What is smart work and how is it different from hard work? Success is indefinitely linked with hard work. But often, hard work is not just enough to get to your goal. The standalone factor which differentiates highly successful people from others is that when they work hard, they always work smart. It is not a shortcut, but it is the kind of work that makes them stand a class apart. So how do you really work hard and smart? Here, we have listed down several ways to work smart.

1) Planning

Planning is the best way to kickstart any work. When you have in mind what to do exactly, half of your work is already done. All you need to do is stick with your plan. But make sure you have got the best plan with you. It is completely alright if you take a bit of extra time in planning things out.

2) Understanding yourself and your work

You have to know every single thing about the subject or work and also about the ways to bring out the best in yourself when working on it. Sometimes you will have to work around ways and break conventional methods for your benefits. However, going after shortcuts is not the solution.

3) Procrastination is your greatest enemy

The moment you put off some work, your goal gets a step farther from you. Giving yourself, well-deserved rest and procrastinating is two different things. This is a difference people often don’t get. When you waste your time on something not at all productive, that is when you are procrastinating.

4) Managing your time

Time waits for no one. So, it is better to manage it efficiently rather than running behind it. Prioritising your work is the best way to manage time. Always keep yourself ahead of time.

5) Being proactive

It is always better to be in total control of a situation. It will help you to face adversities with ease. This way, you will never feel insecure and will never miss out on an opportunity. A mere hard work will always be reactive but never be proactive.

6) Being innovative and creative

Only a creative and innovative mind can bring about ground-breaking ideas. Roads less traveled have to be taken to get there. People might not stay with you on this but your undying desire to follow your heart will give you the fuel to achieve what you want.

7) Adaptive

Things are bound to change. Even when you have planned and prepared everything, the unexpected always happens. Expecting the worst and being able to adapt quickly to the changing scenarios is the only way you can move forward.

So, what have you been doing all this time? Have you been working smart or just working hard? Analyse yourself and try to arrive at an answer. If you have no clue on what you have been doing all these years, take up an aptitude test. It might help you understand yourself and your aspirations.