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"Work smart, not hard" (misguided advice)

You hear people say “work smart, not hard” all the time. And sure, it sounds great—who doesn’t want to be efficient?

A lot of folks take it the wrong way and end up thinking they don’t have to go through the struggle. Like, just be clever and everything will magically fall into place. That mindset? It can lead to laziness, entitlement, and chasing shortcuts instead of actually doing the work.

My personal encounters

Since my teenage years, I have been hearing advice from numerous people and sources that say, “Work smart, not hard.” These words left a strong impression on me, just as they did on many others. I found myself repeating this mantra on various occasions, believing it to be a guiding principle. However, after years of working, I’ve started to feel that this advice has done more harm than good for many of the people I know.

Before proceeding further, I believe that all readers should be on same page regarding what is meant by smart work. In my view, smart work is about focusing more on the productive parts of a task and cutting out or reducing the less effective aspects, and the objective is to optimally utilize time and energy.

In other words, its a process of applying “innovative and efficient shortcuts”

A toxic advice for beginners in a craft

Unfortunately, this advice to “work smart” is often given everyone alike, including learners of some skill as well as mere beginners and inexperienced professionals in some field.

For a newcomer or someone inexperienced in any field, it’s common for them not to possess insights needed to identify what to discard which is less important. For instance, a physician or a surgeon with substantial experience can discern what is important and what is less significant in a given situation. This principle applies across all professions.

Without sufficient depth when someone tries to follow the advice “work smart, not hard”, they frequently end up overlooking crucial elements in their process of “smart selection.”

It appeals to the human tendency to seek comfort over effort

What I’ve noticed is that this advice often comes from two types of people:

  • Those who don’t truly understand the truth beind this advice; they just repeat what sounds smart to stay part of the conversation.

  • And those who know exactly what they’re doing: they’re tapping into people’s desire for shortcuts;

    they use this advice to draw an audience for selling something. Self-help gurus are popping up everywhere these days, promoting miracle solutions through glib tactics.

Advice for beginners

If you’re just starting out in any field, here’s something I genuinely believe: In the beginning, you need to work hard — really hard.

Only after reaching a certain level of proficiency, one will be able to incorporate the “work smart” aspects. Over time, you’ll discover how to work smart, because you’ll KNOW what to eliminate and what to keep.

“Hard work is the path that leads to destination of Smart work over time.”

My takeaway

That whole “work smart, not hard” advice? Yeah... it sounds good on the surface, but let’s be real — it can be kind of misleading.

  • It makes hard work seem less important (spoiler: it’s not).
  • Smart means different things to different people — it’s way too vague.
  • You can’t skip the messy, hands-on part of learning.
  • And let’s be honest, it can make people feel like they’re above putting in real effort.
  • I’m not saying don’t be efficient — just don’t think you can hack your way past the grind completely. Smart and hard work go hand in hand.

Hopefully, this helps someone out there see things a little differently.

Your fellow traveler in life.

Mujeeb AM