Work Smarter...THEN Harder

Work smarter, not harder.?It's a phrase we’ve all heard.?It's in TV commercials (for those reading this that grew up in the streaming era, a TV commercial is like a YouTube advertisement that you can’t skip), countless TikToks, Instagram Reels, and memes all dedicated to the idea that if we put our brains to work, then we will be rewarded by not having to work hard.?Thus, the phrase, “work smarter, not harder”, but this phrase, this saying, is inherently flawed.

Why should we work smarter? We have all worked with that person that charges headfirst into a task without stopping to think about the better way to accomplish said task.?These chargers are akin to a cruise missile that is missing its all-important guidance chip.?On the one hand, they will destroy whatever task sits immediately in front of them, but they give no regard to the method of completion or even if that task should in fact be completed at all.?They simply know, “I accomplished this task, now I move to the next task”.?This passion and work ethic can indeed be useful, but only if a strong leader can harness and guide that passion in the right direction.

Then there are the busy bodies.?The workers that seem to find work where none should exist.?You know the ones, the people that when asked, “how are you?” the inevitable response is some version of an exasperated sigh followed by a lengthy explanation of just how much busier they are than you. These people will fill up their plate with task after task in order to stay busy, but they never stop to think whether that task should even be completed.?In my experience, these workers are often in a situation where they are unsure of how to achieve the business goals and objectives tied to their job, or in extreme cases, may not even fully grasp what their business goals and objectives are.?The seemingly endless amount of work these individuals take on is often done to mask that lack of understanding.?

"Work smarter, not harder" was seemingly designed specifically for these two types of individuals, and indeed this should apply to them.?The idea is, that instead of charging forward blindly or filling up your daily plate with endless amounts of activity, you should pause to think about what your end objective for the day, week, month, or year is, then work backwards with a set of specific actions that will help you achieve these objectives.?This pause does not need to be long, but it does need to be intentional.?

My favorite example of this is the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, ACT) created by Colonel John Boyd of the United States Air Force.?The OODA Loop is a four-step approach to decision making that allows you to take that pause, assess the situation, determine which direction you think is better, decide to move forward with said direction, then start working.?The Loop ensures that you are constantly re-assessing your actions so that you can determine if there is a better course of action to take.

OK, so work smarter right??Don’t be that person that works hard just for the sake of working hard, right? Great idea, but the inherent flaw in “work smarter, not harder” is that there is nothing wrong with working hard.?In fact, in the book Mindset – The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, she makes the argument that in order to create a growth mindset we shouldn’t praise people for being smart, rather we should praise people for the effort that they put into completing a task. I’ll spare you an editorial on the book, but it is a read that I highly recommend.?Ultimately, there is no substitute for hard work, but the hard work should be well thought out and targeted instead of blindly being applied to every situation.

So, instead of “work smarter, not harder” we should strive to do both and “work smarter, then harder”.?Once we have observed, oriented, and decided on the better course (work smarter) then the action is to work hard to achieve the objective (then harder).?

My favorite Instagram post that highlights the key difference between “working smarter, not harder”, and “working smarter, then harder” is of a young boy whose father had given him the task of mulching all the flower beds, in what appeared to be a multiple acre size lot, with many beds to mulch.?So, this enterprising young man got his hoverboard and used that to propel his wheelbarrow to and from the sites where the mulch needed to be spread.?This easily allowed him to save his energy for the hard work of shoveling and spreading the mulch without having to waste energy on the trip in between.?Make no mistake, anyone who has ever done this knows that shoveling and spreading mulch is hard work, but the young man made the job more efficient through his ingenious use of the hoverboard.?He worked smarter. Then he worked harder.

So why is changing this phrase important? Why is this not just semantics? Why does changing this phrase to “work smarter, then harder” mean so much to me? In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, he talks about how the better way to change a habit, is to change your identity. “If you want to run, see yourself as a runner. If you see yourself as a gym person, it helps a lot with getting to the gym. Notice the difference between two smokers refusing a cigarette: one saying, ‘I don’t smoke’ and the other saying ‘I’m trying to quit smoking’”.?The point is to be intentional with the words you use, because those words will help to shape your identity.?Notice throughout this post I have yet to use the word “BEST”??This is intentional because “BEST” doesn’t exist, only “BETTER”. We should always strive to find the better way to work, even if that better way only makes us 1% better. That 1%, over time, can make all the difference.

So, work smart my friends, it will save you time, but do not let that time savings go to waste by forgetting that hard work is a necessity for success.?Be intentional. "Work smarter, then harder".