Why do we start building a work ethic in your 20s? Why not when you are 15 or even when you are 10 or earlier? So, you get the idea. Now, let's go back to the question. Work ethics is one of the most valuable skills you could acquire in your lifetime. Rather than pure skill, it's more like a lifestyle. The earlier you start to work on it the better it is.
If you had less consistent work and study habits in the past, then you are probably constantly struggling between working harder or enjoying more in college. Surely, college life comes with an enormous amount of fun activities and that’s important but in long run, you would suffer more if you lack a strong work ethic than your inability of being cool in college.
1. Time is important. Treat it the right way.
It's the old truth. You would get the same amount of time in a day that any insanely successful legend got and will ever get. Value time. Set priorities and make study a topmost priority and you would excel it. Even better, use a calendar and block out specific blocks of time for your study.
2. Consistency. Consistency. Consistency
Persistence beats almost anything on the planet. Make study a daily habit. NO matter how the day goes, try to study at least for an hour every day. Don’t view study or work as something you do in college or at home. You could be anywhere in the world and still able to work and improve your work on your own. Carry a tablet or iPad or books wherever you go. And, don’t care if you look uncool, foolish, boring, or absurd in the face of people. You are working for yourself not to please them or make them happy.
3. Weekends are really not weekends
How do you view your weekends? Do you see them to be kept sacred with no study or work at all or do you try a lighter approach? If you really care about your work ethics, you should not take weekends with “I deserve to rest at any cost” attitude. There is nothing wrong with working 7 days a week. Countless legends have done it at all times. If you must, try working with only one day off each week and work hard the other six. Want to know more about the topic? Here it is.
4. What to choose in college? Fun? Work?
Should you go to the party tonight or just stay home and study? Should you go for a movie or work on your project? Should you spend a relaxing time on your social media or study for a couple of hours for the approaching test? Such choices are an inevitable part of college life. You could clearly see what uplifts your work ethics and what don’t. That’s not even an issue. Everybody knows what they should do. As said by Darren Hardy, if acquiring knowledge was the issue, then everyone with an internet connection would be living in a mansion. Well, that’s not everyone’s version of success but you get the real sense of the saying. Realize this and pledge to do it differently on each occasion. Just because you choose fun on a day doesn’t mean that you have to be loyal to the same choice the next day. Every day is different and with that difference comes the opportunities. The best value of your time need not be always working and studying. Have fun. Relax. Go with the flow. But be more conscious of your choices in life.
5. Do more than what is asked for. Keep working on something.
It does not matter which stream you are in. Just try to outwork everyone. Work so hard that leaves other humans around you in constant surprise. Don’t just wait for deadlines. Submit assignments so early sometimes that your teachers would be amazed seeing your dedication and level of hard work. There is a marvelous feeling of self-worth on each occasion whenever your work ethics paid off.
Work ethics is a way of life.
You call it to study. You call it assignments. You call it lectures. You call it practicals. You call it a job. You call it a project. You call it reading. You call it thinking. Basically whatever your stage of life, you would be always working in some form or other. All great people you know to be great on earth are because of their work ethics. Many legends had disastrous personal habits and miserable relationships. Yet we admire them at all times because they work, they work and they always worked.
Finally a quote by V. S. Pritchett:
“Sooner or later the great men turn out to be all alike. They never stop working. They never lose a minute. It is very depressing.”
Depressing because of the realization of the amount of sweat, blood, and tear that breeds greatness which 95% of people safely love to avoid. That’s around 19 out of every 20 persons you meet.
