Hustle Culture — Helpful or Toxic?
Introduction
Before we get into what hustle culture is, truthfully ask yourself which one of the following describes you best:
a) I’m a procrastinator, no two ways about it.
b) I’m the type of person who thinks they’ll work 16 hours a day after watching a motivational video but proceed to do nothing.
c) I procrastinate more than I want to but I’m improving.
d) I work towards my goals and have a good balance.
e) I hustle 24/7.
If you said a, I respect the honesty. I’m sure b can be used to describe a lot more people, however. The motivation we get from listening to the likes of Gary Vee or David Goggins can certainly lead us to believe we’re going to start working 24/7 because in that moment, we actually want to. For some of us, the motivation wears off but others remain invested in this kind of mentality and are eventually described by e. They’re working constantly, and that’s what hustle culture is all about. You might miss out on some sleep, on some food, on a lot of family time, and socialising — but you will put in a lot of work and hopefully be rewarded.
But is that a good thing? Or is it a bad thing? Hustle culture is loved by many, but it’s also heavily criticised and is known to be ‘toxic’. When you’re typing ‘hustle culture’ into Google, one of the first search suggestions is ‘hustle culture is toxic’. However, when you learn about the full time hustlers that have seen huge success such as Elon Musk and Gary Vee, it makes you wonder.
Hustle Culture is Helpful
Imagine being the person who outworks everyone else, the one who’s further ahead of everybody. That would be a sensational feeling, getting the respect from those around you and becoming much more confident. But that’s not the point, these are just the bonuses. If these are your key motivations, you’ll fail regardless.
The real benefit that comes from hustle culture is the almost guarantee of success. If you keep working hard, non-stop, even after experiencing failures, eventually you’re going to get to where you want to be. The key to being successful with anything is persistence as well as learning from your mistakes. This is why we hustle, or want to hustle; to succeed and achieve our goals. Think about it, the harder you work, the quicker you’re going to see success. You can retire early and live the life that you want in the long run. Some people are addicted to success and continue the hustling lifestyle.
Hustle culture requires you to be extremely disciplined. Working all of the time can be hard, but this helps you build mental toughness. Life often throws challenges at us, whether it’s family-related, relationships, financial or anything else. The stronger and tougher we are mentally, the better we’re able to deal with these challenges.
Hustle Culture is Toxic
On the other hand, should you really be working long hours every single day? The problem with non-stop work is the potential detrimental impact on your mental health. Studies have shown that longer hours can result in an increase of anxiety and depression. Socialising is an internal need for humans and sometimes hustle culture can cost us a good social life. Hustle culture can also cost us sleep, which will lower performance levels. The rise of this lifestyle could certainly be one of the key causes of anxiety in the modern world.
Hustling all of the time can lead to burnouts, which happen when you overwork and build up stress without managing it. This makes you become frustrated with yourself, more negative and more exhausted. When all of this happens, your productivity can dramatically decrease and therefore, your chances of success also decrease. So even if you are embracing a hustle culture lifestyle, you have got to manage your mental health.
Those who are highly against hustle culture like to say something along the lines of ‘work smarter, not harder’. Essentially, be more productive and efficient with the work you have to do, and not spend so many extra hours doing it. There’s multiple ways to become more productive such as improving your diet and cleaning your workspace.
Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?
So we know that hustle culture has many pros as well as many cons, but is it truly worth to embrace this lifestyle? I think the answer is too complicated for a simple yes or no, and it’s different for everyone. You have to ask yourself if it’s worth it for you. The extra hours, the lack of socialising and the cost of missing out on fun experiences. Are you happy with that? Are you mentally prepared to take on this lifestyle?
Personally, I love working hard and seeing it pay off. I have many goals which I focus on almost every day but I’m not overworking 24/7. That doesn’t mean I’m not a hard worker or a hustler, I am. There’s a difference between being a hustler and being a part of what hustle culture is perceived as. I have a balance which works for me. I believe it’s important to have fun and live in the present moment rather than spend all of my time working or studying. Firstly, the future isn’t promised and secondly, the only time that exists is now. On top of that, it’s important to eat and sleep well otherwise hustling isn’t going to get you far in the first place.
Hardcore hustling 24/7 works for some people, so I don’t agree with all of the hate and negative comments about this lifestyle. I always listen to the likes of Gary Vee and David Goggins because they do inspire me and remind me why I must continue grinding. Although those who force hustle culture down our throats or use it for bragging rights certainly deserve criticism because it definitely isn’t for everyone.
Summary
- Some people procrastinate too much, some overly rely on motivation, some have a good balance and others hustle 24/7.
- Hustle culture is about constantly working. This lifestyle is often perceived as ‘toxic’.
- Hustle culture has many positives such as a higher chance of success, faster success and it helps cultivate a stronger mentality.
- It also has negatives such as an increased chance of having anxiety and/or depression, less of a social life, less of a family life and more burnouts.
- Everybody is different, therefore you need to find a balance that suits you. Can and should you hustle all of the time? That depends on you and you have to ask yourself: Is the juice worth the squeeze?
