So maybe the more honest version… hmm…
I guess we don’t need to look for a better phrase. Life is much more complicated, and one phrase can’t contain all its shades.

6/3

This phrase can be misleading. It skips the messy middle. It skips the part where you actually have to work hard just to understand the basics, to see patterns, to gain enough context to eventually be smart about it.

5/3

I’m stumbling through, guessing, failing, and learning. And in those moments, “working smarter” isn’t even an option — because I don’t yet know enough to make those smarter choices.

4/3

Most of time when I learn / do something or experience something new and barely understand what do I do, l don’t know how “smart” looks like.

3/3

For me it works quite rarely and I assume it can work sometimes in an area where you are already very experienced. But it’s not a rule or advice. And if it is, it’s honestly bad.

2/3