I need not say it. Work is already “work” and making it more work by how you get it done will only leave you exhausted and not willing to go again.

The Ideology

The ideology around smart work isn’t one that is restricted to labour or corporate work. It is born out of the desire to get things done smarter, quicker, and more efficiently, while also paying attention to details. Digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics are all innovations to make smart work possible.

There are now things like smartphones, smart villages, smartwatches, smart TVs, and even smart buildings.

Why work smart?

Keep in mind that we generally work to get things done. We can further break this down depending on what exactly the nature of our job is. Whatever you do, the objective is to get a task(s) done. By focusing on the objective, we are able to see the advantages associated with working smart and not hard. Working smart and hard gets the job done but the latter leaves you exhausted, and sometimes demotivated and frustrated to the extent you consider quitting. On the other hand, the former leaves you energised after completing the same task with less effort.

Let’s look deeper at a few reasons why you should work hard and not hard

Resource management

If there is a way to do more with fewer resources (time, money, people, etc), who wouldn’t take it? Resource management is the heartbeat of management, and the idea of smart work is getting work done using the minimum resource. Smart work seeks to save time, money, energy etc. preserving and ensuring efficient use of an organisation’s resources.

Increased Creativity

Smart work simply requires a lot of thinking, thus creating the need to be innovative and creative. As you constantly think of the most efficient way to get work done over and over again, you ultimately build your creativity.

Makes work interesting

Reinventing the wheel and always looking for the smartest ways to complete a task introduces fun into work, especially with routine tasks, creating the urge to want to go over and over again. Work soon becomes fun… 🥰 This can impact the bottom line positively.

The Big Question

One may ask- what then happens to all the rewards and recognition that accompany hard work? Is there still a place for hard work?

Without reaching a conclusion, there is definitely a place for hard work. We also think that success is wrapped in the combination of hard work and smart work. With the former being the event that produces the latter.

Now that you understand the values of smart work, except you enjoy being exhausted, working smart, not hard, should be your desire.