Hustle Culture Is Not The Way

Hustle culture will work us into early graves before we reach early retirement. We’re always on green and instantly ready to go. Sitting around is no longer an option anymore.

Boredom isn’t an option either. We are workaholics who abuse our power with productivity. Being busy all the time may seem like the latest trend to follow, but trust me when I say this is not the way. It's a set-up for failure.

It’s hustle now, relax later mentality. We are a part of the burn-out society. Young years are sacrificed as we work for unknown futures. Nothing is 100% guaranteed, and yet we feel like we have it all mapped out.

We are in a modern era that continuously promotes hard work, achieving financial freedom, constant grinds, and no days off. It's an endless loop of nonstop labor. Our minds are wired around this idea, and we are powering ourselves to be robots, which we are not equipped to be because burn-out will come one way or another.

Truth be told it is quite the norm now of days. Each year the world grows different, and we follow those patterns. Most of us are doing what we do because it’s considered a regular routine. It’s something we’ve observed, learned, and adapted to.

We see it around us in our families, our friends, our co-workers, and with strangers. We examine how the rest of the world operates, so we follow that same system. Very few step out and do the opposite. We consider these patterns to be the way of life, but why?

We’re all chasing after something for a desire-filled reason. Our minds absorb the idea that we have to hustle all the time.

We overwork ourselves for money and to obtain goals. Whether it is double shifts, five days a week, or working a full week, with no rest days, we are always ready to spring and do the next big thing. We're told to put in the work and put in the hours.

We're told to wake up at early hours. Then we will become the most successful, or we’re told to stay up late and get things done, no matter how tired we are. There is no time to think. We simply do.

It’s a solo marathon that doesn’t stop.

You don’t have to end the race, but you can take a moment to cool down, now and then. Catch your breath and breathe. You’re not racing anyone. The only person in a hurry to get things done is you.

I’m not saying this stuff as an excuse or a free way out to do nothing at all, every single day. There are days when you need to do something, and there will be days when you need to do nothing. It’s not to scare you either. I know the word “nothing” sounds frightening because we’re at risk of severe boredom disease, and stillness feels like it’s for the weak (but yet, these people learn more than we ever could). I wouldn’t feel so intimidated by doing nothing. Trust me it can be way worse if you’re up, working all the time.

Having goals and priorities is one thing but overworking yourself to the max is another. Working for what you want out of life is fine. Everyone has their significant reasons for why they work hard.

Perhaps life is a lot harder, and you're working for your family, or you're a single parent working two jobs to make sure your kids have an enjoyable life. Maybe you're a student trying to pay off stressful school loans while juggling between classes and your job. You might even be working your ass off so much to eventually reach that point of retirement.

You have motivational speakers who will talk about working 16–24 hours a day. All you hear is how they got to this place or that place and how much money you are guaranteed to make, and what steps to follow to be like them, but they rarely go behind the scenes to talk about how exhausting hustle culture can really be. Work is good at leaving us physically tired.

YouTuber Nate O’Brien explains the flawed beauty of hustle culture. He discusses the difference between being productive and effective. Nate goes on to say, we can use strategies that are more effective and less time-consuming that involve less effort. This is where the phrase “work smarter, not harder” comes into play. There is a way to balance your work life, personal life, and your social life, but you have to be the one to find that balance.

According to a Stanford study, the more we work, the less productive we are. It may seem like we are doing more, but mentally we are not performing the same. As we work past 50+ hours, we see less productivity. Our effectiveness declines as we work more. You will not be creative, and you will be less thoughtful.

You will also experience fatigue and stress the longer hours you work. It’s almost like your brain capacity is limited and slowly shrinking away. The Stanford study also explains that you can experience high-blood pressure, unhealthy eating, a lack of sleep, along with other health complications.

We push ourselves to perform tasks 24/7 and give no time to our internal factors. Internal factors such as resting our minds, relaxing our bodies, or sleeping for a few hours.

Another concern with hustle culture that can affect our health is our connections with people. We pursue success as a lone wolf. All ties with family and friends are cut off because we have busier things to attend. Our schedules are too packed for social interaction. Unfortunately, success is not a one-man’s job, even if we believe that we did everything by ourselves. Somewhere down the line, we received help. We achieve through the help of others.

To get to the top of a mountain, we need each other. We need social needs just as much as we need food and water. It’s easy to get isolated and caught up in the hustle culture mentality. Neglecting our social lives can and will cripple us if this is what we constantly live by.

People who are driven to excel, have this unconscious propensity to underinvest in their families and overinvest in their careers, even though intimate loving relationships with their families are the most powerful and enduring source of happiness.

People who are socially connected are happier, physically healthier, and live longer than people less connected. - Robert Wal dinger

You are free to hang out with your friends and catch up at a bar or a coffee shop. You are free to go to your son's football game or your daughter's soccer game. You are free to chill on the sofa and binge your favorite tv show without feeling guilty or accusing yourself of laziness. Recovery isn't just necessary after a workout routine. Your daily grind requires free time apart from your busy schedule too.

Sacrificing these key elements won't be worth the success in the end but will this cycle ever stop? Hard work is the new trophy and success is the prized winner.