Work Smarter, not harder

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Results come from "smart" work - not only from hard work.

There's a big lie people have been telling one another for centuries.

"If you work hard, you will be rewarded."

No, you won't. And we all know it. At some point in your childhood, you worked really really hard on something nobody cared about and you didn't get squat for it. In fact, chances are good that you got in trouble for it.

If you're in your twenties or early thirties, for example, you almost certainly collected Pokemon something or other in your youth. And you worked very, very hard to learn the differences in the various Pokemon and their capabilities and which ones to use in different scenarios.

So how much money has it made you knowing all this Pokemon crap?

Hard work is only rewarded when it produces results people care about.

Which is what "smart work" really means. Smart work isn't just work for the sake of work. It's work directed at something people actually care about.

And an awful lot of what people actually care about isn't hard.

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Devid Farah 13 years ago

Intelligence is the gift to cultivate,not the hard work.
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Beatrice 13 years ago

There's a big lie people have been telling one another for centuries.

"If you work hard, you will be rewarded."

I second that. Some of the hardest jobs (mining, road building,etc.) are the less financially rewarding jobs. Even though I try to spend the least amount of money possible, in IM I am always looking out for "tools" or strategies to help me work more efficiently!

There is no point spending endless hours working on a project if the same results can be achieved in half the time!
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Latsyrc

13 years ago

Very true post! Work smarter definitely pays off. Merry Christmas.

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Kan

13 years ago

This is all I hear these days in the West, "Work smart not hard". It should be translated to "Work less, because I'm lazy, and think I'm working smarter". When in reality, you can't work smarter, because intelligence is intelligence; it's fixed. All you can do is increase your knowledge & experience. Maybe that's why we, the West are going down, and the Asians are rising?

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Anonymous Affiliate

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Kan

This is all I hear these days in the West, "Work smart not hard". It should be translated to "Work less, because I'm lazy, and think I'm working smarter". When in reality, you can't work smarter, because intelligence is intelligence; it's fixed. All you can do is increase your knowledge & experience. Maybe that's why we, the West are going down, and the Asians are rising?

That would be correct if intelligence mattered at all, but it hard does in fact. Experience, observation and a bit of common sense trumps sheer IQ any day of the week. Last year I was just as intelligent as I am today, yet I managed to craft and implement a few wicked twists into my business and I've tripled my income through 2010.

Work smart and not hard is a VERY accurate and important principle for any entrepreneur.

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CDarklock

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Kan

It should be translated to "Work less, because I'm lazy, and think I'm working smarter". When in reality, you can't work smarter, because intelligence is intelligence; it's fixed.

A painter named Schlemiel came to a construction site one day and said "I paint stripe on road. Very straight stripe. Very good paint. $10 per hour."

The foreman said "Okay, we'll try you out today. Start here." And the painter put his can down, and began painting the stripe. The foreman went back to his office.

By the end of the day, Schlemiel had painted two miles of road. The foreman was astounded, and said "I'm going to want you back tomorrow."

The next day, Schlemiel painted only one more mile. The foreman thought "well, that isn't two miles, but it's still worth the money." So he paid Schlemiel, and told him to come back again tomorrow.

On the third day, Schlemiel painted only half a mile of road. The foreman shook his head and said "I'm sorry, but this isn't acceptable. I won't be needing you back tomorrow."

Schlemiel said "What is problem? I work hard! I need job! Please tell me what is wrong!"

And the foreman said "Well, every day, you do less and less work. The first day, you painted two miles. The second, only one. And today, you barely did half a mile. You say you're working hard, but you're just slacking off and being lazier every day."

Schlemiel burst into tears, and cried "Is not my fault! Every day I am farther from the paint!"

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"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers

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FiveKorvex

13 years ago

Putting a lot of time in figuring out what works and spending 80 percent of your day doing those things and 20 percent on new things I feel is a good idea

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Sweely99

13 years ago

I've been working my ass of for the last two years. Too bad it's not supposed to pay off

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fountain_eee

13 years ago

merry christmas....this post says about the reality..I appreciate it...

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William Veasley

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Christmas Tip!

It took me a lot of time and a LOT of work to discover this (although many people warned me about it...):

Results come from "smart" work - not only from hard work.

Everytime I see a new user trying to do everything when they only have time to do a couple things, I know this is the route for disaster.

People, wake up.

You don't need to do a trillion things to get a site ranked - you just need to do what works and stick with it.

Don't try to follow every WSO or new technique you see. You'll find yourself doing a LOT of things... and none seems to bring results.

Work SMARTER.

Think about it this Christmas while enjoying a classic candy or a old chicken recipe.

- Ask yourself WHY they do it for so long... always the same way...

Merry Christmas!

Hey,

Thanks for the wonderful tips!

I totally agree with you it's not all about working hard. A lot of what makes a good business is working smart. You have to figure out what works for you, because what works for someone else might not work for you.

When you figure out what methods are working for you maximize them. Try different ways of making them work for you until you master whatever methods you like. Then you can expand and try new things like commenting, writing, social media, etc. It's all about finding what ways work for you and maximizing on them.

When I first started blogging I had many headaches trying to achieve traffic. Instead of over working myself I tried different methods. Now I have found what works for me & I'm working on mastering them day by day.

Thanks again!

God bless,
William Veasley

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bravo75

13 years ago

Working smart and hard pays off if you are working for yourself. Not when you are working for someone else though. As a matter of fact, the harder you work for someone else, the more you are expected to do. The smarter you work for someone else, the more of a bollocking you will get for making a mistake.

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bay37

13 years ago

These are basic common-sense principles, no?

Not sure if you agree, but one can:

1. Work hard.
2. Work hard and smart. <-- what I strive to do at all times
3. Replace "hard work" with "smart work" and get the same result with less effort/time invested.

Some would say that "smart" == "efficient". Others will complicate it a bit more, but the point is that it can all be said in no more than two or three sentences. Same result. Less effort. See what I mean?

edit: I left out "not work at all", "be lazy", etc as they're not really relevant here, but I'm sure someone will call me out on those sooner or later, lol.

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bravo75

13 years ago

I used to work as a carpenter and the guys that were always trying to work smart were often considered lazy. It seemed that the guys trying to work the smartest were always trying to find an easy way to do something when often it was just good old fashioned elbow grease that was required. Just because you have to work smart, doesn't mean you don't have to work hard as well.

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Anonymous Affiliate

13 years ago

Originally Posted by bravo75

I used to work as a carpenter and the guys that were always trying to work smart were often considered lazy. It seemed that the guys trying to work the smartest were always trying to find an easy way to do something when often it was just good old fashioned elbow grease that was required. Just because you have to work smart, doesn't mean you don't have to work hard as well.

That's the difference between being an employee and an entrepreneur. There's no "looking busy" as an entrepreneur, because there's no one you're accountable for. You're your own boss, and if your actions don't prove profitable, you're out of business.

Working smart might be frown upon as an employee, but as an entrepreneur it's 100% crucial, much more so than working hard.

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CDarklock 13 years ago

Originally Posted by bravo75

I used to work as a carpenter and the guys that we noticed were always trying to work smart were often considered lazy.

Fixed that for you.

Those who work smart so they can get more work done in less time don't get asked about it. People just go "man, he's good."

The people who tell you they're "working smart" are the people you looked at and said "WTF, you're not doing any work."
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"The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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ChiTownRoc

13 years ago

I'm always telling people this! Work smarter, not harder.

Cultivate skill sets, because that is what makes the difference. Do what drives you and outsource the rest to people who want to do it.

The gift in you is what sets you apart from everyone else so work on that, cultivate that, and let others do the rest.

Working smarter is not about intelligence, it's about wisdom, and anyone can learn to be wise.

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warriorkay

13 years ago

I'd say both have their place and "TIME".
I doubt if anyone ever became rich without
hard work and smart work,

Kingsley

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ryanbiddulph

13 years ago

Smart thread here.

I say work effectively. Each act should be effective. No wasted motion.

Some brag about putting in 17 hour days or spending years working at something. Unfortunately, nobody cares how much you work. The products of your efforts are what matters and when each act is effective the value of your work increases.

RB

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AprilCT 13 years ago

Working smarter does pay off. My method is always finding the most efficient way of getting something done. Multi-tasking can work wonders if you can mentally keep up with all the demands at the right times.

Sometimes just making a list in order of tasks is helpful. Multi-tasking really isn't that bad, it gives you a little break in some of the more boring aspects of things.

What can cause problems with this approach is unexpected guests, phone calls, errands or emergencies. You always have to build your task list to allow for the unexpected, especially if there are time constraints on projects.
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Gerald Arno

Banned 13 years ago

Hey,

I enjoyed reading through your post, and think that
working harder and smarter can both be the key.

Working harder mostly applies when you´ve to go
through a tough period, through something you
know is necessary to follow in order to get
where you want to go.

On the other hand, being focused on just a few tasks,
if not only just one, can be the big money maker.

It´s just a question of how you define working
hard and working smart

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rain21

13 years ago

you are absolutely correct !!

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Fernando Veloso

13 years ago

Cheers guys, some great replies in here!!

Working smarter it's not the same as "be a lazy worker" or "pretend you're working".

Those of you who been there working 10 straight hours to achieve something know what I mean, cause some of us discovered we can apply these skills to work 1 hour and bring in the same or more results.

I wasn't insulting anyone's intelligence. Just a heads up for newbies: focus on what works, then you can put your efforts to work in a smarter (more effective) way.

As I said in the OP: don't waste ALL your precious time doing what doesn't suit you - invest smarter on WHAT works for you.

Imagine you only have 30 minutes per day to do it and go from there. Forget you have 4 hours per day...

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wendymay1

13 years ago

Yes Fernando!

Working smart can definately cut down the amount of time of wandering around in cyberspace. I Think the very thought of OUTSOURCING MUST BE THE ANSWER

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ChiTownRoc 13 years ago

I'm a big fan of outsourcing to others who are passionate in what they are doing.

Leaves me time to dream, create, and implement what I want to do.

The cool thing about WF is that you can find people who are good at what you don't want to do and do business with them.

Also a big fan of fiverr.com for other things.
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Chris Worner

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

You don't need to do a trillion things to get a site ranked - you just need to do what works and stick with it.

Making you and your business's bottom line dependent on the whims of a single search engine is not working smarter

Chris

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cevin

13 years ago

Working hard is not a bad thing if you thinking smart too. Working hard with out thinking, will make you a slave of time, yourself or somebody else. They key for success is smartness. You can push yourself to think before he acts. That way you will see yourself think smarter.

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Fernando Veloso

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Chris Worner

Making you and your business's bottom line dependent on the whims of a single search engine is not working smarter

Chris

You are ALWAYS dependent of something.

Always. Unless you go out of business.

Originally Posted by cevin

Working hard is not a bad thing if you thinking smart too. Working hard with out thinking, will make you a slave of time, yourself or somebody else. They key for success is smartness. You can push yourself to think before he acts. That way you will see yourself think smarter.

Agree. But people seem to misread what I wrote in the OP:

Everytime I see a new user trying to do everything when they only have time to do a couple things, I know this is the route for disaster.

People, wake up.

You don't need to do a trillion things to get a site ranked - you just need to do what works and stick with it.

Don't try to follow every WSO or new technique you see. You'll find yourself doing a LOT of things... and none seems to bring results.

Work SMARTER.

Point is: newbies often try to do everything they see/read, and thats the problem here. When you have 2 hours per day and try to do 10 projects at same time... you end up with nothing done.

BUT people can choose ONE sure shot and bring in the cavalry. Work smarter.

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LetsGoViral

13 years ago

If you're in your twenties or early thirties, for example, you almost certainly collected Pokemon something or other in your youth. And you worked very, very hard to learn the differences in the various Pokemon and their capabilities and which ones to use in different scenarios.

Hey, don't insult my trading cards. My children will be able to sell them for millions...right?

Anyway, I would paraphrase and say "Work harder AND smarter!"

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Time of thinking is over.

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Work Smarter, not harder

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