Hard Work

Hard work needs no introduction, we all know what hard work is. It means working towards your path of success, overcoming obstacles, learning from mistakes and all the other stuff you are taught in the Class 2 Moral Science. But, the age old concept of hard work is moot today. Today, it's the era of Smart Work, i.e. is hard work in smartly judged areas. You cannot take a hammer up to hill, start banging it to break it to stones and proclaim you should be remunerated because you worked hard. You have to work hard in the most remunerative manner by judging the effects of your actions.

What Is Hard Work?
Hard Work, as I used it here, means Hard Work in Smart manner. Judging the effects of your actions, making sure you it helps you achieve what you want with the least use of resources possible, where time is also a resource. Hard Work has it's own place in your CART, you cannot succeed anywhere without hard work. Now, in management, we learn that even if the Planning is ineffective but the execution is effective, the organisation can survive. This however does not mean that we leave smart planning out of the picture, because it is what causes the difference between thrive and survive.

Hard Work As a Wheel
Hard Work is a very important part of your CART. Not only is it a wheel but also a fuel. It will take you to your goals and when you achieve them, they'll fuel you to work harder, remember when I said Goals are like checkpoints or refueling stations, this is how they refuel.
If not seen as fuel, it can be thought of as the bolts that keep the wheels attached to the CART, as without hardwork all other wheels are useless.

Importance Of Hard Work
I once read on a poster in my class, 'Hard work beats talent when Talent does not Work Hard'. I understand solving complex mathematical problems is a genetic trait but that does not mean if we work upon it, we'll not get better. Hard Work is like a fuel to your CART, it will take you from desire to destination.
My father used to say, 'Ability to work is what makes us superior to God Himself', i.e. we can work hard to improve our stature but God can't.
There is an old Urdu proverb which reads, 

'Khudi ko kar buland itna, ke har takdeer se pehlay

Khuda bande se khud puche, bata teri raza kiya hai.'

which means that one should work hard enough that the person's destiny asks him, what should be there in his future.

You Need Smart Work - Signs

Here are a few signs that one may be falling into that rut:

• They work hard throughout the day, but at the end of the day wonder if what they’ve done really made all that much of a difference.  
• They work hard but don’t feel like they get the recognition that they deserve.
• They work tirelessly but it rarely feels like they accomplish much of anything.
• Their task list is endless and they often feel overwhelmed.

Working Smart

1. Assess everything that needs to be done. Before you plunge into something headfirst, remember that enthusiasm needs to be tempered with wisdom. Look over every aspect of the job, and allow yourself ample "pondering time" so that you can be sure that every detail is accomplished on time and accurately.
2. Make an outline. Whether it's in your head or on paper, you should have a checklist in mind and follow it in order. You don't want to repeat steps, duplicate the efforts of others, make mistakes or forget anything.
3. Learn to say no. Avoid over-scheduling yourself and be realistic about what you can accomplish in a single day. Sometimes you just have to cut yourself off because in most professions, there is almost always something that could be done.
4. Limit your goals. Try to avoid multi-tasking because you often get less done since your brain is switching back and forth between tasks. Pick one thing to work on and put your best effort into that until it is accomplished.

Remember Success cannot be guaranteed everytime, but if you work hard in the direction of your goals, you are bound to achieve greatness.

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