Hustle culture. I’m sure you’re aware of what this term means, and even if you don’t, the chances of you being a part of it are high. Hustle culture glamorizes constantly working and productivity and makes us obsessed with crossing things off of our to-do lists. The world of social media is constantly putting pressure on us to be doing something 24/7. If you didn’t have a productive weekday, then essentially your day was a huge fail. Why is society like this? Always pressuring us to have a side hustle while juggling school, a full-time or part-time job, a social life, time to eat and take care of our bodies and maybe have a few hobbies to take us away from our work. It is impossible to fit all of this into our schedules. But, if you are a successful boss babe at the age of 21, you’re applauded, even though you haven’t had a proper night’s sleep or a normal day of eating in months. But never mind that, because you’re successful and productive. This is a serious issue that needs to change. Having bloggers and business owners on social media share their weekly schedules and giving us insight on ‘just how busy they are’, can take a real toll on us. I myself am guilty of this. Spending day after day, sitting on the computer and watching zoom lectures whilst working on assignments. If I take half a day off for my own mental sanity, I feel guilty. Being overworked, stressed, anxious and moody 24/7 comes with it all, but a big part of hustle culture is ignoring our bodies, failing to take proper care of ourselves and being isolated from our social lives to work. We push ourselves to think about where we will be in five years and how what we’re doing now will give us a better life later, but we fail to celebrate the things we do accomplish on the way. Why do we need to always focus on the next big thing, focus on right now? Applaud yourself for how far you’ve come, even if you have more to do.
What happened to the days where being a full-time student was enough? Online school is much more time consuming than ‘regular’ school, and with limited opportunities to do things in the midst of a pandemic, when will people realize that the constant pressure of hustle culture and needing to be ‘on’ every second will catch up to us? At this rate, we will be burnt out by the time we’re 25. You’re barely fully immersed into the workforce by then, so why are we so hard on ourselves and each other to be workaholics in our early twenties?
Every time I log onto LinkedIn, I see peoples’ work anniversaries, new job postings and find myself deep in a hole of comparison, wondering if I’m even doing enough. But really, I am a full-time student, have my own side hustle, a part-time internship and find time to nourish myself and exercise while spending time with my friends and family. That’s a lot to manage for one person. In the last few weeks, I have been hit hard with waves of stress and anxiety and needed to release all my built-up emotions. I’m about to be 21, why do I care so much about how what I’m doing looks to other people. I’ve realized now that I shouldn’t have to. Do what you want to do for YOU. Not for how it’ll look on a resume or your LinkedIn (although these are great assets). Remember that not everything is a business opportunity and that not everyone you meet is a networking connection. Things happen authentically and they will fall into place. Once you view the world as more than just work, maybe you’ll start living and enjoy the work you’re doing. Bring back hobbies that are for fun, rather than a side hustle or a monetizable opportunity.
Some signs you might be caught up in hustle culture:
-
Doing nothing makes you feel guilty
-
It’s hard for you to relax
-
You feel the need to be doing something “productive” all the time
-
You stay busy so you don’t have time to feel your emotions
-
Quantity of work over quality
-
You often “don’t have time” to sleep, eat, or spend time with other people because of work/studies/tasks
How can you make changes?
- Remember to sleep. You don’t need to stop working or abolish hustle culture, but being mindful of how much time you are spending doing work/school etc. is important. Set times for yourself to work, and times to rest or be with those you care about.
- Take breaks. You cannot work 16 hours straight. Go for walks in the middle of your day to break it up and get some fresh air. Not only does this benefit your body, but your mind will be so clear, you may even produce better work than you were before.
- Listen to your body. It knows when it wants to eat, sleep and play. Do what it tells you.
- Feel your emotions. It’s okay to cry, be stressed and even have a breakdown. This is a sign that you may be tackling more than you can handle. In this case, let yourself feel the emotions and let them out. Re-focus and do one thing at a time rather than everything all at once.