---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest way to be productive is if…"
description: "\"The biggest way to be productive is if you're procrastinating on another more important project.\" — Alexandra Petri"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg"
---

#  The biggest way to be productive is if you're…

![“The biggest way to be productive is if you're procrastinating on another more important project.” quote by Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg)

> “The biggest way to be productive is if you're procrastinating on another more important project.”

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Productivity often comes from redirecting effort away from less critical tasks toward higher‑impact work.

**In simple terms:** Focus on important work to be productive.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize high‑impact tasks.

Themes

productivity focus prioritization

Mood

determined reflective

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- project management
- personal planning
- team leadership

Key Concepts

opportunity cost task switching

Questions to Reflect On

- What task are you avoiding?
- How can you reframe procrastination as a signal?

A Different Perspective

If you keep procrastinating, you may never finish the important project.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/)

## Related quotes

> [The best way to be productive is to have a great team. So I spend more time than most CEOs on human resources. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-p-ryan/the-best-way-to-be-productive-is-to-have-a-great-team-so-i-spend-more/)

Kevin P. Ryan

> [The only way to be productive is to be positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr-2/the-only-way-to-be-productive-is-to-be-positive/)

[Dale Earnhardt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr-2/)

> [It is precisely the way which is productive - this is the essential thing; becoming is more important than being...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/it-is-precisely-the-way-which-is-productive-this-is-the-essential/)

[Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/)

> [Way more productive, I think, to push yourself to be more in the world, not to encourage yourself to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/way-more-productive-i-think-to-push-yourself-to-be-more-in-the-world/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [I studied, I met with medical doctors, scientists, and I’m here to tell you that the way to a more productive, more inspired, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/i-studied-i-met-with-medical-doctors-scientists-and-i-m-here-to-tell/)

[Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/)

> [“Do something productive, like painting or procrastinating or protesting—which is just a combination of the first two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/do-something-productive-like-painting-or-procrastinating-or/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I am a person who works well under pressure. In fact, I work so well under pressure that at times, I will procrastinate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-am-a-person-who-works-well-under-pressure-in-fact-i-work-so-well/)

[Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/)

> [I'm a big believer in putting things off, In fact, I even put off procrastinating. -Ella Varner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-m-a-big-believer-in-putting-things-off-in-fact-i-even-put-off/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [It is my greatest misfortune to be too lazy, and by the few mortifications I have already set with on that account I predict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-allston/it-is-my-greatest-misfortune-to-be-too-lazy-and-by-the-few/)

[Washington Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-allston/)

> [The whole thing of working in all these different mediums, it's just so that I can always be playing hooky from one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/the-whole-thing-of-working-in-all-these-different-mediums-it-s-just/)

[Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/)

> [What we must learn to do is to create unbreakable bonds between the sciences and the humanities. We cannot procrastinate. The world of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-must-learn-to-do-is-to-create-unbreakable-bonds-between-the/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

> [Some people procrastinate so much that all they can do is run around like firefighters all day - putting out fires that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nido-r-qubein/some-people-procrastinate-so-much-that-all-they-can-do-is-run-around/)

[Nido R Qubein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nido-r-qubein/)

> [“The sooner you finish procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to your art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lennox/the-sooner-you-finish-procrastinating-the-sooner-you-can-get-back-to/)

[Stephanie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lennox/)

> [The time to begin most things is ten years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/the-time-to-begin-most-things-is-ten-years-ago/)

[Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/)

> [i have no point in procrastinating any longer..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-rheta-schreiber/i-have-no-point-in-procrastinating-any-longer/)

[Flora Rheta Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-rheta-schreiber/)

## More by Alexandra Petri

> [They will wrest 'dull words' from my cold dead hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/they-will-wrest-dull-words-from-my-cold-dead-hands/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Standup comedy was my weird hobby. I would drag my poor parents out to the only open mics that were in coffee shops instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/standup-comedy-was-my-weird-hobby-i-would-drag-my-poor-parents-out-to/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [You can be brilliant in some ways and despicable in others. You can be a clean, upright, moral individual in your private life who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/you-can-be-brilliant-in-some-ways-and-despicable-in-others-you-can-be/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Almost nothing anyone told me about Harvard has been accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/almost-nothing-anyone-told-me-about-harvard-has-been-accurate/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Success is like food caught in your teeth: much more noticeable when it happens to other people. If it happens to you, other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/success-is-like-food-caught-in-your-teeth-much-more-noticeable-when/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [I majored in extracurriculars, honestly. I joined the Harvard Stand Up Comedy Society, which is a ragtag band of misfits. I wrote for 'On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/i-majored-in-extracurriculars-honestly-i-joined-the-harvard-stand-up/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Dull words are what make many bright sentences shine. They do not call attention to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/dull-words-are-what-make-many-bright-sentences-shine-they-do-not-call/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Bills ought to be passed with deliberation by committees. Change should be achieved in a bipartisan manner. Incrementally, day by day, we should reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/bills-ought-to-be-passed-with-deliberation-by-committees-change/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Although no one explicitly wants a president who could have a reliable fall back career in stand-up comedy, everyone shudders at the thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/although-no-one-explicitly-wants-a-president-who-could-have-a/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [George Washington didn't have to make us laugh; he just had to establish precedents and avoid chopping down more cherry trees than he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/george-washington-didn-t-have-to-make-us-laugh-he-just-had-to/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [At Harvard, people like to impart the idea that you are a mover and shaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/at-harvard-people-like-to-impart-the-idea-that-you-are-a-mover-and/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [It's easier to find the joke in something when you think, 'This - this is ridiculous.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/it-s-easier-to-find-the-joke-in-something-when-you-think-this-this-is/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [The desire for attention has become a primal need along the lines of food, water, and clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-desire-for-attention-has-become-a-primal-need-along-the-lines-of/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [As long as cantankerous old people have existed, they have complained that kids nowadays don't seem to know anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/as-long-as-cantankerous-old-people-have-existed-they-have-complained/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

> [Worst case scenario, nothing I do has any value or purpose, but if I can make someone laugh, I'm at least as useful as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/worst-case-scenario-nothing-i-do-has-any-value-or-purpose-but-if-i/)

[Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

[Explore all 100 Alexandra Petri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/)

## More Another quotes

> [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/)

[Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/)

> [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/)

[Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/)

> [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

> [I have to mention that Taapsee and Ayushmann are my favorite actors - or stars, whatever you call them. I love them. Our thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-have-to-mention-that-taapsee-and-ayushmann-are-my-favorite-actors/)

[Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/)

> [When a person partners with God in delivering a miracle to another person, they have done what they were supposed to do; God can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/when-a-person-partners-with-god-in-delivering-a-miracle-to-another/)

[Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/)

> [I went through a string of A&amp;R men who all thought I should be doing something different. One thought I should be a dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/i-went-through-a-string-of-a-r-men-who-all-thought-i-should-be-doing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [New York is so serious about the creation of work. Everything is happening so fast, it feels like there's another studio, another session on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/new-york-is-so-serious-about-the-creation-of-work-everything-is/)

[Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/)

> [The fact of the matter is that the Internet has brought together millions of people who trust one another for reasons that are unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-huh/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-the-internet-has-brought-together/)

[Ben Huh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-huh/)

> [Everything about Washington is inconsistent, because they say one thing and do another, which is what my opponent, Claire McCaskill, is very, very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-steelman/everything-about-washington-is-inconsistent-because-they-say-one/)

[Sarah Steelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-steelman/)

> [In Tunisia, the so-called Yasmin revolution has led to the installation of a relatively moderate Islamic government. Whether or not that means democracy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/in-tunisia-the-so-called-yasmin-revolution-has-led-to-the/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [I refuse to be one of those artists who, 10 years from now, they're bitter about the rise and the fall of their career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-refuse-to-be-one-of-those-artists-who-10-years-from-now-they-re/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [One death to a man is a serious thing: a dozen neutralize one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-francis-burton/one-death-to-a-man-is-a-serious-thing-a-dozen-neutralize-one-another/)

[Richard Francis Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-francis-burton/)

> [I don't know one note from another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams/i-don-t-know-one-note-from-another/)

[Hank Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams/)

> [I like to watch the Fox News Network. I like 'Nightline.' I like to watch 'The Sopranos,' of course. That is one of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-estrada/i-like-to-watch-the-fox-news-network-i-like-nightline-i-like-to-watch/)

[Erik Estrada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-estrada/)

> [When you write a book, people legitimise it by actually reading the book and so it's almost okay to write another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/when-you-write-a-book-people-legitimise-it-by-actually-reading-the/)

[Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/)

Browse all 2,784 Another quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The biggest way to be productive is if you're procrastinating on another more important project.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexandra Petri"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-you-re-procrastinating-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Another"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-you-re-procrastinating-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/alexandra-petri-5715_another_the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-y_615060.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The biggest way to be productive is if you're procrastinating on another more important project.” — Alexandra Petri",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alexandra Petri",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The biggest way to be productive...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-you-re-procrastinating-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-you-re-procrastinating-on/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
