Hard Work Isn't Hard, Knowing You're Working Hard Is

Working hard is easy

That might sound silly, but think how many people you know who do work hard - for any period of time.

We talk about hard work like it’s painful, but most of us actually like it. Anyone who’s been stuck in the same task for hours before realising that they’re about to wet themselves, will be able to attest to this

We’ve confused hard work with ‘paying attention’, which we’ve convinced ourselves is the hardest thing ever, because we do nothing to change it.

Paying attention isn’t hard when you care and you’re doing the right work, it’s actually harder to not pay attention to it. Stopping working when it’s the right thing to be working on is one of the hardest things to do.

The real hard work is actually what happens as a consequence of hard work

It’s when you finally stop working - but your mind doesn’t. You’re thinking about work whilst in the shower, cleaning your teeth, eating your dinner.

It’s the paradox of effort, where we push harder into work which means pushing harder into the uncertainty of whether the work ‘will work’, or whether it’s a waste of time and effort.

It’s the moral fog of knowing whether you’re working on something you love, or you’re falling into the hustle culture trap of working until you drop.

‘This feels like the best and most important thing in the world to me

Do I lean into that feeling, or am I just part of the indoctrinated masses, convinced that my identity is completely woven in my ability to work more hours than I rest?’

Hard work is easy, it’s realising just how hard you’re working that’s hard.