September 2, 2025
Every day on Low Two Pair, I share a Thought of the Day and Question of the Day to spark reflection and conversation. Today’s thought digs into the tension between working hard and working smart, while the question asks something deceptively simple but surprisingly revealing: which months of the year are your favorites? Let’s explore both, because together they make for a pretty honest look at how we live and how we feel time moving through us.
Thought of the Day: You have to work hard just to figure out what working smart means.
We hear all the time that we should “work smarter, not harder.” Sounds nice, right? But here’s the thing: most of the time you have to grind through the hard work first just to even know what “smart” looks like.
It’s like building IKEA furniture. The first time, you curse the Allen wrench, wonder if you accidentally bought two left shelves, and spend an hour re-reading the directions. That’s working hard. But the second time you tackle one of those flat-pack masterpieces, you know the tricks, the shortcuts, and how not to strip the screws. That’s working smart.
In my own life, I’ve found this truth in writing too. The only way I figured out how to “write smart” — clear, engaging, in my own voice — was by slogging through hundreds of messy drafts that weren’t any of those things. Hard work was the tuition I paid to finally see what “smart work” meant.
If this resonates, you might also like the loftier the building the deeper the foundation
Question of the Day: What are your top 4 favorite months of the year?
In no particular order, mine are September, December, May, and October.
September feels like the real new year to me. The air is crisper, routines start up again, and there’s that sense of a clean slate. December wins a spot because I love the holidays, not just the big moments, but also the twinkle lights, the cozy nights, and most people being kinder to each other just because.
May makes the list because it’s full of promise. Flowers are blooming, the days are stretching longer, and summer feels close enough to touch. And October? That one’s easy, pumpkins, cooler weather, leaves crunching underfoot, and the smell of fire pits and fireplaces hovering in the air.
What’s funny is that the months I didn’t pick — like February or August — probably say as much about me as the ones I did. Maybe that’s the real value in questions like this: they sneak up on you and reveal more than you expected.
If you’re into reflecting on time and seasons, check out what’s the worst thing about autumn or what is the most important thing about September.
Your Turn
Now it’s your move:
- What does “working smart” mean to you?
- And which four months make your personal highlight reel?
Leave a comment below — I’d love to hear your answers. And if you want these daily reflections delivered straight to your inbox, join the free daily email here.