The achievement is officially Work smart, not hard: earn $700 in a single run. Unlock bag tying on the Porch first, then stockpile tied bags without selling until you have all three +25% leaf-value bonuses from the Entrance, Basement and Pool. Sell everything afterwards, and reach $700 before entering the secret room.
What the Achievement Requires
The official description is "Earn an immense number of shekleaves ($700)". Shekleaves is the game's currency. Patch 1.0.8 added the $700 figure to the description.
It counts money earned over a run, not money held at once. Only 10.3% of Steam players have it. Guides warn that money earned after the ending does not count.
Why $700 Is Tight
One Steam guide counts 102,400 leaves on the original map. A leaf sells for $0.004 by default and $0.007 at most, so all the leaves are worth at most $716.80. The Garage and Grill clear bonuses add $7.50 and $15 on top.
That leaves only about $36 of spare income in an ideal run. Every leaf sold before the bonuses costs you money. That is why selling at full value is the whole strategy.
The Three Leaf-Value Bonuses
Three areas each raise leaf value by 25%. The bonus applies to every leaf sold after you earn it. Get all three before selling your stockpile.
| Area | Clean to | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | 100% | +25% leaf value |
| Basement | 50% | +25% leaf value |
| Pool | 50% | +25% leaf value |
| Garage | 100% | $7.50 cash |
| Grill | 100% | $15 cash |
A Route That Works
This route combines three Steam guides that all reached the achievement. Only the Porch leaves are sold early, to pay for basic hand upgrades and a bag. Everything else goes into tied bags until the Pool reaches 50%.
- Clean the Porch for bag tying and buy basic hand upgrades and a bag.
- Clean the Front Yard or Court into bags, then sprint into the garage.
- Clean the Garage into bags for the $7.50 bonus.
- Clean the Entrance for the first +25%.
- Clean the Basement into bags for the second +25% and the Shed.
- Clean the Shed into bags to open the Grill and Pool.
- Clean half of the Pool for the last +25%.
- Sell every stockpiled bag, then clean the rest, including the Grill.
The achievement usually pops near the end of the remaining clean-up. Throwing bags into another part of the yard for later dumping saves time, especially in the Maze. A second trash bin sits right by the basement entrance.
Can You Spend Money?
One guide states that upgrades and items are not subtracted from the total earned. Full achievement runs on video also buy upgrades along the way. Another guide author says they did not test spending, so the safest plan is to buy only what you need.
If you are combining this with Craftsman, never repair a leaf inlet. Inlets cost money and also fail Craftsman instantly. Collect leaves near inlets carefully so you do not misclick them.
Key Warnings
Earn the $700 before crawling into the secret room. Guides warn that money after the ending does not add to the total. If you finish too early, you need a new save.
Do not sell bags early out of habit, because every early sale lowers your ceiling. Make sure you clean the Garage and Grill fully for their cash bonuses. Losing leaves to 99.9% areas also costs money, so finish areas properly.
Early Upgrades Worth Buying
The Porch money pays for cheap hand upgrades that make the long bagging phase bearable. One guide buys two Greedy Grasp, two Dexterity, Fluid Picker and one bag upgrade. Fluid Picker lets you hold the mouse button instead of clicking.
| Hand upgrade | Price | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Fluid Picker | $0.40 | Hold the mouse button instead of clicking |
| Greedy Grasp 1 / 2 / 3 | $0.10 / $0.50 / $1.75 | Grab more leaves at once |
| Greedy Grasp 4 / 5 | $3.50 / $5.75 | Grab more leaves at once |
| Dexterity 1 to 5 | $0.25 to $4.50 | Pick-up time from 0.5s down to 0.2s |
That guide does not recommend skipping Fluid Picker for extra Dexterity, because constant clicking is hard on your hands. After the Garage bonus, it adds two more Greedy Grasp and one more Dexterity. The final bag upgrade comes after the big sale.
Why Only Half the Pool
The Pool's +25% leaf value arrives at 50% clean, not 100%. One guide clears about half the pool, roughly 9,000 leaves, into bags to hit that point. After that, every leaf sells at full value.
This is the moment to sell your entire stockpile. Throw the bags into the nearest bins and watch the total climb. Then clean the rest of the map normally, including the Grill for its $15.
Video Guides
Punči San's guide combines Work smart, not hard with Craftsman and has over 11,000 views. Its chapters run from the Porch to a Selling Time section and the achievement pop. The Analytical Gamer's tips video also ends with the achievement.
Helig has a silent full run of the achievement for anyone who wants to follow along. Trickiey Gaming's 100% video notes that you must max leaf value before cashing in bags. All of them follow the same stockpile-then-sell idea.
Quick Checklist
- Porch first for bag tying; sell only the Porch leaves.
- Stockpile every other bag until Entrance, Basement (50%) and Pool (50%) are done.
- Clean the Garage and Grill fully for $7.50 and $15.
- Reach $700 before crawling into the secret room.
Follow these four points and the achievement usually pops near the end of the clean-up. Missing any one of them can leave you a few dollars short. Guides report losing hours to being just $2 under.
Work Smart, Not Hard FAQ
Is it "work smarter" or "work smart"? The official achievement name is Work smart, not hard. Players often search for work smarter not harder. Both mean the same $700 achievement.
Does the achievement need the Craftsman rule? No, Work smart, not hard has no inlet rule of its own. Guides avoid inlets only because they combine it with Craftsman. If you do repair inlets, wait until after the leaf-value bonuses.
Combining It With Other Achievements
Many players do Work smart, not hard, Craftsman and Perfectionist on one save. The no-inlet rule fits naturally with a careful, bag-heavy run. Need for Sweep is better on a separate save, because it relies on inlets.
Plan the leaf-pile, dunk and long-throw objectives while you still have bags stockpiled. See the Perfectionist guide for the objective list. The achievements guide covers every other unlock.