Win Smarter, Not Harder

"I once played squash with a wealthy investor at a private club in Singapore. Even though it was a friendly game, I still didn't want it to be a total wipeout. I'm not great at squash, and I knew my opponent was a regular player. But he was in his 60s, and I was in my 30s, so I figured how hard could it be? Surely, I could outrun and outwork him."

"Put simply, this investor beat me rather badly without even breaking a sweat. He trained specifically to make the best use of his strengths and came prepared. That match stuck with me. True, I'd lost, but I also finally realized something I'd been wrong about for years: Working harder isn't always the answer. Strategy beats hustle, and the real challenge is to find the smarter game to play."

Grinding 80-hour weeks feels productive but frequently causes burnout, poor decisions, buggy code, and stalled growth. Heavy hustle can impress others yet fail to accelerate goal attainment. Clear goals and deliberate strategy deliver better outcomes than raw effort alone. Focused preparation and leveraging strengths produce efficient performance and sustained results. Efficiency beats frantic activity; working smarter involves identifying the optimal path and designing processes to reach objectives with less wasted effort. Leaders should prioritize clarity of objectives, selective effort, and systems that amplify strengths rather than glorify exhaustive work hours.

Read at Psychology Today