Most people in the US see “working hard” as the path to success.
I’ve got a big problem with this concept: the phrase “working hard” connotes pain and this connotation plays out in the way people work. The need to “work hard” makes people think that they have to sweat and toil and stress and endure pain to make progress. In fact, it seems people tend to use pain and sleep deprivation as a proxy for progress and affirmation that they’re doing the right thing. And the rest of us see it as commendable.
If you’re an athlete, there is a lot of truth in the correlation between pain and progress.
For a knowledge worker, pain is the wrong signal to key in on. And it’s a good ticket to misery.
Three years ago I probably was in this trap, although not necessarily conscious of it. I thought long arduous hours was the way to make things happen. Perhaps part of the reason for this was that so much of my education came from being a serious competitive athlete. Part of this was also probably the culture and environment at MIT.
This isn’t to say that a lot of work is necessary and that sometimes you don’t need to crank away. But I do know pain is the wrong metric. Positive signals–enjoyment, satisfaction with the results, clear progress towards your desires–are much more powerful. This positivity may lead you to working more hours, but the amount of time spent or sacrifices made are side items, investments that may lead you to stronger positivity. They aren’t the measuring stick.
Here’s what I know: you can be just as productive through 1 golden hour, or even just 5 minutes of insight, as you can through 6 hours of toiling–hell, it might be even weeks or months of work you can circumvent. And wealthy and happy people aren’t there just because they’ve provided the necessary pain inputs.
Here’s my current views, that I think rightfully supersede the “work hard” concept:
- Work smart. (is there a better way?)
- Work focused. (Remove distractions. Do 1 or 2 things really well. Stick with it. Reassess when appropriate.)
- Get to positive results as quickly as possible, and thrive on measurable progress.
-Kevin
