Hard Work vs Smart Work
As work plays a significant role in human life, let us see what is hard work, what is smart work, and what, in fact, is the difference between hard work and smart work. While some of us tend to enjoy the work that we engage in, some of us do not. It all depends in the manner in which we proceed with the work that is assigned to us. When speaking of work, we often hear of two concepts called hard work and smart work. In the modern day, we prefer smart work to hard work, considering it as much more efficient and less labourious. Hard work can be defined as work that takes up a lot of effort and dedication. This is often associated with much physical commitment from the worker. However, smart work is where the task is completed with less effort through proper planning and managing. This article attempts to highlight the difference between the two concepts, hard work and smart work while elaborating the nature of the concepts.
What is Hard Work?
It is often said that to succeed one must work hard. From ancient days itself, people have had this notion that if one does not work hard, that person fails to be successful. Yet, in the work environment, we often see individuals who work very hard, but end up with low productivity. This highlights that working hard does not always guarantee success and productivity.
If a person is engaged in a particular piece of work , which does not contribute towards making a difference, then all his hard work would be in vain. Thus, hard work can be defined as working for long hours through endless labour with much sacrifice. This sacrifice can lead to stress, anxiety, unhealthy work routines and dissatisfaction. This is a very aged concept that people have regarding work. In the modern society, people are more interested in achieving maximum productivity or success with less effort. This is where the concept of smart work comes into play.
What is smart work?
Let us look at the concept of smart work closely. Smart work does not denote that the work is easy. On the contrary, it is the same work completed differently. Smart work is working effectively and efficiently through planning, managing, delegating and having realistic goals. When working smart, it is vital to begin the day with a plan. The individual needs to have a proper plan so that work can be completed in a proper way. This reduces forgetting and redoing the same things. Also, it is important to have realistic goals, which are achievable and also to decline when the workload is too much. This allows the person to stay focused and full of energy. Another important fact in working smart is to match the task with the desired outcomes and come up with strategies to achieve the desired outcome.
There are a number of benefits of working smart. It guarantees better health since it is not laborious as hard work. It allows a person to focus all his or her energy on achieving productivity. The individual has a better balance of work life and is satisfied with the work.
What is the difference between Hard Work and Smart Work?
• Hard work is working for long hours through endless labour.
• This is not only difficult and endless, but can be harmful to the worker .
• Hard work does not always guarantee maximum productivity.
• Smart work is also hard work, but planned efficiently to gain productivity.
• This entails planning, prioritizing, setting realistic goals, managing, and delegating work.
• Unlike in hard work, in smart work, the focus is given to the desired outcome and the task is planned in order to achieve it.