Hard Work vs Smart Work
Recently, people are considering that hard work is over-rated. That it is just spending a lot of energy for results that are not a proper measure of the effort they have put in and hence they are moving towards smart work. But what I feel is that the balance between the two is not in a good position.
I think they both are equally important, but the context in which we are supposed to be doing smart work and when we have to switch to hard work is even more important.
The way I see it, we cannot achieve some goal or reach a milestone just by being smart at what we do. To achieve something meaningful to us, we have to work hard. We have to hustle and sacrifice a few things that may not help us in achieving our dream.
But just working hard will not be enough, because our work has to be channelised towards the end goal. It is here where we have to do smart work. We have to make sure that work we will be doing is contributing to our end goal and is not a waste of our time and energy.
There are various reasons as to why someone might feel smart work is the right approach. One of those reasons could be that the point is to reach the goal as fast as possible and with ease. This perspective might arise when the goal is seen as something of more importance and value than the process. A goal is very important because working without it is just doing some work which is neither producing anything useful for others nor helping us achieve something meaningful.
Everyone is after speed because the world is moving fast. Every field is moving so fast that something from a year ago is ancient. The best example is technology. Every year they release new smartphones and other gadgets making the previous one look obsolete. This makes an indirect impact on how everyone looks at the world and the way they have to work to fit into this new world.
Because of the speed at which the world is moving everyone wants to see instant results of their work, if not reaching the end goal. They want feedback which tells them that they are off to a great start. If they don’t find it, instead of working harder and being patient, they think it is time to be smarter at what they are doing. The point that is being forgotten at that point is that a smart decision was already made and the work is happening according to those decisions.
It is easier said than done. Being patient about something is not easy mainly because we don’t exactly practise patience enough to apply where it matters the most. And in a fast world, as we live in, it is easier to change our course of action from one thing to another because that is what we are used to in every other aspect. Which makes sticking to one decision and acting according to it till we see the true benefits all the more difficult. Maybe that is one more thing we have to be smart about and work hard on improving.
Whatever I have talked about is my perspective and the way I look at the world around me. I am new to this and I have a lot to learn. It would be nice to hear your perspective. You can drop it in the comments.
