Work Smarter, Not Harder: The REAL Definition

Companies talk about it all the time, and employees buy into it.

Any organization I’ve ever been apart of has stressed one credo:

Work Smarter, Not Harder.

It’s a statement that, by definition, is a way for every individual to find more ways to be creative and productive while exerting less energy.

But here’s what those companies don’t tell you: it’s usually harder for YOU, and smarter for the corporate bigwigs who count on your work and your ideas to become rich.

When people find new, innovative ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder, 9 times out of 10, it’s predicated on the belief that maybe, just MAYBE, their hard work will get them a promotion.

And what comes with promotion? A salary bump, sure. But more than likely, more responsibility. Which means you’re working twice as hard to line the pockets of the bigwigs.

But they’ll still preach it until they’re blue in the face: Work Smarter, Not Harder.

Working Smarter, Not Harder, usually means multi-tasking.

I’m going to be completely honest. I hate multi-tasking. I can’t stand it. I have the ability to do it, but it doesn’t mean I like it.

And it’s not laziness either. Much to my shigrin, I multi-task all the time. We all do it. We live in a world that feels we can’t function without it.

Most companies would be in utter shock if their employees didn’t multi-task. But in my opinion, it’s counterproductive.

Why? Think about it. Instead of 100% of your attention devoted to one assignment or initiative, 35% of your attention is on this assignment, 20% of your mind is thinking about a deadline for another assignment, 15% may be thinking about a meeting, 10% of your mind is preoccupied with something else, and the other 20% is wondering if there’s anything else you could possibly juggle in a day’s work.

Do you see how this can be counterproductive? Instead of one particular assignment getting your full attention, it’s only getting half, or even less. And all the other assignments are getting the same sort of attention as well, and this leads to poor results.

And supervisors and managers wonder why their employees get burnt out at work. It’s not laziness. It’s the fact they can’t focus on one subject at a time. Their mind is so consumed with what’s next, they forget about what’s now.

This is a major reason so many fail at network marketing. They over-complicate things by trying to juggle too many activities. Instead of focusing their full attention on one area of their business, they're all over the map, and their efforts suffer because of it.

Based on these principles, I’ve developed two schools of thought that drive my success on a daily basis:

1) Whenever possible, I give 100% of my attention to one specific subject so I ensure it’s done correctly. I prioritize my projects and work on one at a time so I know my best efforts are being poured into them.

This requires organization. But it’s amazing what you can do when you set up a schedule of events and focus on the task at hand.

2) I Work Smarter, Not Harder every day. But I don’t do it to line the pockets of someone else. I do it for myself and my family.

I reached a point where I realized no matter how much I worked, no matter what company it was, if I wasn’t at the top, I was working smarter AND harder to make someone else wealthy.

If you share this same mentality, and you’re not thrilled with listening to CEOs and managers drone on about working smarter, not harder, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

There are several ways you can create income streams that can fatten your bank account. The key is taking action and getting started, not sitting on the sidelines hoping someone else will come along and save you.

The most lethal action in the world is inaction. I listen to people every single day talk about how much they hate their job or wish they were somewhere else. But they do nothing but complain about it!

If you’re not happy with your situation, step up and do something about it! There’s a lot of opportunity out there if you open your mind and think outside the box.