Why you should not work too hard

You have been lied to. You have been told your whole life that if you want to succeed, earn more, and excel in life, you have got to work hard. But is it true? Is it true that working hard is the key to success?

Well, in this article, we will talk about why hard work is NOT the main factor that you need to succeed in life and at work.

Hard work may be important, but it is just one of the many parts of the equation to success.

Here are the 7 truths why you should not work hard, and you must accept these truths to move forward, make better progress, and achieve better success in both your personal and work life…

1. It is not about working hard, it is about working with the right strategy.

It is not about working hard, it is about working with the right strategy.

If your goal is to catch the sunrise, running to the west is not going to help, no matter how fast you run.

Yes, working hard may be important, but it is not the core reason why people succeed.

It is not just about working hard, it is about working with the right strategy, the right system, the right plan, and the right blueprint.

Ever wonder why some people work 18 hours a day, but they don’t seem to be making much progress? That’s because they are working on the wrong thing.

And you don’t want that to happen to you.

Before you work hard, make sure your direction is right. Make sure your roadmap is the right one that will take you to your destination.

If you want to summit Mount Everest, who should you learn with? Someone who has never climbed a mountain before, or someone who has done it a couple of times?

The answer is clear, but why do you want to learn from someone who has done it before? Because he has the answer you seek – the right strategy to get there safely and back.

It is the same with the success you want to achieve in life. No matter what goals you want to achieve, make sure you are working on the right plan.

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2. Not all work is created equal, learn to prioritize.

Not all work is created equal, learn to prioritize.

Yes, working hard blindly isn’t going to work. And not all work is created equal, hence, you have to learn how to prioritize and work on the most impactful tasks first.

You see, we all have 24 hours in a day. You, me, and Warren Buffett have the same 24 hours a day. But why does Buffett earn so much more than you and I?

Well, because Buffett understands not all work is created equal. Some tasks will give you the most progress, while some tasks will only take away your time and give you no results.

This is why it is important to prioritize your work. You want to work on things that will give you the most result and progress.

Think about building a business versus working for a day job. When you work for a job, your pay is almost fixed. But when you are building a business, the earning ability from your business is flexible and scalable.

This is why I suggest you don’t just rely on working on a job, you need to start a side business too.

Once a system or a business is up, it will give you results consistently and maybe even passively. Just like what Warren Buffett did. He invested in companies and made his money work for him.

Therefore, you must understand that not all work is created equal. And if you want to succeed, both in life and at work, you must learn to prioritize your work.

Do the important work that gives you the most success before you do the menial work that doesn’t make any progress.

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3. The longer hours you work, the less productive you become.

The longer hours you work, the less productive you become.

What do you think about when you heard about the term, “work hard”? If you are like most people, working hard means working longer hours. And that’s not a good thing.

Plenty of studies have shown that working longer hours actually decreases your productivity.

For instance, this study from History.com showed how Ford Motor Company becomes one of the first companies in America to adopt a 5-day, 40-hour week for workers in automotive factories. It all started in 1926, Henry Ford discovered that by reducing the working hours to 8 and the working days to 5, the productivity for his workers in the factories increased.

Here’s a quote from Henry Ford:

“Improved productivity means less human sweat, not more.”

When you push to work for longer hours, you don’t get to recharge and replenish your energy, your willpower will decrease, and so with your ability to focus.

This is why taking short breaks is important to maximize your productivity. Unfortunately, most people have been brainwashed by the media and society to believe that working longer hours will improve productivity, which is not.

If you are still not convinced, check out this study from Harvard Business Review. The article shows a shorter workday actually increases productivity.

4. Understand acceleration and navigation.

Understand acceleration and navigation.

I like this book from Vishen Lakhiani, The Buddha and The Badass. And I strongly recommend you get it and read it.

In the book, Vishen explains the difference between acceleration and navigation. To move forward in the right direction, you need both acceleration and navigation.

Acceleration is execution. This is where you put in the work and take action. You make progress and hustle to get results.

Navigation is about planning and reflecting your path. It is about making sure you are moving in the right direction and producing the right results.

When it comes to working hard, people focus on acceleration. They thought that working all day and night is the answer, which is really not.

buddha and the badass
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You need navigation as well. Proper planning saves you a lot of time and effort. Just like this saying from Abraham Lincoln:

“If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”

You have to understand that wars are won in the general’s tent. So, make time for both navigation and acceleration.

5. Overwork will destroy your health.

Overwork will destroy your health.

Yes, overwork will destroy your health.

Let me ask you a question, what will you do if you have to work harder and put in more hours for your goals and targets?

If you are like most people, the first thing they will do is they will sacrifice their sleep to work harder.

This is what this article from Duroflex.com says…

“By letting go of quality sleep you are actually making it harder for your body and brain to function at its best, making it challenging for you to get things done. The effect of sleep deprivation is directly linked to daytime fatigue, poor concentration and mental sluggishness- a nightmare for any hardworking and ambitious individual.”

You see, sleep has a profound impact on our mood, feelings, and productivity. Getting good sleep can improve your concentration and ability to focus. And the lack of it can cause irritability, creative impairment, poor memory, and of course, it will also negatively impact your work performance.

So, don’t overwork.

I’d rather put in shorter hours for focused work with better performance, than overwork and put in more excruciating hours with poorer performance.

6. Life is more than just working.

Life is more than just working.

Do I need to explain more? There are so many things in life, not just work.

You have to understand every choice you make is an opportunity cost. The moment you choose to work, you also choose not to spend time with your family. You can’t do both.

Just like the Four Burners Theory, if you put in more time into work, you will have less time with your family, friends, and yourself.

And you have to gauge how you want your life to be like. You can choose to strive for a balance or learn to outsource your burners.

But whatever you do, an opportunity cost will involve bachelorarbeit schreiben lassen kosten. Hence, choose and decide wisely. I suggest you watch my YouTube video below to understand how the Four Burners Theory work and how to choose between work-life balance…

7. You get paid for the value you create, not the hour you put in.

You get paid for the value you create, not the hour you put in.

Here’s why you shouldn’t work too hard…

“You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.”

– Jim Rohn

Think about the earnings between a CEO and a blue-collar worker. Why there’s a huge difference?

Because a CEO has to decide masterarbeit schreiben lassen, plan, envision, and navigate the entire company for growth and profitability, while a blue-collar worker just needs to get his work done, he will be paid.

The same goes with a general practitioner and a specialist hausarbeit schreiben lassen. A specialist like a neurosurgeon charges a dramatically higher fee than a general practitioner did.

And why is that? Value.

The higher the value you bring to people, the more you can charge and earn.

And this is why working hard is almost irrelevant to your earning ability bachelorarbeit schreiben lassen. It is about the value you create and how much you can scale.

Hence, don’t focus on working hard, instead, focus on creating value and reaching more people.

A product that changes people’s lives can sell for a higher price than a product that only educates Masterarbeit schreiben lassen. This is why seminars, workshops, and coaching sell at a higher price than a book does. But the information shared is almost the same.

Remember, to achieve greater success, learn to create more value. I will suggest you take this free web class to discover the 3 shortcuts used by extremely successful people to 5X their results in less time.

This article may contain affiliate links. Meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. As always, I only recommend products and services I trust.

By Shawn Lim

Hi there, this is Shawn. I inspire people to achieve their goals and dreams and to reach for higher success in life. If you want to learn more about me, kindly go to the About page. By the way, have you downloaded your FREE copy of The 90-90-1 Rule? Don't forget to do so. Cheers. :)

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