Do NOT work hard, but Work Smart.

Has anybody heard of this phrase before? What do you think it means? It implies to the meaning of being successful in your career.

yah, a substitute teacher told me this when covering for an advanced history course; I laughed.


I can see the conclusion that one could come to making this, but you're never going to get anywhere without working hard; unless of course your name is J. Pierpont Finch.

It is best to work both hard and smart.

Few people have job security these days, so it is very important to get noticed by your employer as a dependable, hardworking, indispensable employee. However it can be difficult to remain ambitious, while maintaining a well-balanced and happy home life. So, whether you find your habits a little lazy, or you are a full blown workaholic, incorporating the tips below will improve not only your attitude, but also attract new and exciting opportunities that will assure your success. Ten Steps to Becoming a Hard Worker 1) Learn from a mentor- Work ethic is best learned in childhood from adults that we love and respect. However, having a mentor is a great way to learn what it takes to succeed in you chosen or current profession. If you don't know someone personally, find one on the internet; Score is a useful website that helps connect you to well established people from plenty of different industries so that you can seek advice. They also have many local offices where you can meet with mentors face to face. If you are a parent make sure you teach your children well. 2) Become generous- Ask not what your company can do for you, but what you can do for your company. Let's be honest, a lot of people work to make a living. When you get a job it is likely that you are more concerned with how working for someone will benefit you. To become a hard worker, you have to balance a self-focused tendency with generosity. What can you do to help to improve customer service, staff morale, or increase the profit margin? 3) Find the significance- Maybe you don't have a dream job and your title is less than thrilling. If you don't understand how your job duties help the world around you, you may feel like hard work is a wasted effort; when you know the significance of your job to yourself and others, you will be motivated to push yourself to give your very best. If your job did not exist, what problems would your company or even your neighborhood have? How does your job improve your life? 4) Create short , medium and long term career goals- If you are not passionate about your current job, then this step is vital. Working in a dead end job with no plans will sap the strength of any well intentioned worker. If you have the habits of a highly effective person but have no hope of ever seeing a personal reward for your actions, it is hard to maintain the momentum. Creating long term goals will help you to remember your ultimate goal and keep your passion fresh. Medium term goals help to connect your present to the future by creating a plan of action that will help you accomplish all the steps needed to accomplish your ultimate goals. Short term goals will help spur you on day to day and help you see your current success, making your job rewarding this present moment. 5) Reward your milestones- Every week make a "to do" list of your work duties/projects and prioritize each item; create a flexible daily schedule that reflects your priorities. When you accomplished significant milestones and goals, reward yourself with activities that you love and that you find relieve your stress (sporting events, concerts, buying new shoes, etc...) 6) Do what you love- A key component in the Laws of Attraction is gratitude. Appreciating what you already have attracts bigger and better opportunities to you. Never let gratitude become an excuse to be mediocre. Take time to think about the things you love to do and the talents you want to develop. Dream about the perfect job or entrepreneurial venture and make that a part of your goals. When you are ready to make the transition, you will see the skills and opportunities that your current job has provided. In the mean time, bring the things that you love to do into your job now by creating projects that will benefit your current employer, your coworkers and/or your clients. 7) Don't complain, create- Everything can be improved. Instead of going to a coworker or supervisor to vent your frustration, use your talents and expertise to create a solution. Create what you believe to be a fool proof plan before you introduce the concept to others. It might be a solution that you can implement alone or requires effort on everyone's part. The worst thing that could happen is that your superiors don't like your plan, but become aware of the problem. The best thing that can happen is that you create a new job for yourself that is a promotion, and fixes the issues that you dislike about your work place. 8) Ask for help- Becoming a hard worker does not turn you into an indestructible human being. Knowing your limits and your coworkers' strengths is priceless. When creating your daily schedule, make sure it's realistic. If you are over scheduled or the do list is not getting completed, ask for help from people who are talented and willing. Managers/supervisors need to learn the art of delegation and reward your staff by implementing solutions to their complaints. 9) Take good care of yourself- It is okay to work overtime, but when you leave work make sure you focus on your personal life. Take good care of your body by exercising, eating nutritious food and sleeping 8 hours every day. Use all of your vacation time to relax and regroup, even if you decide not to go out of town. Make sure time with friends and family is rich in quality and laughter. Always strive for balance by connecting to yourself and taking care of all of your needs: emotional, spiritual, adventurous, romantic, educational, etc... 10) Do away with distractions- Get creative and learn how to make work fun so that you don't feel tempted to find distractions. If you like listening to music at work, just make sure that it is not disturbing anyone. Also, make sure you're able to maintain focus on your tasks and that it doesn't go against company policy. If something causes you to be less productive, make a commitment to only partake in those habits during your allotted breaks. Instead, work hard to make your job duties interesting. If you know of nothing you can do to help you focus on and enjoy your job, then it is time to get serious about finding something else.

I've been doing that my entire life. I make most of my money while I'm sleeping. How smart is that?

Originally Posted by hooya2

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I've been doing that my entire life. I make most of my money while I'm sleeping. How smart is that?

forex?

Originally Posted by oneeightyseven

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forex?

Male escort.

Originally Posted by Blackhood

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Male escort.

Must not get a lot of repeat business if he is asleep during the money-making part...

Yeah I've heard this phrase before. IMO there is no substitute for putting your nose to the grindstone and working hard but if you work smart the job tends to go easier with better results. Working smart is the process of how you get the job done with the least amount of steps taken to complete whatever task you undertake in an exemplary manner. It's about good organizational skills, efficient use of time, resources and so on. It sounds simple but it's a royal PITA to actually do well.

The opposite saying is, "You're just spinning your wheels and getting nowhere."

The phrase isn't DO NOT work hard but work smart, the phrase is "work smarter, not harder." The difference is pretty meaningful, because in the second one, it's already assumed that you're working hard, and instead of killing yourself with work, figure out smarter, more efficient, more productive ways to get the job done.

I generally agree with this approach. We all have coworkers who bust their ass but never seem to get ahead or get assigned interesting projects/tasks because all they are ever doing is working hard. I think a successful career for most of us (and I'm not talking about becoming CEO of a F500 or something else largely unrealistic, here) requires a good mix of diligence and intelligence. A huge part of success in work is being able to relate well to your colleagues, your supervisors, clients, etc. while still remaining professional and effective.

Originally Posted by Kiwi Man

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Has anybody heard of this phrase before? What do you think it means? It implies to the meaning of being successful in your career.

work hard = spend hours outside cutting down trees with a knife.
work smart = use a chain saw.

I believe the OP is looking to unionize. :flamesuit:

I learned this as a kid. Skip to 5:00.
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Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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The phrase isn't DO NOT work hard but work smart, the phrase is "work smarter, not harder." The difference is pretty meaningful, because in the second one, it's already assumed that you're working hard, and instead of killing yourself with work, figure out smarter, more efficient, more productive ways to get the job done.

Yes, this is exactly what I was going to post. This is much different than not working hard.