What is hustle culture, and why is it overrated?

Hustle culture is the idea that success is achieved through constant hard work, productivity, and the constant pursuit of goals. Now — hard work, productivity and pursuing goals is… Goals (smile). It is honourable and attractive to see someone really driven and motivated to build a life they are proud of. But if we’re being realistic, constantly operating in a state of high pressure, deadlines and unwavering drive without proper rest, care and maintenance isn’t sustainable in the long run. It’s not realistic.

While it can be motivating for some, hustle culture is overrated for a few reasons:

It can lead to burnout: Constantly pushing yourself to work harder for longer hours without much of a break (let alone quality sleep, food and time with loved ones) can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, which will leak into every area of your life. Including your relationships, happiness, and ironically, even the quality of your work.

Because it emphasises work as the most important thing in life, conforming to hustle culture might skew your priorities. If you start believing that your business is more important than your commitment to taking care of your health and wellbeing — it can lead you to neglect your personal relationships, hobbies and overall health and have a detrimental effect on your quality of life.

Lastly, hustle culture is unrealistic: When you’re under constant pressure to work hard and be productive — it can ultimately be demotivating. As humans, we all need breaks, downtime, rest and play, to perform at our best.