Sometimes the person who worked hardest loses to the one who simply knew more. Learn first, then sweat.

Effort applied in the wrong direction is still effort, and it is exhausting. Someone with better information can get further on half the work, not because they are cleverer but because they are not solving problems that were already solved. Knowing where to push comes before pushing.

Before your next big stretch of work, spend a short while finding out how people who are good at it actually do it. Ask someone a few steps ahead what they would skip if they started again. Then work hard, but on the right things.