Working Hard Won't Take You to the Next Level

The other day, I saw this slogan: „Work hard, stay humble, enjoy good coffee!“

It’s a nice marketing line, and they do serve great coffee. But it made me stop and wonder: Do I actually identify with this?

Coincidentally, a day later, I heard someone claim that "working hard" is the only guarantee of success. Once again, I found myself reflecting on whether that had been true for me.

I remembered how my parents—and even my grandmother—constantly urged me to work hard. “Be a good girl and work hard,” she would tell me repeatedly. I listened. I followed their advice. At that young age, I didn't push back; I simply soaked it in. I accepted their words as my truth, and they became the foundation of my path.

You might think, "I wish my parents had given me such solid advice." And yes, of course, there are pros and cons. My work ethic helped me succeed in school and navigate university, even in the most challenging environments. It certainly helped me land the jobs I wanted, earn promotions, and grow into leadership roles.

So, what is the "con"?

When you have a highly structured life and a focus on efficiency, you can easily fall into an "optimization spiral." You want to learn more, get better, and prove you are capable of reaching the next level. I certainly did—and I still do. Part of that feels right.

But the downside is that the boundary between healthy self-improvement and disrespecting my own limits is razor-thin. It takes time and experience to learn where that line is.

Another lesson I’ve learned is the importance of seasons and phases. I might go the extra mile today, but struggle to reach even the halfway mark tomorrow. It takes a while to understand that the body and brain don’t work at a constant speed—and that these fluctuations are normal. We shouldn’t expect peak performance every single day.

It is incredibly challenging to "pause" performance mode. Once you are in that hamster wheel, you have to learn specific techniques to stop it. Really stop it. Because jumping into a different hamster wheel (even during leisure time) isn't the break you actually need.

After writing this, it sounds like the formula is: Work hard, take a break, repeat—and you will succeed.

That's true to an extent. But I want us to get to the next level.

That is why I believe working "hard" is fine for a sprint, but unsustainable for the marathon. I prefer the term Focused Work. Focused work, combined with stamina. Or, as the saying goes: Work smart, not hard.

It’s surprising how few people actually work smart!

How do we get to that next level? We have to get innovative and find a work style that suits us while providing great service to others. This shouldn't be confused with laziness. When you work smart and stay focused, you discover new ideas and methods that bring real value.

Finding what truly suits you and your environment is a tough process. Some have great intuition here, but most of us "unlearned" that skill in school, where conformity and standardization were the rules. We need to relearn how to listen to ourselves and trust our intuition.

Where do you fall on the spectrum? Are you closer to "working hard" or "working smart"? If you have recommendations on how to reach that next level, please share them in the comments.