ll be able to pivot with ease.
34. “There is no try. There is only do, or do not” – Yoda
No explanation needed, right?
35. "A goal without a plan is just a wish” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I’ve learned there are two ways to get what you want. The first is to work towards it, your typical goal setting approach. The second way is to attract it, a bit like a magnet. This quote refers to the first approach. And the second approach is covered in this non-wishy washy programme (to be updated shortly).
36. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin
This quote seems a little harsh at first. You may even be a little skeptical. But the key here is that planning is the essential activity, not the eventual plan you’ll make. The process of planning has you thinking about things, and it’s the thinking that sets you apart.
37. “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming after all is a form of planning’ – Gloria Steinem
A life of endless possibilities starts with a plan. Planneurs are thinkers. Thinkers are dreamers. Dreamers dream dreams. And dreams come true. Keep planning. Keep thinking. Keep dreaming. Dreams come true.
38. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first hour sharpening the axe” – Abraham Lincoln
This quote sums up why we plan. We think ahead of time, we consider the variables, the available time, and then we get going. Have you tried planning your day the night before? Game-changing. Everyday starts the night before. Let me know if you try it.
39. “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans” - Peter F. Drucker
What’s commitment anyway? It’s just a promise that you’ll show up everyday. I’ve found time and time again, when I commit to something, seemingly out of nowhere, good things happen, doors open, people call, opportunities arise. Have you found that too?
Quote #17 is one of my faves. Making the most of how I use my time has given me back my life. Which one is your favourite?