Hard Work Vs Smart Work? -By Aryama from Women's College Calcutta
As Byron Dorgan said, “Working hard and working smart can sometimes be two different things.” And he’s indeed correct. People have evolved from being cave dwellers and hunter gatherers to the present civilization not just with hard work, but also smart work. That is how we have landed where we are presently. In the book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind, Yuval Noah Harari goes on to explain how Homo sapiens have evolved from the ancient Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis. And according to him, it has largely got to do with the brain. The power of thinking and analyzing have paid off, making it possible for us to launch satellites into space while the apes still fight for their space! This focuses on the fact that hard work as well as a fair amount of smart work is necessary for any kind of success.
A perfect combination of both
Nothing in life comes easy. Neither talent nor luck is sufficient to win in life without striving for it. In fact, a hard-working person is more disciplined and patient. But merely working hard, without proper planning and strategy often goes haywire. In the long run, it might bog one down and fill her/him with pessimism.
Smart work, on the other hand, makes one more productive and creative. It often leads to innovations and scientific discoveries. It not only saves time, but also energy that would in turn help in executing more work later. This way, the efficiency of the person goes up.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, in one of his interviews says that his day starts at 4:30 am in the morning and he is the first one to reach his office and the last one to leave. At the same time, Mr. Cook pays utmost importance to his health and fitness which helps him to release all his stress. And keeps him going. Similarly, Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, says that he reads for five to six hours a day. He estimates that he spends 80% of his average day reading books, reports, and five different newspapers.
The lives of these extraordinary men inspire us to work immensely hard in order to materialize our dreams. There can be no alternatives to that. But it also tells us the importance of having a balance between hard work and smart work.
Is smart work an advanced form of Hard work?
In fact, smart work can be identified as “hard work” in a way. Let us take the example of three college students, A, B and C. A believes in smart work, B only works hard while C does both. A doesn’t study throughout the year, but only a month before his examination. He goes through the previous year questions, understands the pattern of the questions asked, goes through some notes and pulls an all-nighter in order to cover the syllabus. B, on the other hand, only focuses on rote learning, without understanding the concepts and demands of the questions. He attends all the lectures, studies throughout the year, trying to mug everything up and still doesn’t feel confident enough and so studies for the entire night. C attends the lectures, goes through the previous year questions, analyzes them and makes his own notes which he studies for 2 hours regularly. He feels more confident and knows the essence of a good night’s sleep before the exam. Therefore, out of the three students, the efficiency of C is the highest. It is more likely for C to succeed not only in his exams but also in life since he is aware of consistency and time management, the two basic pillars of hard work and smart work.
Create your own Identity
Smart work requires a lot of mental agility, sharp skills, strong rational mind and analytical brain. When all of these are put to use simultaneously, proper results are obtained. So, maybe it doesn’t take much physical strength while working smartly, it does demand a lot of mental strength which is not easy. Tim Ferriss, in his book 4 Hour Workweek talks about the workaholic life of people and how adeptly they should adopt to enjoy life. This elucidates the value of smart work in a hard-working life.
There is a notion that lazy people are more versatile and innovative. They tend to find ways to work less but achieve astounding results. While, on the other hand, the hard-working fellows help to meet the company deadlines and can be shaped as per the requirements of the company. Thus, both of them are needed for the success of a company.
In today’s competitive world, there is always a demand for something new and exclusive. In order to survive the rat race, one needs to create her/his own unique identity that would set the person apart. 7.8 billion people (as of February 2020, according to the recent UN estimates) spread across 195 countries have the same common aim - to establish their own name and fame. That can be attained by utilizing the grey matter, in order to create a colorful painting on the canvas of life.
When the zealous heart and the active brain work together, one stands out, creating a difference.
This article was submitted as an entry to Become an Author 2.0 with Dare2Compete.