Is hard work better or smart work? We are always taught that working hard can help us achieve our dreams and aspirations. But finding what’s better between hard work and smart work is quite a debate. Often asked in interviews or group discussions, we often look for the question of ‘how to answer: the difference between hard work vs smart work’. Read this blog to know about which is better in the battle of hard work vs smart work, along with an interview answer, essay sample, as well as the key to blending both hard work with smart work and becoming efficiently effective.

Difference Between Hard Work vs Smart Work

While working hard puts essential emphasis on putting in hours, smart work aims to find better and more efficient ways to tackle different tasks. Check out the most important differences between hard work vs smart work:

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How To Answer ‘Difference Between Hard Work And Smart Work’

Being one of the most common interview questions, you might be asked to elaborate upon the ‘difference between hard work and smart work’ by the interviewer. Here is the best answer for ‘hard work vs smart work’:

Answer #1

“I believe that hard work and smart work are both essential to bring effectiveness and efficiency to a task. While hard work makes sure that we are putting in the hours needed to accomplish certain things within time, smart work focuses on bifurcating the quintessential factors like who is the best person to do a particular task, when is the right time for doing it and what kind of hurdles we can anticipate. So, when blended together, we can find the best way to successfully complete a set task within time and ensure its optimum quality.”

Answer #2

“I prefer smart work over hard work and the reason for this smart work has a more holistic approach to tasks than hard work. Despite yielding results, working hard incurs lots of time and energy while working smartly includes more work in a lesser amount of time. Working smart includes having better judgment, knowing what component of the work takes the longest time, and trying to reduce it in a creative and rational manner. Thus, smart work uses the key principles of management while also finding the best creative ways to approach work.”

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Elements of Smart Work

There isn’t any secret strategy that one can use. Even though some people are born/raised with certain qualities, developing skills for smart work is possible but takes substantial time. Here are a few points that can help you build yourself. The elements of smart work include:

• Coming up with creative and rational ways.
• Being adaptable to situations.
• Being spontaneous in your actions and thoughts.
• Updated Knowledge of various prospects of your work.
• Being bold but not rebellious with your moves.
• Knowing the networks.
• Being able to make appropriate decisions at uncertain moments.
• Improvisation
• Knowing how and where to invest time and money.
• Knowing who’s who of your work or similar industries.

These were a few elements of smart work. We are given abundant resources to know the current world affairs/issues and learn newer things. It is important we utilize these to deliver ‘Smart work’. To build qualities one must-read books, newspapers, articles, blogs; research in the relevant fields; watch related movies/ series; understand what tactics are being used.

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Is Your Approach Really Smart?

Are you looking to understand smart work vs hard work? Merely working smart would not fetch you fruitful results in the long run. It is essential to work hard first because then only you will understand what you are doing and accordingly construct a smarter plan. It is unfortunate that people tend to switch to smart work without putting additional efforts in this fast-paced world and it might lead to a downfall. Just like preparing for competitive exams like GMAT, SAT, GRE, etc. students directly jump to problem-solving instead of focusing on the concepts that would require a little hard work.

When fighting for hard work vs smart work, let’s take a look at the main ingredients of smart work that would guarantee you speedy success when combined with hard work:

Working Hard Plus Intelligent Decisions
Do you think working round the clock would ensure you successful returns? When you want your hard work to really pays-off, it is equally important that you make smart decisions so that you get efficient outcomes using minimal efforts and resources.  

Know About your Goals
Before you even start working hard, it is of utmost importance that you have a clear vision of what your objectives are. When you do not know where your hard work is going, you end up wasting your time and energy. Always prepare a list of your short term and long term plans and trace your progress accordingly.

Manage your Time
Time is always precious and you have to be able to identify and schedule all your tasks precisely. Everything you do, ensure that you’re hampering your time and be aware of what type of tasks take the maximum time to complete. You would not want to ruin even your seconds doing anything wasteful, would you?  

Know the Impact of Your Work
Your aim should not be to achieve your goals anyhow but ensure fruitful and productive results. Do not execute your tasks blindly, rather know the impact your work and how does can this help you accomplish your targets. Keep a track on your working techniques and progress for profitable results.

Imbibe Smart Work as a Prominent Quality

Ever wondered how Elon Musk became the richest man in the world today? He was a game-changer and believed in working smartly and wasn’t a trend follower. In the contemporary world, with various opportunities and areas of work, competition is equally fierce and companies require efficient workers.  To reach the top of the pyramid of excellence, one must possess qualities that make them stand out.

Our study on hard work vs smart work proves that both the concepts go hand in hand and teachers need to understand that there is a line between making the students work relentlessly hard and allowing them to learn smart work. If you’re planning to work hard to build a career in your chosen field of interest, smartly take help from the experts at Leverage Edu in choosing the right university abroad which fits your career goals.

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