There are some admirable things about the American work ethic. We see innovations on every front and a spirit that is always striving for new progress. The “American Dream” is still deeply imprinted on our collective psyche. We want to succeed, to forge our own paths and find wealth by our own terms.
At the same time, the way we feel and think about work has transformed into something that can ultimately be detrimental to our goals. We live in a world where busyness is a virtue and the hustle is king.
Don’t get me wrong — there’s nothing wrong with hard work and dedication. However, I think we have all seen when hustle and busyness go too far.
But why is hustle culture bad? There is a fine line between productivity and workaholism.
3 Ways the Hustle Hurts — and How to Overcome
1) Unsustainable Expectations
The most glaring issue with our culture of hustle and the glorification of busyness is that it sets unrealistic expectations. We hear adages that encourage us to stop for nothing, not until the work is done. Put your own needs behind you because the work is what matters. We find this admirable — a tenacity to get it all done no matter the cost.
When we’re honest with ourselves, however, we know that this is unsustainable. We will get sick and need to rest. Our relationships will deteriorate if they are not given attention. The expectation to put work ahead of anything and everything else is simply not realistic when there are other immensely valuable priorities to focus on.
Even if you remove outside factors from the equation, this idea of never stopping and always producing will lead to exhaustion and burn-out. In the end, this only sabotages your career.
2) A Lack of Focus
Another significant problem with hustle culture is that it ultimately takes away focus rather than enhancing it. Hustle culture doesn’t exclusively focus on one job (though it can), but rather it focuses on maximizing our capacity to do work. For many, this means side-hustles alongside our primary jobs. While these can be beneficial in the short-term, we all know the old adage: the jack of all trades is the master of none.
Splitting your attention between all of these different ventures inhibits your ability to dedicate your best to the things that really matter.
Along those lines, even if your attention is not split, a single-minded focus on any one thing limits your ability to see the big picture. It can turn into an obsession. While you may have a focus on this one thing, you are not able to see other things that matter or how a direction needs to change.
Busyness clouds judgment. Sometimes we have to step back and evaluate whether or not we are truly meeting the goals we have set.
Guilt and Mental Health
In our culture, free time and “idleness” are seen as deadly sins. For us, this has very real consequences on our mental health and ability to rest. Rest is invaluable to the health of our bodies as much as our careers. We need sleep, we need breaks, we need vacation time. These things allow us to recharge, refocus, and return with higher motivation.
However, because we glorify the hustle, we often feel guilty for taking any time for ourselves. How many of us check-in at the office while we’re on vacation? We struggle to disconnect. This guilt prevents us from fully benefiting from rest.
A similar thing happens to our mental health. Hustle culture is built on stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Eating fast food, neglecting exercise, and turning to negative coping strategies like smoking and alcohol overconsumption — these all happen as a result of this go, go, go mindset. The stress, burnout, and poor physical health...it all adds up to major risks for our bodies and minds.
3) Rewire Your Brain
So how do we overcome a culture that trades health and wellbeing for busyness? It’s not easy, but it begins small. Simply choose other things over work. Recognize how your hustle is hurting you physically, mentally, and relationally. Understand that in order to produce the best work and be the best you you can be, you have to take care of yourself.
Productivity is not the goal. Fulfillment in a life that you love is. That looks different for different people! It’s hard not to get caught up in the hustle, so start small. Go to bed on-time. Designate a night for family. Block off vacation well in advance.
Whatever step you take, it will begin your path to a healthier you that focuses on what really matters.
Have you been burned by hustle culture? Share your experiences in the comments.