When Working Harder Is Not the Answer

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published September 30, 2026

Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتساب

By Dr. Enas Hanna

We live in a time that rewards speed. Everything around us pushes us to achieve more, work longer, and fill every hour with another task, as if success followed a simple formula: the more effort we make, the closer we get to our goal.

But what if the problem is not how hard we are working, but the direction in which we are moving?

In a recent conversation, freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu reflected on an idea she often discusses with her mother: hard work receives enormous praise, while choosing the right direction does not receive nearly enough.

It is a simple thought, but one worth considering.

A person can work long hours, remain disciplined, committed and determined, and still discover years later that all that energy was being spent on a path that did not lead to the life they truly wanted.

We do not always need more effort. Sometimes, we need a clearer compass.

The problem is that many of us have learned to measure our worth by how exhausted we are. When something is not working, we work longer. When results do not appear, we push harder. When we become tired, we assume we simply lack discipline.

Rarely do we ask the more important question: Is what I am doing actually taking me where I want to go?

There is a significant difference between movement and progress.

Movement may look like a day packed with calls, meetings and tasks. Progress means that something meaningful has actually changed and that we have moved closer to the destination we chose for ourselves.

That is why clarity is not a luxury. When we know exactly what we are trying to achieve, it becomes easier to distinguish between what serves that goal and what merely consumes our time.

Perhaps the hardest part is admitting that a path in which we have invested considerable time and effort may no longer be right for us. We naturally become attached to what we have invested in, even when we begin to question whether it is still working.

Changing direction, however, does not mean the previous years were wasted. Sometimes, everything we learned along the way is precisely what allows us to choose better now.

Before asking yourself to work harder this week, try asking:

Do I really need more effort, or do I need a clearer decision?

Are the things filling my time bringing me closer to my goal, or simply making me feel busy?

And what is one thing I could stop doing to create space for what matters more?

Hard work is a powerful force. But its real power begins when we know where we want it to take us.

It is not always about moving faster.

First, we need to make sure we are moving in a direction we chose for ourselves.