Hard Work or Smart Work?

There are many arguments and debates around which should be the preferred method to work between hard work and smart work. Many people put a lot of time and effort into something but do not achieve good results. We need to work smart in addition to working hard. While there is no denying that hard work helps to bring principle, discipline, and long term success, smart work may do the job easier and quicker. What essentially matters is the result, either you’re working hard or smart.

The ideal way to complete a task is to use both approaches according to the task at hand. The two methods cannot provide results independently. Some works require putting continuous effort and time. Only after a person works hard is he/she able to gain enough knowledge and experience about the subject. Knowing how to study smartly can, therefore, come to a person after years of continuous effort. Numerous skills refine over time. However, only practising hard work may prove monotonous and lead to procrastination. Putting a lot of time and effort, a person may stop being productive because of a traditional and repetitive pattern. The results thus achieved show no improvement and often deteriorate. It is necessary to include both hard work and smart work for the right job and at the correct time according to priority.

Often, the right method to use depends on the kind of work and expected goals. If a person does not get good results even after putting all the blood and sweat into it, working smart for such a person may lead to less pressure and better productivity. However, if the task assigned requires a lot of research, fact-checking, and analyzing, hard work will do everything to sail this person’s boat. Therefore, we cannot solve the arguments regarding these two terms in one word. Which one is better or vice versa. The way of work put to use highly should depend on the kind of work, priority, and the person approaching it. One cannot get completely rid of either of the methods and stick to just one way.

Students in schools should be encouraged to work hard to understand the concepts of different subjects thoroughly. Children should study smartly to apply and devise a plan based on those concepts. Learning to strike a balance between the two becomes very important. It is essential to know the ‘when’ and ‘how’ of putting the two ways into use. Learning a skill may require hard work, but later can be applied to work by working smart. Therefore, a recipe that includes ingredients of both smart work and hard work may cook a good meal of valuable output.

While hard work seems to give long-term results and in-depth knowledge, it may become repetitive and monotonous. Smart work may save time, promote creativity and innovation. It may also lead to a laid-back attitude and approach. Both mixed, produce an ideal work efficiency with consistently visible results.

By Alankrita