Everyone knows that, on some level, “making it” as an entrepreneur is bound to entail some level of hard work. At the very least, the ability to work hard when necessary is certainly invaluable.
That being said, it’s simply not the case that there’s a direct correlation between how hard you work and how successful you are going to be. Unfortunately, you can be sure that there are many menial workers out there in some corner of the world who are working just as hard as you are, but whose career prospects aren’t looking nearly as promising as yours are.
Working smart is always at least as important as working hard. So, here are a few straightforward tips for working smart, instead of just working hard.
Look out for small incremental tweaks that can lead to significant improvements over time
It can be extremely difficult – if not impossible – to come up with a comprehensive plan for totally overhauling your business, off the top of your head.
Among other things, different variables are likely to change dramatically over time, or to differ from how you thought they would play out in theory.
What everyone can achieve, though, is making regular small and incremental tweaks, that can lead to significant improvements over time.
For example, changing your packaging to box pouches can mean more space on each package for description, imagery, and marketing. It can also reduce certain logistical woes associated with packaging.
Though these changes might be small in the here and now, combined with dozens of other similar such adjustments, they may well have a monumental effect over time.
Don’t treat leisure and enjoyment as dirty words
There’s an unfortunate but prevalent idea out there, that “leisure” and “enjoyment” are more or less dirty words for the ambitious entrepreneur who has productivity to think of, and who has no time to waste on other frivolities.
In fact, though, research has found that people who take the least vacation at work significantly underperform those who take their allotted vacation days.
This is just one example – but your ability to be dynamic, effective, and creative with your business depends largely on your well-being, creativity, and sense of passion and interest, as an individual.
Don’t treat leisure and enjoyment as dirty words. You need them in order to provide balance, and to ensure that you can put in your best performance at work. Not to mention the fact that they are essential for a good overall quality of life.
Don’t be afraid to actually follow your passion
It is often argued that in order to be successful in business, the most important thing is “grit” – meaning, basically, the ability to force yourself forward even when you absolutely hate what you’re doing.
There is a very good argument to be made, though, for actually following your passion instead of just tyrannising yourself constantly.
For one thing, the more passionate about something you are, the more naturally “grit” will come when you do have a tight deadline to meet. For another thing, working on something you’re passionate about will add deeper layers of meaning to your life as a whole.
Finally, what you’re passionate about is often a good indicator of what you have the capacity to be good at – or, at least, to become good at with some work.
