🚀 Smart Work vs. Hard Work: The Ancient & Modern Secrets to Productivity
For a decade, I worked hard. It wasn’t a choice— I didn’t realize this. It was the example I was raised with — and many of you will relate.
As a child of immigrants and an immigrant myself, I came to Canada at the age of 10.
I barely spoke English.
My family had to start from nothing.
I was raised by my grandparents and my mom.
Back in Russia, my grandparents were engineers.
In Canada, they took whatever jobs they could—construction, house cleaning, tutoring—anything to put food on the table.
Typical story.
I watched my grandfather wake up every morning and work 12-hour construction shifts in the cold. My grandmother did everything—cooking, cleaning, teaching kids—never stopping for a second.
And I respected them for it. Immensely.
I was taught to study and work relentlessly — because knowledge is power.
Just like so many other 2nd generation immigrants I know…
And so many of my peers from Toronto, San Francisco and New York.
I believed hard work was the answer to everything.
But after a decade of pushing myself non-stop, I started seeing the cracks:
Burnout
Exhaustion
Lack of purpose or direction
Relentless search of THE IDENTITY
A pattern of “Workaholism”
The need to prove myself
An endless cycle of never feeling like I’d done enough.
And running in the cycle of materialism, and over-consumption
It took many cycles over 4 years, followed three months of slowing down in Peru to finally break these patterns.
I’m not sure I’m fully there yet — but at least I understand and see the reality clearly.
✅ Hard work isn’t enough. Without strategy, it’s just running on a treadmill.
✅ More hours don’t equal better results. It’s about focusing on the right things.
✅ Success isn’t about just pushing forward—it’s about knowing when to step back and understand your WHY.
✅ The “toxic” productivity we’re taught isn’t ho we should work —you need to create from a place of balance, inspiration, creativity — NOT anxiety, fear and scarcity mindset.
Hard Work vs. Smart Work: A Conversation With My Grandmother That Surprised me
The other day, I had a conversation with my grandmother again…
She sighed and said:
“Life is already tough.
Young people have too much on their shoulders—marriage, kids, purpose, finances, work.”
Then she asked a question that I never thought she would…
“Why do immigrants always think they don’t have enough?
Why do we work ourselves to the grave?”
She had a point.
I’ve seen it in so many immigrant families—the relentless work ethic, the fear of scarcity, the belief that we must always do more.
But, there’s a time to re-examine:
Hard work is a valuable tool, but without strategy, it’s just a habit that can keep you spinning, instead of moving…
The Science of Working Smarter: My Grandmother’s Unintentional Productivity Hack
Funny enough, my grandmother has been telling me how to work SMARTER my entire life. I just somehow missed it…
Even though she worked relentlessly in Canada to survive…
She still reminded me:
“Choose the 1% you actually want to do, and throw out the rest.”
My grandmother has been saying this to me since I was a kid.
Every time I told her about my dozens of ideas, she’d say:
“Pick one. The one that actually matters. Finish it first. The rest is noise.”
I didn’t realize this was an actual scientific principle until I researched it.
Maybe she learnt it from somewhere. She does read a lot!
Turns out, she was describing the Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) perfectly.
🔬 The Pareto Principle: 80% of Results Come From Just 20% of Efforts.
So science agrees with grandma:
👉 How to Apply It:
Identify the 20% of tasks that drive 80% of your success.
Ruthlessly cut out OR delegate the rest.
Stop confusing busyness with productivity.
Let’s explore more.
So important for my entrepreneurial friends….delegate the rest
If you can’t say NO → who can do the work for you?
The admin stuff…the reparative tasks…basic research..
Create systems…document everything and then pass things off (I’ll write on this later).
Smart Work vs. Hard Work: Key Differences
Smart work isn’t about being lazy. It’s about being intentional.
Here’s the breakdown:
✅ Time Investment
Hard Work: Measures success by hours spent working.
Smart Work: Measures success by results achieved.
That’s why NO ONE cared how hard we worked at Meta…as Product Managers we were measured on the metrics:
→ what did we launch
→ how well the product worked
→ if it brought in users, engagement, revenue…
So apply the same Product Management principles to YOUR life.
✅ Problem-Solving Approach
Hard Work: Uses brute force—more effort, more struggle.
Smart Work: Uses strategy—focuses on efficiency, automation, and systems.
Every few months, I review everything I’ve done.
Highlighting what I can automate. Hire a VA for. Use AI or Zapier.
Organize. Document. Outsource. Automate.
✅ The WHY
Hard Work: “If I just grind harder, I’ll get there.”
Smart Work: “If I know my WHY, I’ll get there faster—with less stress.”
Before I sit down to do anything…with 100 tasks running through my head
I always ask which is the most important:
→ the one that unblocks everything
→ the one that will get the most results
→ the one that will teaching me the most
✅ The ENERGY
Hard Work: “It 12:00 am but I must still work harder, even though my body is aching and my head hurts.”
Smart Work: “Let me do this tomorrow, after a 10 minute meditation where I see how well the day and the project goes.”
You can accomplish the same thing in two different ways
→ HAPPY or
→ MISERABLE.
Most of us are grinding it out, because that’s what we’ve been taught.
At the end of the day — the results will be the way.
But wouldn’t be nice to do the exact say things in a good mood, with a rested body, nice music in the background, and some dance breaks in between?
So how do we make the shift?
How Ancient & Modern Thinkers Mastered Smart Work
This isn’t a new idea.
The world’s greatest thinkers—from Greek philosophers to Buddhist monks to modern psychologists—have all studied how to maximize effort without exhaustion.
Aristotle’s Golden Mean: Work, But Not Too Much
🔥 Aristotle taught the Golden Mean—the balance between two extremes.
Too much work = burnout.
Too little work = stagnation.
Smart work = effort with purpose.
👉 Takeaway: Don’t measure success by how much you work—measure it by how well you work.
Stoicism: Control What You Can, Let Go of the Rest
🔥 Marcus Aurelius & Seneca believed that success comes from focusing only on what’s within our control.
Hard workers waste energy on everything.
Smart workers prioritize the things that truly matter.
👉 Takeaway: Before taking on a task, ask:
“Is this within my control? Will this move me forward?” If not? Let it go. Redirect your energy.
Buddhist Right Effort: Not All Work Is Good Work
🔥 The Buddha taught that effort should be intentional, meaningful, and aligned with purpose.
Just working hard isn’t enough. It has to be the right kind of effort.
👉 Takeaway: Instead of forcing productivity, ask:
“Am I doing this out of habit, or because it truly matters?”
How to Shift from Hard Work to Smart Work (Step-by-Step Guide)
💡 Step 1: Identify High-Impact Work
Use the Eisenhower Matrix to separate urgent vs. important tasks.
Focus on high-leverage activities, not busywork.
💡 Step 2: Work in Deep Focus Mode
Turn off notifications.
Block 90-minute time slots for deep work.
Use a timer to stay in flow.
I usually remove my phone; putting it into another room.
I block off these “deep focus” blocks on my calendar and work.
On Slack, I set my status to — busy.
And most importantly…I prepare for my deep focus blocks in super feminine way — with a coffee, tea, sometimes a wine, candles (in the evening), near flowers or plants (during the day).
I make FOCUS fun, and beautiful.
💡 Step 3: Batch & Automate
Group similar tasks (emails, meetings, admin) to avoid mental fatigue.
Use automation tools to eliminate repetitive work.
For the longest time, Sunday or Monday I do all of my admin and life tasks.
I have one day during the week I go to appointments — Wednesday
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday is when I take meetings
Wednesdays — on every team I’m on I make a no meeting day.
And so on…
💡 Step 4: Follow Your Energy, Not Just the Clock
Align tasks with your natural energy peaks.
Take movement breaks before exhaustion sets in.
For me, it’s not just about the energy I’m in — but the energy I prepare myself to be in before I work.
Energy cultivation (which I will write about later) is at the root of working smarter.
I never, sit down to work if I’m anxious, lost in thought, mad at something or someone else. I use techniques like meditation, exercise, mantras and more to get myself into a neutral state before I work.
Because I truly believe — it matters the energy I put into every single thing — this post…a product…a roadmap.
And I’ll get exactly what I put in.
Next Week — Part 2
We’re taught to hustle like we’re machines — do everything exactly the same way.
To wake up at 5am, build five streams of income, and meditate like a monk—before 9am.
But what if working smarter wasn’t just about the 80/20 rule? Or doing more with less?
What if it meant listening to your nature?
And building a system that is unique to you.
In Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine, we’re each born with a unique constitution—an energetic rhythm.
If you follow my writing, and coaching I’m on a mission to combine Western research and psychology with Eastern systems, philosophies and medicines.
I think both can really show us our patterns…and help us move forward in any question in life — like how do I work smarter, not harder?
So take these test:
Learn your TCM 5 Element type
Learn your Ayurvedic Dosha
Find out your Human Design
Find out your Enneagram Type
DON’T rely on just ONE system → see what you get across all of them and bring all of the opinions, findings and patterns together to check yourself and grow.
Next Week I’ll Reveal “Smart Work Strategies” Tailored to You:
Come prepared with your results and I’ll show you the tips that are actually tailored to you…
See you soon!