There are greater values, strength, and many other abilities in combined force to working hard than hard work itself. Oh, confused? Many a time as there have been interchangeable uses of words like; hard work, work hard, work smart, hardly working, hard worker, and working hard. The fact is that all these words are used whenever we get busy. Yes, busy productively or otherwise we use those terms which in likely manners as it usage means different things entirely.

Let's take it from here. Work hard/ working hard/ hard-working. These three as said are jointly used as the same for they are attractive values of a hard worker. A hard worker works hard, and if he/she works hard, then she’s hard working or working hard. There is a tendency that there need not be the existence of hard work if the work is of one interest. In this case as written, a hard worker Is bound with values like commitment, the zeal to see things to a productive end, with such a mind set of great determination he never gives up Until he is productive. In the long run, hard work exists only where there’s no or little interest, commitments or determination and these are attributes of a hard worker.

To work hard was and is still always part of the moral words of any African parents to their children likewise, possibly other continents too. For this their moral words are constantly ringing into our ears. We know the importance of work in being successful and we have been imbibed with the fact that to be successful one needs to work hard. For these and many reasons it became abilities that are hereditary, the traits of one’s parents in oneself. The continuous ringing of these as a reminder makes one feel like to work hard is to do hard work. Many engage in various sets of work right from tender age as agriculture then is the key work in some parts of Africa, in Nigeria to be precise. As Farmers are known for hard work, truth be said really the farming process is tedious it is termed hard work as Farmers know almost no weather be it under the baying sun they use back then simple tools of just hoe, cutlass and their hands in the soil preparation, irrigation, weeding, and all through till harvesting. Yes Farmers are hard working. They are hard workers simply because that way/path is the only path they know unlike our own modern day of mechanized farming where almost all the farming processes are done mechanically. In agriculture of today, advanced technologies are advanced from the days of hand fork, hoe, cutlass, shovel and the likes, to today’s modern machinery like tractors, ploughs, narrows and harvesters just to mention a few.

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The modern tools do the hard work now, permit me to say the modern farmers are hardly working , yet believe me there are even greater outputs than when they do the hard work themselves. Some Farmers of today hardly work than work hard for most are farmers off field than on field. Yes, farming is made easy.
When one hardly works it doesn’t necessarily mean decreased productivity but just possible reduction in work load or input of lesser effort.

Long ago, moments after my secondary school I came working with my dad at his workshop, he’s a welder that deals in any metal construction be it street light pole, metal gate, grinding machine, metal table and chairs, majorly any interior or exterior metal work.

This picture was taken when i was working in my dad's shop with my phone so it's mine pictures.

To me metal construction is energy and time draining but my dad enjoys working he sees it as something more of interest than just working to earn. I see it as time and energy draining, it takes a lot of power, one has to befriend fire when using the grinding machine, the heat from iron, the smoke and smell, the damage the welding machine may cause one's sight if preventive measures are not taken. The bending of the rod, it’s carving, filling and the likes drifted my interest far away but my little brother enjoys doing it just as my dad. I see it as hard work, no matter how hard working I prove to be, my creations are nothing compared to theirs. That is, working hard or hard working when you have less interest in what you do, it will never be as productive as when interest is shown. All I do now is to get the contracts and they do the construction that’s complimentary. We even get more work than the three of us together in the workshop. Well if you say I’m hardly working that is a bull’s-eye.

Why work hard when you can hardly work with the same or increasing productivity?
Many work hard because working hard is the only part they had tasted, known and trusted for great productivity and way up the success ladder and their only sure way to effective production but it comes along with lot of stress, time consuming, distance from other things than work itself meanwhile, there is nothing wrong if one is hardly working yet productive. When one hardly works the effect is the reduced effort in work, it is not like the person isn’t contributing at all but the contribution is in a less stressful manner, same level of commitment and dedication if that need be mentioned. There is one particular deputy directorate in a known tertiary institution, he works round the clock, early on campus and last to leave, he is someone that never lets anything, yes anything pass by him unnoticed. Believe me as hard working as he is he is also very productive, a professional even at his least. He is always telling a story around the words that “ if you want things done right, you do it yourself “ he never delegates his authority he sees to everything himself. Until the school management changed, he is no longer the deputy directorate but now the directorate. He then learnt he can’t be everywhere and still be here. To make sure the managerial functions never seize he learnt to work with others, distributing his authority, while he only attended to the necessary. And for the very first time on the school’s record he went on vacation.

There are other possible ways to get work done than overworking oneself;

If you need help, seek one. A tree doesn’t Make forest.

Attend to things that only you can fix if no other person can. If there are other people that can handle it as well as you, let others do the job for you. You can’t be everywhere at a go.

Learn your limit, don’t chest every work that comes your way, too many tasks will stress you up, working when stress is hardly productive. Before you know it you are already worried about the deadline.

Follow up with a task, even if you delegate it, ensure you follow up to get a proper feedback and positive outcome.

Where machines can take over without worries, allow it and seize the time to replenish your energy. Some work is better done mechanically than manually with cost being equal. Like mechanised farming .

You are sleeping yet your earning keeps increasing. Did I hear you say hard work pays? Yes, it does pay. Your investments are doing the hard work you are hardly working. Just know when to invest.

Are you a student? At times we create for ourselves the hard part then it makes it look like one is working hard. You never read nor studied the whole semester until the test day or three day to examinations. We created the hard work ourselves, the smart one read and studied every other day before the D-day. They work smart and make it look like they are hardly working.

So, why work hard when you can hardly work with the same output or better still improved productivity.
Thank you for reading through.

📷 The second picture on this post was taken with my phone in my dad's shop and those are my work in the pictures.

I will love to invite @moremoney28 to join this