To get the most out of your efforts, first work (and live!) smarter, THEN work harder/longer… if that is what it takes to realize the life of your dreams.

Several asterisks:

Just “being” smart is not the same as “working” smart. One is potential, the other is applied potential. As the saying goes, hard work does beat genius when genius doesn’t work hard.

Enough working harder/longer can surpass working smarter but it will take a LOT. Hour for hour, working smarter is your best bet.

Living/Working smart requires Emotional Intelligence (EQ) i.e. self-knowledge, introspection, heightened awareness. Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) and understanding underlying processes (Systems Thinking) are helpful also.

Energy management is more important than time management; we all have the same 24 hours.

Closing Quotes:

“Don’t confuse activity with productivity. Many people are simply busy being busy.” – Robin Sharma

“Reflect on what you do in a day. You may have never realized how some simple, harmless activities rob you of precious time.” – Vivek Naik

“So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” – Caterina Fake

“Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is home because they figured out a faster way.” – Jason Fried

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends, there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration.” – Thomas A. Edison

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier