Working Smarter? Or Harder?

What does working ‘smarter’ actually mean? does it mean completing all tasks in the fastest time possible? does it mean less input for maximum output? or does it mean focusing predominantly on quantity and mass production over quality? The word ‘smart’ has several positive meanings such as ‘clever’ ‘intelligent’ ‘astute’ and ‘savvy’ which are all qualities that most people would be happy to say they possess. These are all assets which should definitely be developed and utilised in all of our work if the desired outcome is to be achieved. However, if we are not working smarter does that imply that we may be working in ways which are less intelligent? are we lacking in productivity?

What does working ‘harder’ actually mean? does it mean working longer hours? does it mean extending our working week? or does it mean continuously learning new skills and methods, which will help to increase both our productivity and the quality of the product or service we offer? The word ‘harder’ also has many positive meanings such as ‘solid’ ‘ diligent’ ‘strong’ and ‘firm’, which are personality traits that we must master and apply to our work religiously, if we are to successfully achieve the results we want. And if we are not working harder does that mean we are lazy? are we working in ways which are unstable? is our work productivity weak?

There are almost no negative definitions for the word ‘smart’ unlike the many negative definitions attached to the word ‘harder’ such as ‘difficult’ ‘problematic’ ‘arduous’ and ‘demanding’. The definition of the word ‘work’ is also saddled with a stream of unattractive, uninspiring, and demotivating definitions such as ‘toil’ ‘drudgery’ ‘slog’ and ‘grind’. With so many negative connotations to the word ‘work’ it is no surprise that more people than ever before are being tempted to focus more on working smarter, over working harder.

We are currently living in a world which is designed to promote the narrative that ‘smarter’ is ‘better’. We are bombarded with continuous offers of ‘smart’ technology daily, which we are persuaded to believe will make our life much easier. We have ‘smart’ domestic appliances, we drive smart cars, and we are in constant engagement with smart gadgets, which are all designed to save us time and energy both mentally, physically, and even emotionally, all we need to do is swap our time and hard working energy for much smarter way of working and indeed living. And although there may not be many troubling definitions of the word ‘smart’ there are surely many troubling connotations, which may inevitably transpire from our choice to work this way.

Working smarter means different things to different people. There is a higher level of consciousness which most people will naturally lean towards when they choose to work smarter, which allows them to understand how working in this manner quite often means having to rely more on the assistance of technology to think and act for us. Whether or not technology actively plays a role in our work, more often than not there will have to be sacrifices made somewhere along the line. The sacrifices we make can prove to be very costly ones, such as the loss in our attention to detail, our originality, or even our integrity, therefore we must know for sure if our decision to work in smarter ways, is truly a sacrifice and a risk worth taking.

Any sacrifice we choose to make in order to increase our productivity in our work will always come with a risk, and just like any risk taken, this must be a scrutinised and calculated one. These may be the sacrifice of our attention to detail, or our originality, or even the flexibility of our work. Therefore it is vital that we ask ourselves if this is truly a sacrifice and a risk worth taking, because we may end up having to calculate the financial, the ethical, and the reputational costs of our smart work.

There are people who operate from a lower level of consciousness to working smarter, and these are the type of people who do not practice patience. Instead, they will make conscious choices to cut corners, in the hope of achieving their goals. They will make the choice to focus predominantly on the rewards they may receive, with regards to financial profit, accolades, or recognition. They will do whatever it takes to achieve their objective for working smarter, which often includes dishonest and deceitful behaviour, such as theft, fraud, counterfeiting, and even plagiarism. The type of people who choose to operate in this manner are surreptitious individuals, who have either very little, or no emotional investment in their work whatsoever, because they are only attached to the goal of their own self gratification and finances. All this underhanded method of working smarter will eventually achieve, is having to constantly look over their shoulder in fear of being caught and exposed. This is far from ‘smart’ work.

The word ‘work’ has several meanings such as ‘labour’ ‘effort’ and ‘service’. Whether we choose to work either smarter or harder, the emphasis and overall focus should always be on the word ‘work’. We should aim to apply clever, intelligent, and savvy measures to the way we work, but we must strive to apply solid, strong, and firm measures also. Any work which is worth doing will always require extensive and consistent effort, sweat, and patience. It is completely natural and necessary for us to go through many struggles and sleepless nights when we are on the road to success. True success is only experienced through the development of strong muscles of dedication, persistence, determination, resilience, and perseverance. When we are emotionally and passionately committed, connected and wholeheartedly invested to our work, we will not begrudge the amount of effort and energy we will need to put in to eventually achieve our desired outcome.

Anyone who works hard knows that it is from their unwavering ability to take risks, make mistakes, and become flexible enough to make the vital adjustments required, when things get tough. When we are working hard we are not only doing an honourable self-service, but we are also in service to others. Our hard work brings a sense of both personal and professional self-achievement, which is where our sense of self-fulfilment, self-pride, and self-worth is found. Yet in this evolutionary world of technology, it is positively progressive for us to also seek new ways to incorporate smart elements into our work, alongside the blood, sweat, and tears, which are embedded into the DNA of hard work.

It makes absolutely no difference to a hard working individual just how hard, or how long they will have to work to achieve their goals. This is because the rewards are not only felt at the long awaited completion of the task, there are many mini milestones which are achieved and also celebrated along the way. We can celebrate solving the many problems, we can celebrate our successful navigation through all mental and physical difficulties, and we can celebrate the discovery of all of the fresh knowledge we have gained, as these have all resulted in the increased productivity and enhancement of our work.

These are rewards and milestones which are seldom experienced when we choose to focus only on working smarter. In our endeavours to obtain faster and easier results, we often rob ourselves of the vital ‘journey’ which is designed to offer us the opportunity to discover and develop our innate and strong work ethic. When we have only the best and the most honourable intentions for ourselves and others through our work, we can make the informed choice to choose the more growth led and ultimately the most sustainable route to success by incorporating all of our abilities and our attributes into working both smarter and harder.

The road to success is paved with perils, plights, and pitfalls. However, on that very same road we can collect many gems. These are life-long gems, which will give us the confidence, the strength, and the devotion to enhance our sense of self-worth, self-value and self-efficiency. These are vital gems which can help us to master both the forever-changing world of technology, while remaining grounded as an individual who recognises and cherishes our values of true grit, real graft, and hard work. After all is said and done, working harder is ultimately working smarter.

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