Work hard/Work smart

A long while ago, I was given some important advice. It’s taken some time for me to deploy it.

“I work hard,” I said defensively.

“It’s not just about working hard Adam, it’s about working smart!”

At the time, I had little idea how I could work “smarter.” Like the other people around me, I was doing the best I could. I was the Interim-Leader of the BC Green Party at the time and had no experience building a political party or the associated administrative apparatus. We were a small group under intense pressure to perform. I felt like the only way to get through the dense workload was to fill every waking moment doing it.

In the years following this comment, I have been learning how to work smarter, largely through trial and error.

Doing less is more?

Over the past year, I’ve been shining a light on some of the tweaks I’ve made to my life. There was a time when my mornings were devoted entirely to working on my computer:  social media, writing and whatever else came across my plate  — straight  from bed to the coffee-maker to the couch.

All of that has changed. It’s now a morning walk, yoga, meditation, a little writing for my blog and finally some emailing. Amazingly, I’m able to stay ahead of the waves dispersing the rest of the work throughout the day.

The discipline, the breathing, the stretching and the motion have subdued the tension, the stress, the fear, and the procrastination.

Of course I’m not doing less. I’m actually doing more. The “more” that I’m doing is balanced. By stripping out 90-120 minutes of my harried schedule to look after me, I’m more present for my family and friends and more effective in my work.

It took a few years but I feel like I’m finally able to say that I understand the advice that while there is value in working hard, success comes in working smart.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay