Whether in an office or via an online job, work is an essential part of many adult’s life. Without it, how can you support yourself? For many, their work is the only thing that keeps them afloat during these financially-difficult times.
But just like anything else, there is such a thing as working too much. This mindset is called the hustle culture.
Hustle culture has become a prevalent mindset for many current and up-and-coming workers these past few years, thanks to the endorsement of social media influencers. However, many former followers of this mindset have spoken against it due to the harmful effects of hustle culture.
So what exactly is hustle culture? Is it a mindset that you should follow or not? And does following it affect your other co-workers? To answer these questions, here’s everything you need to know about hustle culture.
Defining Hustle Culture.
There’s work, and then there’s overwork; the latter is hustle culture. This mindset demands its followers put their work ahead of everything else to reach their career goals. This means allocating most of your time to work or part-time jobs, leaving you with little time to rest or pursue your hobbies.
Also known as the grind or burnout culture, hustle culture has been around far longer than people might think. Signs of this mindset have appeared since the 1970s in the form of workaholism and increased in prevalence as work became more fast-paced.
Despite the problems associated with this mindset, hustle culture remains popular either because people just love working hard or are perhaps enamored by the “rags to riches” stories by influencers in social media. Or even because of the current slow economic recovery, which forces people to take multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Why is This Mindset Toxic?
Blindly obeying hustle culture can lead to serious issues regarding your health and relationships, one of the most detrimental of which is burnout.
Burnout results from constantly working at your limit, which severely taxes your mind and body. This makes you more susceptible to exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and even heart disease.
And speaking of anxiety, one of the main reasons why followers of this mindset experience this is due to social media influencers. In their videos, they often emphasize that this mindset is the key to their success while showing off their achievements.
What they don’t show to their audience is the financial safety nets they have that allow them to succeed in their careers. Hard work and determination can only do so much. You also need opportunities and connections as well.
Following hustle culture also means you’re in a never-ending grind to success. After accomplishing one career milestone, you move to the next. And the one after that. This ruins your work-life balance, as you spend more time working than with your loved ones.
Overcoming This Mindset.
Fortunately, there are several ways that you can do to overcome hustle culture. One of which is knowing and firmly setting your boundaries.
This allows you to better separate work from your private life, so you can have fun with your loved ones or enjoy your hobbies. When setting your boundaries, it is essential that you also learn to say “no.”
In addition, don’t forget to take a step back from your usual routine and ask what your priorities and values are. Doing so will help guide you on which direction to take. If you’re hustling for your family, why not spend more time with them instead of working?
Most importantly, don’t forget to take care of yourself. You won’t be able to work well if you’re constantly exhausted and sick. Besides, what’s the point of hustling to gain more money if you’re just gonna spend it all on your medication?
Effects of Following Hustle Culture in the Workplace.
Despite what you may think, you’re not the only one affected by following hustle culture. In the workplace, the actions of one affect the entire team.
And one of the most notable impacts of following this mindset is the overall drop in productivity and creativity for the whole team. What do you expect when everyone is overworked and too stressed to work efficiently and think of new ideas?
Another effect of hustle culture on the workplace is that it promotes unhealthy competition between team members. After all, if your measure of success is the number of tasks accomplished as quickly as possible, you’ll always try to outdo your co-workers.
Have you also noticed that companies that follow this mindset experience a high employee turnover rate? Who knew working one’s employees to the bone would make them resent you, right?
What’s it Like to Follow this Mindset?
All this discussion regarding hustle culture is helpful and informative. But have you ever wondered what’s it like to follow this mindset? Speaking from my own experience, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.
Yes, it motivates you to work and pursue your career goals. On the other hand, it also forces you to focus entirely on work, as you’re nothing without it. This has caused me to become constantly anxious, as you’ll always think you’re not doing enough at work.
Additionally, this mindset caused me to make several mistakes when I was looking for a full-time job. Instead of resting after graduating, I immediately started job-hunting, even though I wasn’t ready yet.
Fortunately, I’m beginning to learn from my mistakes. I stopped following the grind mindset and have started to prioritize rest and my loved ones.
The Grind Never Stops…
There’s nothing wrong with working hard. In fact, it’s even admirable. However, if you place it and career advancement above all else, it becomes something entirely different. This is hustle culture.
Although it is a prevalent mindset, there are several negative side-effects to following this. But worry not; there are ways to overcome it and find a better work-life balance.
If you’re looking for an online job that offers a healthy and supportive workspace, Remote Staff’s got you covered. We ensure that our clients promote a welcoming environment for their remote contractors.
Just head to our jobs list to see the many available online jobs you can apply to. Good luck!
