Work hard now, you’ll figure out how to work smart later

Mogensen was an industrial engineer and authority in the field of work simplification and office management. In the early thirties, he popularized business flowcharts and was remembered for coining the term, work harder, not smarter. 

Which made perfect sense in the world of factory management and maintenance. But in the entrepreneurial world, especially in the early stages of a new venture, we rarely have enough experience to know what smart means yet. 

As my mentor used to say, you haven’t written enough to know what kind of writer you are yet. 

And so, before we start calculating efficiencies, what’s more important right now is volume and momentum and rhythm. Putting boots on the ground so we can gain traction. Cranking out piles of work so that we might find our authentic voice. 

Carlin used to say that unless performers get up in front of people every day, they’ll never know who they are. Entrepreneurs are the same way. Only through working hard do we earn the right to work smart. 

One of my clients is a talented food photographer. But she’s only been in business for a year. And so, during our strategy sessions, I have to remind myself that she has yet to figure out how to work smart. For now, hard is all she knows. And that’s okay. 

I, on the other hand, have developed an exquisite sense of efficiency. My filter for discerning hard versus smart work is finely tuned like a microchip. But it took fifteen years to get there. 

And so, if you’re in the early stages of your creative endeavor, work hard now, and you’ll figure out how to work smart later. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

When will you learn how to monitor the efficiency of your thinking?LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “50 Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Ask,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

Never the same speech twice. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.

Now booking for 2015-2016.

Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!