Choose your Hard Wisely
Hard work comes in many forms, but the goal is to work smart. Graphic-Neeli Clute
The cult of hard work is ingrained in our thinking. It is often used to define success. We’ve all heard legends of successful business titans getting only four hours of sleep and working weekends to reach their dreams.
I would like to challenge this traditional interpretation of what “hard work” actually means. Many seeking success are surprised to learn that hard work can take many forms and does not have to equate to endless hours of mind-numbing effort. The concept of hard work is largely subjective and multifaceted.
Hard work is often expressed in terms like "sweat equity," "nose to the grindstone," and "burning the midnight oil." It's the "working your fingers to the bone" kind of effort.
I understand this well. Coming from a family of go-getters groomed me for the hustle culture. There was an unspoken shame around laziness or relaxation. "Hard work" was a badge of honor. I noticed, even as a child, that this idea was approached differently. My mother earned a double master’s degree while teaching and parenting me. She would work until utter exhaustion overcame her, not always in the most strategic ways. Even at 76 years of age, she rises before the sun to read, tend to the horses and do chores. My aunt was at the gym before work began, leading successful marketing campaigns and using her mastery of project management and networking. No one was surprised when her brother (my uncle) was tapped for the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 50 or more years of piloting and aircraft operations. Like several others in my family, he retired several times, returning when their replacements could rarely measure up. Working differently in their later years they are traveling to Australia, Japan, flying their own plane, running for office, and consulting for companies eager for their advice.
Failure didn’t faze me, but I had high expectations for improvement from those failures, which aligns more with a growth mindset. The blessings of those failures were in seeing over and over there had been easier ways right in front of me. This encouraged me to work smarter, not harder.
This is much easier said than done. Breaking old habits or changing an approach is incredibly hard.
10X is Easier than 2X, by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy resonated with me. It underscores the limits on what one person can accomplish in a day and illustrates how pursuing goals differently can achieve more. I reflected on times I strategically reconsidered my efforts and the benefits it yielded. Why hadn’t I adopted this approach more often? When I did, the results were astoundingly better, but I hadn't fully understood why.
When I insisted on doing things the traditional hard way, pushing myself to the edge of exhaustion I definitely made progress. But, what I didn’t leverage enough is that "hard" can also mean "smart,” particularly for knowledge workers, creatives, and those in large-scale environments. I had to recondition my mind to this broader interpretation.
Shane Parrish, author of Farnam Street, highlighted different types of hard work that set my neuronerd wheels in motion. Researching these, I looked into how different approaches trigger various neural pathways. Here’s how we can optimize our efforts to not just work hard, but work smart. Each is followed with a suggestion for how to implement this type of hard work in our process:
Knowledge work is hard work. Use your thinking types to expand your mental bandwidth. Graphic-Neeli Clute
1. Out-Thinking: Strategy and Neural Flexibility
The brain’s prefrontal cortex, responsible for cognitive behavior and decision-making, is critical for strategic thinking. Out-thinking leverages neural plasticity—the brain's ability to adapt and rewire itself—to find better strategies and shortcuts.
Work Hard Strategically:
Invest time each week to reflect on your current strategies and brainstorm potential improvements. This thought exercise enhances your brain's plasticity, often leading to breakthroughs.
2. Opportunistic: The Brain on Alert
Taking advantage of change requires an alert mind ready to seize opportunities. This involves the locus coeruleus in the brainstem, which releases noradrenaline to heighten arousal and readiness.
Work Hard Opportunistically:
Stay informed about trends and changes in your field. Engage with thought leaders and news outlets regularly. This primes your brain to be alert, making it easier to seize opportunities. Unrelated information can sometimes unlock solutions in surprising ways.
3. Focused Work: Prefrontal Cortex and Inhibition
Maintaining focus and resisting distractions involves the prefrontal cortex’s ability to inhibit non-goal-oriented responses. This type of hard work involves training the brain to focus while ignoring distractions.
Work Hard with Focus:
Practice mindfulness and meditation to improve your brain's ability to inhibit distractions. Set specific times for deep work, minimizing interruptions. Avoid prolonged focus sessions that can lead to burnout—take breaks to recharge.
4. Consistency: Habit Formation and Cortical Consolidation
Performing average tasks consistently taps into the basal ganglia, crucial for habit formation. Repetition makes neural pathways more efficient, reducing decision fatigue.
Work Hard Consistently with Ease:
Establish a routine incorporating regular, small tasks towards larger goals. Use habit trackers to monitor progress and instill these behaviors as habits.
5. Pure Effort: Neural Endurance and Reward
High-intensity, extended tasks activate the brain’s dopamine pathways, linked to reward and motivation. This can quickly trigger fatigue and should be used judiciously.
Effort into Action:
Pair focus time with pure effort limited to 25-30 minutes at a time. Take short breaks to recharge and process, avoiding burnout. Reward yourself to reinforce the dopamine feedback loop. This method is useful for overcoming procrastination or avoiding burnout from excessive effort.
To Sum it Up:
Cultural stereotypes around work ethic influence our mindsets toward success, money, time, and wellness. We often have narrow views of hard work, leading to burnout by overextending ourselves even on days off.
Understanding the neuroscience behind different types of hard work provides insights into our brain functions, empowering us to adjust our approaches more effectively. As entrepreneurs and business professionals, leveraging these insights can elevate personal and organizational achievements.
Call to Action:
"Dreams are lovely. But they are dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen."
- Shonda Rhimes
Reflect on the types of hard work you currently engage in.
Are there areas where changing your approach could lead to better outcomes?
Consider incorporating these suggested activities into your routine and observe improvements in productivity and mental acuity.
Please share your experiences and the hard work boundaries that have led to your personal successes on the LinkedIn comments of this blog here.