We always find it difficult in life to choose between these two approaches: work hard and work smart. This is because most of us assume that anything achieved with hard work takes more time and energy, while each work is done with a smarter approach. requires minimal time and effort. But are we really correct in interpreting the two approaches? What do they really mean? Let’s check it out.

What does working hard really mean?

We would have come across people who say that hard work is the key to success, many personalities who have been successful in life also quote this as an important factor that has attributed to their success.

So what does it mean to work hard? The definition of hard work can be different, depending on your perspective. Someone can work for a company for 40 years of their life and be called a “hard worker” while an entrepreneur can work hard for five years while building a business, and then live the rest of his life financially free.

If you need a simple example of this approach, then you have to memorize the story of the thirsty crow. A thirsty crow finds a clay jug that had very little water on the bottom and was therefore unable to drink. The cunning crow thought up a plan and patiently began to drop stones into the pitcher until the water reached a height that could be drunk. This story is an example of how we can work hard to solve a problem.

But is this approach the only way to solve problems? Do we really have enough time to try so hard? In real life, the circumstances are dynamic and we are often forced to change the approach for achieving our goal. Also, in certain situations, the sudden change in plan / course of action in certain situations could jolt and confuse us. The need here is to explore an alternative approach and see what it could be.

What does working smart really mean?

A widely accepted alternative approach is to work smarter. It is often viewed as a sign of laziness when we talk about this approach. However, this is not the case. When you are actively working towards your goal, smart working can really catalyze your process. Therefore, Smart Work accelerates your path to achieving your goals. This has been widely used by many organizations around the world as it has a higher chance of accomplishing any task.

Here is a simple story that can help you understand what smart work is: A king had three sons and in old age wanted to choose the rightful heir for his kingdom. So, he decided to assign a task to all his sons and declare the winner as his heir. The task was to completely fill a large room with just one substance and this task should be done in half an hour. All three sons were assigned separate rooms and asked to move in different directions to find a substance to fill the room.The first son filled the room with large stones with the help of the servants and the second son filled the room with hay with the help of his servants, the third son went to his dressing room and took a bottle filled with liquid. He sprinkled the liquid in all directions of the room. After half an hour, the king found the first two rooms filled with stones and hay respectively and found minute gaps between them. The third room was filled with the scent of jasmine and the whole room, including the corners, had the aroma. The king therefore chose his third son to be his heir. The task set by the king was carried out more intelligently by his third son.

So here comes the problem statement, while both approaches i.e. working hard and working smart are unique in their own way, what should be preferred when solving a problem?

While hard work places a major focus on working hours, smart work aims to find better and more efficient ways to accomplish various tasks. Take a look at the key differences between hard work and smart work:

Difference between Hard Working and Smart Working?

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• Hard work is based exclusively on strenuous hours and guarantees the achievement of the goal, which demands a lot of strength and physical strain from the body. Bright work or smart work, on the other hand, is about finding ways to get the job done more efficiently in order to save time. and maintain quality.
• Hard work focuses more on quantity than quality, while smart work helps you balance the two.
• The process of hard work is relatively simple, with a straightforward approach to getting the task done in the required amount of time, without any prior planning. However, working innovatively requires a substantial focus on planning, delegating tasks, organizing and leading your team, and prioritizing schedules in order to achieve goals.
• Hard work alone cannot be successful in the long run in order to achieve your set goals due to your rigid time pressure. Smart Work includes flexible time management and work delegation, saves time without compromising quality and efficiently meets deadlines.
• From the points above, it is easy to distinguish between the two approaches. In short, hard work cannot be completely ignored and just taking a smart approach may not necessarily produce the long-term results you want.We need to realize that it is important to work hard first.This will help us plan better and come up with a smarter plan to accomplish the task. Hence, a combination of hard work and smart work would be the way to go.
• So it’s not just about WORKING HARD or WORKING SMART that leads to success. The secret sauce lies in WORKING HARD with a SMART PLAN to help you achieve your goals and be successful!

Hard Work vs Smart Work Examples

As mentioned earlier, hard work is the key to success if it is done smartly. However, for the sake of clarity, let’s use a few examples to understand hard work vs smart work.

Hard work:

• Just do a task.
• Only follow one path to get the job done.
• Start with the task before planning.
• Work with full dedication but results are not visible.
• There is more physical stress.

Smart Work:

• Do your job efficiently.
• Find multiple ways to get the job done.
• First evaluate, plan and then work.
• The results are visible with small contributions.
• More mental techniques are used, and therefore less physical strain.