Why ‘Work Smarter, Not Harder’ Is Wrong for Beginners

Just because something feels hard this doesn't mean you shouldn't do it

This is how I run my solo business. I’m “birthing assistants” as Robin Wilding stated.

In winter 2020, I made a choice. A scary, uncomfortable, life-changing choice.

I chose to leave my comfort zone.

I started writing online.

At first, it was brutal. Writing a single story took me six hours—sometimes more. My English wasn’t great, and I second-guessed every word. But I kept going. I kept writing.

And I wasn’t doing it in a cozy office with endless free time.

I was writing from the kitchen table while my baby slept.
I was writing with one hand while breastfeeding.
I was writing during lunch breaks, in the evenings, while pushing the stroller—sometimes through voice recordings because my hands were full.
And yes, there were nights when I worked past midnight only to be woken up by my baby at sunrise.

It wasn’t easy. But I kept showing up.

Now?

That same process takes me an hour—sometimes just 30 minutes.

My words flow more naturally, both in writing and in conversation.

The fear? Gone.

The self-doubt? Fading.

And here’s the part that still blows my mind:

I started just wanting to share my stories and earn a few bucks. Now, in 2025, I run a thriving online business with my husband, crossing six figures.

I became a Medium Top Writer and a Substack Bestseller with 11,000 subscribers.

This Life? This Success?

It never would have happened if I had stayed in my comfort zone, binge-watching Netflix, scrolling social media, and consuming instead of creating in the evening.

I’m not alone. There’s my friend and tribe member Robin Wilding who’s goal it is to make 2025 the year of going all in on humour writing! Another example is Walter Rhein who built a writing business with multiple income streams to feed his wife and two kids. Ben Ulansey is in his 20s but smart enough to know he wants to create something he owns! And Untrickled by Michelle Teheux with her thought provoking stories, is writing books and even went viral on Medium last year which was like a lottery win for her.

The "Work Smarter, Not Harder" Trap

As Dr. Julie Gurner shared on Notes:

"Work Smarter, Not Harder" is a trap if you're just starting out, and advice you should never follow.

Here's why (in brief)...feel free to disagree:

I have yet to meet a very successful person who did not work very, very hard - at least at first.

The way you get to "working smart" is to do all of the hard things to begin with.

This is for a few reasons:

1. Understanding. When you do all the hard work, only then can you truly see the efficiencies that are possible...

   You can't understand what's really required until you understand all the parts of the engine.

2. Resources. When you are just starting out, you usually don't have the resources to only do "certain work" - you have to work hard to get anything going to begin with.

In the age of Instagram & grift, a lot of people have been fooled into thinking they can start from 0 skills and get to millions of dollars....

..if only they just "worked smarter and not harder."

Barring lottery (or other random low probability events) - this won't happen.

It is deeply unpopular to say that you have to really work hard...sacrificing a lot of your time, attention, and life...

But if you see people in the wild who are now "working smart, not hard" it's usually because they've worked very, very hard at some point.

Keep going…there are good things waiting for you on the other side.

There are so Many Smart, Talented (New) Writers who Stay Stuck

Not because they can’t take action—but because they don’t.

And I get it. Action is hard. Change is hard. Growth is hard.

But you know what else is hard?

• Staying in the same place year after year.

• Waking up with regrets.

• Wondering ‘what if’ instead of knowing ‘I did it.’

So, choose your hard.

• Feeling stuck is frustrating.

• Breaking free is tough—but absolutely worth it.

• Staying comfortable comes with its own challenges.

• Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone isn’t easy either.

Because this isn’t just about today. This is about your future. Your dreams. Your life.

Hard Doesn’t Mean Impossible

Just because something is hard, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

In fact, the hardest things often lead to the biggest transformations.

Every challenge you face is an opportunity.
Every setback is a lesson.
Every struggle is a stepping stone to something greater.

I didn’t wait for the perfect time to start. I made time. Between diaper changes, nap schedules, and exhaustion. As I always say: Start BEFORE you’re ready as you’ll never feel ready.

I want to motivate you not to run from the hard things—but to embrace them.

Turn your hardships into triumphs.
Turn your fears into fuel.
Turn your struggles into success stories.

I won’t sugarcoat it—building this part-time writing life took work. As it did for Walter, Ben, Robin and Michelle building their writing business, too. But looking back, the hardest part was deciding to start.

To choose discomfort over comfort.
To choose action over excuses.
To choose my future over my fears.

In fact, it took me years to put pen to paper and write in English on the internet!

Now I’m commited. Commited to The Online Writing Club, to my Bootcamps, members and community.

As brain and memory coach Jim Kwik puts it:

Life is hard for two reasons: because you’re leaving your comfort zone or because you’re staying in it.

Choose your hard.

Join our ROCKSTAR SESSION - Jan, 30, 2pm EST!

If you say:

Kristina, I want to take ACTION in 2025!

Let yourself feel inspired by four wonderful friends and tribe member who are going to join us tomorrow at 2pm EST inside the Club.

• Robin Wilding - Wants to go from part-time to full-time writer this year and all in on humor writing.

• Untrickled by Michelle Teheux - Viral post that made more than $20,000 and book author

• Walter Rhein - Boost nommer on Medium, columnis, author and Substack bestseller

• Ben Ulansey - got boosted 100x on Medium

Jan, 30

2pm EST

Learn from people who have gone before you how they are doing it all, writing their stories, sharing them, getting seen, earn money - lots of tangible tips, takeaways and AHA moments for your own writing story. Plus, lots of laughter and fun!

Join the Club as a member and get the Zoom link to our session in the Chat and inside the community experience (for annual members)!

Just ONE click away!