What is smart work?

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner: Sir, nowadays it is said that it is not the hard work that can lead you to achieve whatever you want, it is actually the smart work. What is this smart work actually?

Acharya Prashant (AP): Jugaad! Nothing else!

That’s what the world means by smart work.

Be a little cunning, chalu, know shortcuts, have connections in the right places, that’s what the world means by smart work. Unfortunately, choosing between hard work and smart world is like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. Whichever way you go, you are doomed, hard work, and smart work.

What is Hard Work?

Hard work means I do not know what I am doing, why I am doing, who is doing but I have been told that doing is important so I am just doing and doing; that is hard work.

What is Smart Work?

I’m still doing but I have been told some efficient ways of doing that save energy and time. But I still do not know what I am doing, why I am doing, who is doing yet I am just doing, and doing.

Hard work at least tires you down so you will stop at some point, a physical limitation, working so hard you got a heart attack, so thank God you can relax in the hospital now!

Now, smart work, you’ll never relax! Because now you have an efficient machine, you do not know what the machine is doing, why it is doing, and who is doing.

Both these are the same kind of people the hard-workers and the smart-workers. Don’t think that one is better than the other, the devil and the deep blue sea.

There is a third type of man possible, who is less interested in doing and more concerned with being.

If I’m speaking to you right now I am not really bothered about what I am saying, but I will be bothered if there is a disturbance in this room. Understand this. I am not at all watchful about my words, I don’t watch what I say, or at least I try to minimize it, let it flow, I need not measure it, but I am quite concerned about the environment in the room. There should be no disturbance, why?