How to Identify Hustle Culture and What You Can Do to Break Away From It

Many of us have had those days when our “9-to-5” is more like a constant all day grind until we get the job done. For some of us, it isn’t just a day here and there but a constant hustle, logging well over 40 hours a week to be seen as a "productive employee."

And there are countless ways we're being encouraged to keep it going. Many company owners, business leaders and celebrated entrepreneurs and would applaud you on for all those days of grit and sacrifice, some CEOs just expect that ‘always working’ attitude; and there are countless memes and ‘motivational’ quotes on social media to keep you going when things get tough.

In some circles it appears that always going the extra mile in your career — and even in other aspects of your life — is celebrated as walking a heroic path despite the drastic negative effects overworking can have on mental, physical and emotional health.

This is all a part of what experts call “hustle culture” and it’s so normalised that it can be tough to identify when you’re in it, and often even tougher to break away.

What is hustle culture?

Fundamentally, hustle culture is about work dominating your time in such an unnatural way that we have no time to live our lives, It’s a lifestyle where career has become such a priority in your life that other aspects of being human — such as hobbies, family-time and self-care — often take a back seat.

Today, this is very common since work seems to be taking up more and more people’s time across the globe.

Hustle culture carries this overarching belief that the more you do, the more valuable you are. In other words, proponents of hustle culture will tell you that "busier always equals better,” and that constant busyness will always lead to more money, prestige, happiness and high self-esteem. Sadly that’s rarely true

How can hustle culture show up at work and in everyday life?

In certain work spaces overworking is expected, applauded and sometimes incentivised with promotions or raises. The pressure can be so intense that experts have even found that many people will say that they’re available for more time than they're actually comfortable with to appear to be the ideal employee, fully devoted to and available for the job, with no personal responsibilities or interests that interfere with this commitment to work.

While hustle culture glorifies overworking as a badge of honour, it often sets up an environment of fear, guilt and shame, especially when you don’t feel like running at the same pace as everyone around you.

You may be told or feel like you're becoming an outsider, you're not being a team player, or you're not caring — like everyone's doing more, so you should do more.

As a result, as an employee you may…

·?????Feel obligated to say yes to taking on all the tasks, being on all the committees, and attending all of the meetings (even the ones that don’t really matter to your role) to avoid being judged or to seem more productive and important.

·?????Feel hesitant to use sick or personal days or even take a full hour for lunch.

·?????Answer calls or emails after hours or on weekends.

·?????Force positivity and push yourself beyond your boundaries.

Social media can amplify this aspect of hustle culture since it encourages us to compare our lives to the seeming perfect lives of others. It can make you feel like ‘Maybe this life I'm creating isn’t enough because everyone else has so much more going on.’

How can hustle culture affect our health?

One of the biggest fallouts of hustle culture is the burnout that comes with it.

Burnout is when you get to that mental and emotional exhaustion where it just feels like you can't add anything else to the plate and maybe don't have the motivation in the way that you did before.

With burnout you may:

·?????Take longer to do tasks

·?????Procrastinate or avoid work altogether

·?????Make more mistakes when doing tasks

·?????Lose interest in parts of your job and life you used to really enjoy

·?????Feel more anxious or depressed

·?????Feel less able to listen to or care for others

Sometimes people go on autopilot and don't even realise that they are burnt out. They just keep going.

Constantly staying busy can also have grave effects on your body as well. Studies have shown that working long hours can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and even stroke.

How to break away from hustle culture:

Since hustle culture is very much embedded in many work environments, it can be really challenging to slow down and create new habits for yourself. But thankfully, it is possible to set a new rhythm for yourself, even if it's just small changes here and there.

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Here are some expert suggestions that may point you in the right direction:

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Keep track of your energy levels. Since hustle culture is so normalised, sometimes we don’t even know when our life is out of balance; it encourages us to judge our days based upon how much we’ve done rather than how we truly feel. To get out of that headspace and become more in tune with your inner compass take daily time to reflect on how you felt mentally, physically, and emotionally. ?Take note of what went well that day, what didn’t go so well, and what you learned from it all. Notice if you see any negative patterns and work towards resolving the issues that cause them. Also take note of the positives and the good times and work to replicate and enhance those situations.

Make time for yourself and schedule your rest days and hobby time. If you’re used to being constantly busy and you aren’t intentionally blocking out some space for self-care, your work to-do list will continue to consume your time. Read a non-work related book. Hang out with friends and family. Having some quiet time can also help you tap into your intuition and get clearer on what’s important to you, rather than just answering to everyone else’s needs or expectations.

Look at which tasks actually make the biggest impact in your work life. This can help you narrow down on what really makes a difference at your job or with your business. Allowing you to correctly prioritise your time and be more efficient.

Get clear on your boundaries. If you feel secure enough to do so, share your boundaries around work with your boss and your co-workers. For example, make it clear that outside work hours you are no longer available to answer calls and emails. Tell people that it's important for you to take breaks throughout the day. Setting the tone early can let your colleagues and managers know what to expect from you and minimize conflict.

Reduce the amount of ‘free work’ or extra responsibility you take on. Whether you want to call it quite quitting (I hate that phrase), work to rule or just doing your own work. Sometimes we just have to say ‘that’s not my job’ in order to take care of ourselves.

Define what “success” looks like to you. What does success look like for you in your career, family life, and in other areas of your life? Basing your ideal lifestyle on what is truly right for you may help to take the pressure off.

In the end, life is so much more than just work despite what hustle culture has to say.

While hard work can certainly reap benefits, we can still make more room to appreciate the important things that have us feeling fulfilled. Celebrate the quiet moments in life. Enjoy the good stuff. And maybe none of the rest of it will seems as important as you thought.”

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Adapted from an article by ADELE JACKSON-GIBSON – Good Housekeeping - DEC 13, 2021