One of the most common interview questions is “Are you a hard worker or a smart worker?” but before that let me ask you? Are you one of those people who find yourselves in huge amounts of work but you don’t feel that you’re getting as much money or recognition as you should? If yes then you’re a hard worker. On the other hand, if the value of work that you produce isn’t about how much work went into it but measured by how useful it is to people, then it is smart- work.
Hard work is tremendously important in our lives. However, smart work is to know when to stop that hard work so that you get the right results and to realize: “ Is there any better way to do this”?
When this question is asked in an interview, almost each one of you will pick one of the two options. But there is this third hidden answer which the interviewers love, which is “ I AM A SMART HARD WORKER”. Only hard work is not going to produce great results in your life. Many people work hard but only a few become successful. Look at the workers at the construction sites, they are working very hard, but are they getting anywhere? It’s very important to be a smart hard worker rather than a mere hard worker.
HOW SMART HARD WORKERS WORK?
- What the end goal is? How you’re going to get there? How much work does it deserve?
Before you start any task, it’s better to get a clear picture of what to achieve. You need to know what steps are essential to get there and which ones aren’t necessary and can be cut out. Too many people spend way more time on minor details instead of focusing their energy on something productive.
- Time
Every smart worker knows that time is the most important resource they have. It’s better to allocate time to each task without wasting much time on a particular task.
- Figure out the systems you’re working in
Knowledge of the system you’re working in helps you to gain results faster with higher chances of success. If you’re an aircraft engineer, you cannot compromise with the safety because that can cost the lives of hundreds. In this System, Security is of utmost priority.
- Find shortcuts
Smart workers apply shortcuts where ever they can instead of doing everything. Meanwhile, they focus their time, energy, and knowledge on some other important work.
Examples
Example 1- I am smart about working hard. During my project, I always many things in the pipeline, and all had to be one within the timeframe. First I always try to complete the task/assignment which adds maximum value to the product or for the company. I always priorities my task and depends on the priority I complete them which are very critical or important for the project. I keep lowest priorities task at last which has a low impact or no impact. I always try to automate the stuff which can be automated so that we can utilize the same effort for some productive work.
Example 2- I am smart about working hard. While I was pursuing engineering, after my first year I came to know the questions are repeated from the past 5 years question papers. During my first year exams, I use to juggle between the units in a one day gap and ended up not scoring very high grades. Then from my next semester, I use to work hard doing my assignments and learning concepts throughout the semester while during my exams I started revising only the questions which have come before to use my time efficiently to score good grades.
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