If we don’t hustle, we are not productive. We must constantly engage ourselves in activities that bring profit or some benefits. Life should be about more than just relaxation. We must hustle, to earn more, to be more successful, to achieve a better position in society- to never let go of all that we can become.
After all, we have one life and there’s no end to growing, learning and becoming something extraordinary.
The hustle-culture mindset stems from motivations like the above.
While motivation is important, and we must work hard to make our dreams come true; we must also be able to differentiate between our needs, passion and obsession over work.
If you are among those who strive to work harder at what you have always been working hard for; and feel euphoric about meeting target after target, and working non-stop throughout your weeks without rest or leisure- it might be working for you.
But when such a lifestyle is glorified and promoted it might lead to a Toxic work culture.
The Allure of Hustle Culture
Although I have never glorified it, I am guilty of being addicted to the hustle culture myself. I pushed myself too hard to work non-stop for a long time, thus ignoring my mental peace, health and even relationships.
I didn’t even blame my employers for the system I found myself and my colleagues trapped in because I believe the system traps both employers and employees. The system has hustle culture entrenched in it because that is the only process it has learned to sustain itself.
But for individuals who are NOT bound by financial burden, or the need to work like a robot; the allure of hustle culture comes from the validation they find in such intense-immersive work. Every time they hit a target, they feel worthwhile.
It is this sense of self-worth, this need for recognition, this lustre of being called a busy-bee, a go-getter, or even a girl boss(for women) that keeps driving them towards excellence.
The Allure of Hustle Culture is REAL and is not entirely WRONG as it enables Social Mobility through professional and financial success, Social Development through increased productivity, and personal development by setting high standards and motivation.
However, HUSTLE CULTURE has become toxic because people FAILED to control this allure and made it an obsession. We have romanticized this ideology to a degree that it has become a harmful structure for physical, social and mental well-being.
It has shifted our PRIORITIES and changed our MINDSET towards what truly holds meaning and happiness in life.
The Harmful Impacts of Hustle Culture
On this very website, I have written motivational blogs about Social Mobility and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, which has an underlying motive to boost people to keep moving forward, to be productive, to grow in life and to keep working on their dreams.
But when we talk about the evils of Hustle Culture, it is not to demotivate people from working hard for their dreams but it reminds them to reflect on what their true purpose is, and whether they are truly fulfilled.
When people are made aware of how to identify Toxic relationships, it is not to discourage them from having a relationship. It is merely a guide to choosing better for themselves and letting them realise that there are healthier versions of life and they deserve to live that.
But the choice is with people. What will they accept for themselves?
Similarly, the cons of Hustle Culture highlight the mindset which leads to the Toxic Work Culture. It is not at all inclined towards influencing people to abandon work-life but is dedicated to retaining a healthy and sustainable work environment for all.
Hustle Culture can lead to burnout, anxiety, stress, poor physical and mental health, strained relationships, and even depression.
We must stop feeling proud of being called a workaholic. Overworking should not be seen as a triumph, especially when it leads people to neglect health, family and mental well-being.
The Productivity Paradox
Productivity Paradox is the knowledge that even with substantial investments in information technology, productivity growth has not seen a matching rise.
This compares the relation between all our efforts put together at the behest of achieving tremendous growth, but failing to realise such outcome or productivity.
Hustle Culture makes us believe that we are productive if we are giving all our time to a productive activity; but in practice, this may not always stand true.
To simply increase the quantity of work, we are diminishing its quality. This will not be sustainable in the long run.
How to stop the hustle?
To be honest, I do not think the hustle needs to stop. It only needs to be managed well. It should have a significant place in our working lives, but not consume our lives.
Hustle is important in many aspects. I cannot imagine the world being so advanced had scientists decided to stay in bed, and reformers decided to be less proactive.
But the constant pressure to keep up with a never-ending rat race takes us nowhere. And we don’t want to look back at our lives and be proud of how great a rat we were.
Hustle has to be integrated into the Working atmosphere with caution. Here are certain points to remember when we think about Hustle Culture and how to manage it such that we don’t go down the rabbit hole.
Time Management: We should be able to give the required amount of time to our work and our life outside work.
Work-Life Balance: We must have the realization that fulfilment arises not just through success at work, but also all the small milestones we attain in our relationships. We must prioritise well and manage the hustle for a balanced lifestyle.
Health is Wealth: Such a cliche! But something that holds profound truth. Without health, we are nothing. Not even a Rat.
Mental Well-being: You know you are not doing well even if that is what you are saying to people you are shaking hands with. Only your work is doing well and that keeps you mentally satieted-but not for very long.
Definition of Success: Perhaps, we need to redefine success. Or maybe we just need to separate it from the fulfilment we seek from life. Success can be different to different people, but one should be free, happy, at peace, in love, and positively driven to enjoy success; and not be trapped in any fake, unproductive, short-term, target-driven cycle of success.
CONCLUSION
Let us not forget that hustle culture is the way of life for many lower and middle-class people in society because they need to be a part of it to meet their basic requirements.
But when it satiates the one who could easily avoid it, it becomes a problem for those who cannot. Many a time it becomes a source of exploitation. There are no unions to demand justice because people do not acknowledge the problem.
It makes us realise the importance of labour or staff unions. Everything has a right to be scrutinised and judged, even the work culture. It not only benefits the workers but also the company and its work itself.
Managing work culture is an important step towards sustainable development, which the present generation has already taken because they are more aware, more empathetic and more alert about human rights, social issues and underlying problems of the world that need to be addressed.
Hustle culture has started to lose its shine under the overwhelming cry of the frustrated generation, who have realised that our lifestyles today have become too superficial, and we must keep intact the basic values that keep us all sane, tolerant and fair.
We can all be better at being human. We don’t need to be a Rat to become better.