“Whether at work or at home, the quality of your attention determines the quality of your life. At work, the more attention you give to what’s in front of you, the more productive you become. At home, the more attention you devote to what’s in front of you, the more meaningful your life becomes.”

- From Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey

“To enjoy the kind of experience you want rather than enduring the kind that you feel stuck with, you have to take charge of your attention. Far more than you may realize, your experience, your world, and even your self are the creations of what you focus on. From distressing sights to soothing sounds, protean thoughts to roiling emotions, the targets of your attention are the building blocks of your life.”

- From Rapt by Winifred Gallagher

“20% of what we do leads to 80% of the results; but 80% of what we do leads to only 20%. We are wasting 80% of our time on low-value outcomes….calm down, work less and target a limited number of very valuable goals where the 80/20 Principle will work for us.”

- From The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

“Success has always gone to those who could apply their talents in a single-minded manner over an extended period of time to achieve a given outcome.”

- From Unsubscribe by Jocelyn K. Glei

“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”

- David Steindl-Rast

“You must say ‘No’ to unexpected opportunities in order to say ‘Yes’ to your priorities.” 

- From Unsubscribe by Jocelyn K. Glei

"The myth is that there isn't enough time. There is plenty of time. There isn't enough focus with the time you have. You win by directing your attention toward better things."

- James Clear

“Clarity is power.”

- Tony Robbins

“Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

- Alexander Graham Bell

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

- From Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities."

- From The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

"Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them every day, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor."

- From The Miracle of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy

“The top 3 percent have clear, written goals and plans that they work on every day. They know exactly who they are, what they want, and where they are going. They have a blueprint, a road map, that guides them faster and with ever-greater accuracy toward achieving the health, happiness, wealth, and prosperity that most people strive for all of their lives. As a result of having clear, written goals, they waste far less time than the average person. People with written goals and plans earn and accumulate, on average, ten times as much as other people with the same levels of intelligence and education…Setting goals, making plans, and organizing your life around the things you really want to do and have are the greatest time management tools of all.”

- From Master Your Time, Master Your Life by Brian Tracy

“Every minute you spend in planning will save you as many as ten minutes in execution. It takes only 10-12 minutes for you to plan your entire day. But you will get back two hours of productive time, 120 minutes, just by planning your work before you begin. That is more than a 1,000 percent return on energy.”

- From Focal Point by Brian Tracy

“Founders of wildly successful businesses are, almost always, among the most disciplined people you’ll ever meet. There is no “gene” for this. Discipline is not something you inherit from your parents. What separates top performers from everyone else… is they choose to design their lives in such a way that following through on their goals becomes automatic. They install habits, routines, and systems which allow them to execute consistently with minimal friction.”

- From Craig Ballantyne email

“Creating a daily schedule and a consistent routine is a surefire way to go from unmotivated to motivated and aimless to amazing. It holds you accountable to yourself. It keeps your day from being upended by passing feelings, cravings, and wants.”

- From 10 Rules for Resilience by Joe De Sena

"Structure and routine are essential for productivity and success. They create a framework that allows you to focus and thrive."

- From Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy

“One of the most profound benefits of organizing your life into daily routines is that it’s much easier to reach your goals. Because when you predetermine which routines will enable you to reach your goals, success is as simple as doing things at the same times each day.”

- Hal Elrod

“The key to becoming world-class in your endeavors is to build your performance around world-class routines. It can be difficult, even futile, to predict or control what will show up in the middle of your workday. But you can almost always control how your day starts and ends.”

- From The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

“Some of our best intentions fail because we don’t have a system of execution. When it comes down to it, your new attitudes and behaviors must be incorporated into your monthly, weekly, and daily routines to affect any real, positive change. A routine is something you do every day without fail, so that eventually, like brushing your teeth or putting on your seatbelt, you do it without conscious thought. These routines ease life’s stresses by making our actions automatic and effective. To reach new goals and develop new habits, it’s necessary to create new routines to support your objective. The greater the challenge, the more rigorous our routines need to be….A daily routine built on good habits and disciplines separates the most successful among us from everyone else.”

- From The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy