Even when we have heard several talks about working smart, but a lot of people are still work hard thinking that someone will have to teach them to work smart or they are thinking they are working smart. Quite a number of times, I am always taken aback when I begin to imagine what people spend their time on to earn money, struggle, use their strength but nothing to show for it while they are left with no other option than to believe in miracles in other to come out of penury. However, working smart is not something that falls on you or easy to come by, rather its a conscious effort to break away from the shackles of poverty with constant research and education, you are sure to work smart and be financially independent.
I wholeheartedly agree with your comment but here I want to discuss more practical aspects of being smart in respect to how we earn our living. Indeed, you can't just decide to become smart and then fake it till you make it. It is more about your actions, not about your ideas. We all know than working smart is better than working hard, but what distinguishes one from the other in real life? In other words, I consider this thread as more of a practical guide to being or working smart rather than some abstract and mostly useless musings over the matter, something which you can take home. An example of that I have given in the OP. This is the approach which I try to follow myself but obviously it is not the only possible way to get there.
In deciding to work smart, its actually depends on the field you are operating and not necessarily one have to be involved in crypto after all, people have been working and making money even before the advent of cryto and would continue to do same if crypto is no long in existence.
For example, an accountant working for an accounting firm to gather experience in that chosen field, working hard would mean getting early to work everyday and closing late, ensuring client delivery, going to work on weekends in other to ensure deadlines are met, getting up to date about the current happenings in the profession only to earn your salary at the end of the month because there is no other time to do some other things.
However, working smart would mean that in the midst of doing all of those things, you have a separate venture on the side where you build your client base, if you are working in an audit firm, set up business that is into accounting software installation and training ( to avoid conflict of interest). Another is to start negotiating on commission when you bring in a new client or negotiate a new fee with the client beyond certain level. That is working smart rather than working hard.
