Those are always the things connected with creating, delivering, and capturing value. Everything else is a waste. Innovation distinguishes leaders from followers. Smart workers always innovate somehow.

They always try to improve and find new ways to do things. They doubt everything and are aware that there are no best practices as to how things should be done, because things can always be done faster, better and more efficiently.

Delivering value efficiently also means being bold in marketing oneself. Smart workers make sure that superiors, clients, and other people know what kind of value they can provide. They have no problem with selling, negotiating, or public speaking. If you want to be a smarter worker:. Smart people are very well aware that in order to work smart, you need control - as much control as possible. After or even before creating and delivering value, you have to make sure that as a smart worker, you have control over the situation and can capture the most value possible without any intermediaries for example be an entrepreneur or boss than rather just an employee.

This is why most smart workers are entrepreneurs, managers, and other types of leaders. Smart workers want to get to the top as soon as possible. If you have control, you can do things your way; and if you are a smart worker, you make sure that your way is the right way. If you want to be a smart worker, you need to have as much control as possible:. The approach of doing everything by yourself is the biggest enemy of smart work.

With a mindset like that, you never focus yourself on creating and delivering the biggest value, but rather your perfectionist mindset only forces you to work harder, not smarter. If you want to work smart, you have to learn how to delegate. You can definitely leverage some of that.

People who work smart go into industries where lots of money is in circulation very early on, so they can leverage that money and create wealth for themselves. If you want to work smart, you have to be aware that there is too much money in the world, not too little. Smart workers have an abundance mindset. The easiest way to track time — for freelancers and teams trusted by The more value you create per hour, the more you get paid.

Smart workers are more focused on passive and portfolio income. That means that you do something one time and then that thing brings money into your pocket every month, whether you work or not. There are examples such as creating some kind of intellectual property books, blog posts, YouTube videos etc.

They want to create value that can be delivered over a longer period of time. They strategically look for ways they can put themselves in an advantageous position on a certain market. Being in such a position, be it formally being a boss, having a very beneficial contract, etc. Being a smart worker demands a completely different mindset than being a hard worker does. If you want to be a smart worker, think about the following:. Smart workers have no problem standing on the shoulders of giants.

They have no problem in taking off and continuing work based on the good past performance of other people. The only criteria they have is in which position they can maximize their creation and delivery of value. Everything else is secondary. They have no problem in upgrading, updating, and bringing to the next level the work of other people. Hard workers not only want to do everything by themselves, they also like to start working on different things from scratch, because they want to take all the possible credit.

Consequently, hard workers are also afraid to share their ideas or work. Smart workers are different. Smart workers like to share, network, learn from others, and have no ego problem that would prevent them from continuing work that someone else has begun, but they also know when and where to take credit and keep control.

Smart workers know very well that one right person in the phonebook can save you years of hard work. Smart workers also have no problem with asking for help. They know that most people love to help others. Thus, they have no problem with asking for help and helping others. And another thing: smart workers are never afraid of rejection, because they trust in themselves. Sooner or later, every No only leads to Yes.

Track work hours, manage absences and generate payroll reports Learn more Test the powerful features with a free trial. Smart workers are very aware that they have to hang out with people who are on the way to achieving or have already achieved what they want to.

Smart workers want to hang out with people who are smarter than them and who are superior in some way; and then they want to learn as much as possible. Smart people very carefully choose who they spend time with.

Hard workers, on the other hand, are afraid of people who are better than them. You have to be proactive, not reactive, if you want to be a smart worker; that also includes very carefully choosing who you will spend time with. Smart workers know that putting themselves first also means doing the best for the community. Smart workers are aware that the more power and money they have, the more influence they have on the world and the more they can do for the community as well.

The more money you have, the more you can give. Smart workers are aware that the most they can do for world peace is to love their family. Smart workers know that emotional security and strength come from trusting themselves and having deep and loving relationships, and that means putting yourself first. Smart workers definitely spend a lot more time analyzing, thinking, innovating, creating, focusing, optimizing, automating, and leveraging.

Still, they too make bad decisions and commit their hard work to the wrong things. Smart workers know that they will miss some shots and fail sometimes. Smart workers fail fast. Hard workers, on the other hand, have a hard time accepting failure. They think that working even harder may solve the problem. Hard workers hate change. They just want to work hard, and when the circumstances change they get lost and angry, especially when most of their work was for nothing.

It develops you into a hard-working person and gives you an experience of self-control, so you feel that you are in charge of your own destiny. Developing good habits for a successful career includes the habit of task completion. Being able to complete your tasks and finish what you start, is an essential part of character building.

You cannot imagine a fully mature, fully functioning person who is unable to finish what she begins. The development of this habit is the key to long-term success. You can accelerate the process of becoming a highly productive person by regularly visualizing yourself as focused and channeled toward high achievement.

See yourself as one of the most highly efficient and hard-working, successful people you know. Feed your subconscious mind with this picture until it is accepted as a command.

Your subconscious cannot tell the difference between a real experience and one that you vividly imagine. If you create an imaginary picture of yourself performing as a hard-working individual, your subconscious mind reacts exactly as if that is what you were actually doing at the moment. Each time you replay this image of yourself performing at your best, your subconscious mind records it exactly as if it were happening again. Sir Martin responded almost immediately.

Mayer is known for her incredible stamina and work schedule. She used to put in hour weeks at Google, according to Entrepreneur , a schedule she managed by sleeping under her desk.

Even people critical of her management style acknowledge that she " will literally work 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Business Insider's Nich Carlson reports. That paid off with one of the biggest jobs in technology. Immelt strictly divides that time, devoting a specific portion of each day to deal with every part of his business.

All of that comes after a a. Nobody in basketball drives their body harder than Bryant. A profile in GQ describes how he has changed his shooting technique repeatedly rather than take time for dislocated and broken fingers.

When growing up outside of Philadelphia, ESPN describes how Kobe would spend his free time endlessly practicing jump shots in the park. The Lakers staff finds him doing the same thing at their practice facility at all hours of the day and night.

Now one of the most powerful and well-known women in business, Nooyi worked midnight to 5 a. Today, she wakes up at about 4 a. At the Aspen Ideas Festival earlier this year , Nooyi said that at times during her career it has been normal for her to work until midnight.

During that same talk, she said her intense dedication to her job may have made her a worse parent. PayPal cofounder, SpaceX founder, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is known for his tireless work ethic, and in an interview with Vator , he advises other entrepreneurs to work twice as hard as everyone else to achieve success. This ability to keep pushing was on display in August after SpaceX's third unsuccessful attempt to launch a rocket into space. Musk put out a statement telling the world, "For my part, I will never give up and I mean never.

Seven weeks later, SpaceX became the first private company to successfully launch a rocket that reached orbit. McMahon's life has revolved entirely around World Wrestling Entertainment formerly the World Wrestling Federation for more than 40 years.

His former creative partner, Vince Russo, writes in a piece for What Culture that no matter what he did, he could never get to the office before McMahon or leave after him. This isn't entirely true — McMahon, 69, is a big bodybuilder , and he is in great shape for someone his age.

It is called hard work for a reason. There are many challenges that you will face on any journey as you work to achieve something meaningful. The reason that you are considered a hard worker is that you will face the challenges head-on. Working hard can help you develop several personal traits such as perseverance and patience.

Furthermore, you will also learn how to better manage your time properly and best prepare yourself for the unexpected. As you can probably relate, unexpected situations often arise. However, the hard work you are willing to put in to overcome these tough circumstances are what will set you apart from the crowd.

Overall, your experiences of working hard will make you a more sought after resource, as you are able to remain calm while navigating through tough challenges. Hard workers are considered dependable people. When there is a task that requires completing, you, as a hard worker, do not procrastinate or make excuses as to why the work is not finished.

You just get it done. Employers all around the world value hard workers. That is because your employer knows their money will not go to waste when hiring such a reliable person. Additionally, your coworkers also appreciate the hard work you put in. That is because, without it, they are left to pick up the slack. When you require professional references for a new job, or as you submit some form of an application, those who have encountered you in a professional setting will remember your hard work and reliability.

As a result, they will be more willing to recommend and support you as you work to achieve new goals. The benefits of being a reliable person extends beyond a business setting as well.

Friends and family will also appreciate your reliability by knowing you are dependable. As a hard worker, you always complete the required tasks, so you have time to spend with those who matter most to you. Your hard work is often for personal gain as you work to accomplish some goal or reach a new achievement. However, there are also many instances when others benefit from your hard work.

While you might work harder to achieve a promotion, a higher salary or some other job perks, it is also your family that benefits from those achievements. An increase in salary might mean being able to afford an enjoyable vacation for your family or to have the money to enroll your kids in sports.