working smarter, not harder

A lot of common success stories are centred on hard work and sacrifices, which is definitely accurate…just not the sole focus. This got me thinking about the comfortable trap we fall into when it comes to overworking ourselves. The more information and media we consume about working harder to achieve our dreams isn’t helping us on the strategy to success, it’s glamorising hustle culture and a lifestyle of living like machines at the expense of our joy. Success is a strategy and it can only come about once you start working smart. Let me illustrate this for you:

  1. Girl who works hard:

  • Working random part-time job 1 

  • Working random part-time job 2 

  • Freelancing on the side at a big company 

  • Teaches yoga classes on the weekends 

  • Does all the cleaning and cooking at home

  • Spends evenings with her friends

  • Has plans to start her passion project eventually but doesn’t have the time 


  1. Girl who works smart: 

  • Works part-time job 1 for stability but also to learn more about her passion project industry 

  • Pours all extra working hours and weekends into GROWING her business

  • Sets boundaries to see friends once a fortnight because her schedule is busy 

  • Sets aside every Sunday to reset, relax and enjoy life 

  • Invests some of her income in a weekly cleaner 

  • Pays a little bit extra for meal delivery to take back control of her time

 

So what’s the difference? Well, girl 1 is DISTRACTED from her path to success because she has no time to think about it! She’s in survival mode, just trying to complete her to-do list each day. Of course she doesn’t have a second to take a step back and see half of those things aren’t serving her. She dreams of having her own clothing brand and none of her tasks align to getting her there. Girl 2 who works smart also has the same dream, but she’s already working on it. Although it would be nice to have some extra income, she knows it's a worthwhile risk to lower her expenditure so she can have the time to work on her clothing business instead. She's not trying to meet everyone’s needs and she’s started to outsource tasks that don’t contribute to her success. 

Don't lull yourself into the comfort of just working hard. Success comes with a SMART working strategy. It's not smart to do everything for everyone, put other people first and work 3 jobs. It feels like you’re doing great because you’re managing so much and you’re such a busy person but when it’s not contributing to the bigger picture of where you want to go…is it really productive? Being less busy and only working 4 hours a day on your business would get you further even though technically you’re not utilising all of your time. It takes strategy, risk and difficulty to pursue the thing that will get you 80% of the results you want in life. Quitting one job even though it means lower income is difficult, but it gives you the time you require. Investing that spare income into the supplies you need for your dream business is risky, but at least you know you’re giving it your all.

 

TAM’S STORY AND PERSONAL INSIGHTS 

Unknowingly, I was living by this revelation back in September 2022 when I graduated university and moved back into my family’s home. I made the risky (and widely disapproved) decision to work ZERO jobs and instead pour all of my time and efforts into pursuing my dreams – a creative career on social media. This choice is an example of ‘burning the boats’ – a concept that encourages the complete commitment to your goal via Plan A and neglecting to make any back-ups/contingencies. You are going all in on the thing you want, without planning for failure or whether it’s ‘realistic’. That’s exactly what I did. I had no money and no stability but I worked tirelessly everyday ONLY on my passion…and it all paid off and turned into my full-time career within 6 months. 

This was also a matter of self-love. I could’ve so easily listened to the plethora of people who were adamant in telling me I needed to get a real job on the side. But I knew it would impact the effort and energy I could put into my real purpose. I did the self-loving favour of creating a boundary on where I put my energy and whose opinions I allowed myself to internalise. I speak about this in more depth in my radical guide to self-love book here. 

 

PRACTICAL TRANSFORMATION TIPS FOR SMART WORKING

  • Say no to someone this week WITHOUT GUILT

  • Take ONE thing off your to-do list today, you are allowed to. 

  • Understand what gets you 80% of the results to evaluate where your time is better spent. E.g. Spending 3 hours answering every email is not moving you towards your goal - I personally don’t mind leaving some emails unanswered, I've got bigger fish to fry.

  • Stop planning for the goal. Even though it feels productive, you’re STILL not actioning it. You have to DO…something, anything that involves a step on that journey.

 


TAM’S FAV TOOLS TO HELP YOU ON THIS JOURNEY