"Hard Work" Isn't The Right Phrase

We all want to be hard workers. 
We want others to perceive us as someone capable of effortful input that leads to quality output. 

But there's a problem. The idea–and even the language– of “hard work” conflicts with how work actually gets done in two major ways.
 

First of all, “hard work” is a phrase rooted in manual labor. We are knowledge workers. The idea of working hard evokes an image of sweat and struggle. And that doesn’t correlate to writing emails from a desk or sitting in meetings about Q2 strategy. 

So if we want to be perceived as someone that works hard, we translate that idea into the visible action of working more. Work then can become a performative act– not just getting our tasks done, but asking dumb questions on Slack to show we’re available. Or answering an email immediately to show we’re responsive and staying in the office late or on weekends to prove that somehow we’re "working hard." (Sense the sarcasm?)

Second, we have been brought up to believe that we’re supposed to love what we do. That our work is our passion and we’ve dreamed of doing this kind of work since we were kids. Which is a problem because first of all, that often means we undervalue ourselves. We must be soooo lucky to be doing what we’re doing that that is part of the payment (sarcasm again). 

Additionally, because we love it so much, it doesn’t always feel hard. If you’re a filmmaker or coder or accountant or whatever– your work might be something that you’ve done for decades or even comes easy to you. So if you want to feel like you work hard; if you want to be perceived as a hard worker, you might get in your own way. Self sabotage is common. So you add tasks, make things feel hard, procrastinate and over-complicate your work. You question the quality because it came so easily. Or question yourself.

Maybe the problem is the narrative of hard work.

Maybe instead, we should all be striving to work easy.

Work smart.

Work better.
Work less.

Don't work hard.

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Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.