“Never once at the start of my workweek — not in my morning coffee shop line; not in my crowded subway commute; not as I begin my bottomless inbox slog — have I paused, looked to the heavens and whispered: Thank God It’s Monday.”
Erin Griffith
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Grind. Hustle. Strive.
An entire generation has begun to live by this mantra. They say ‘Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle’. The reason why many think that hustle culture is helpful is that it usually equates to getting up in the corporate ladder faster and that relentless work ethic leads to personal fulfillment and happiness, which in turn give way to financial success..
Both workers and companies have adapted to the mindset that the more you work, more celebrated you are. Skipping daily chores or even necessities like sleep, meals and time with family are normalized and taking a break has become a sign of weakness, of belonging to those “who won’t make it”.
The New York Times says, “hustle culture is obsessed with striving.”
It means devoting as much of your day as possible working — hustling.
It is the complete abandonment of finding healthy work-life integration and instead, defining one’s worth-and perhaps one’s entire life- by what is accomplished in the workplace.
It is harmful, very.
Elon Musk has been infamously quoted as saying, “There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.”
The founder of Tesla emphasises on how overworking is the key, however, he recently opened up about his personal life and mental health problems in a series of tweets.
- Death is Just One Extreme
Recently, a 31 years old journalist Miwa Sado overworked herself to death; her heart failed after a whopping 159 hours of overtime. Longer working hours are associated with poorer mental health and increasing levels of anxiety, depression and cornucopia of illnesses & conditions that just don’t make it worth it.
Overwork is definitely not the stepping stone for success, but efficiency might be. Instead of working 6 hours slowly and stressfully, one can work smart by not procrastinating even smallest of the works, follow the time table, carry and make use of planners and apply shortcuts wherever possible; job is now done in 4 hours with time to relax.
Most importantly one shouldn’t overwork, breaks in between and power naps are important.
2. Role of Social Media
Hustle culture has hit the millennials especially hard because of their relationship with technology. Digital media creates an environment of constant communication and the idea of being available through our devices all the time. This often leads to employers using social media as an excuse to stay “connected” even after you’ve left the office, and often workers don’t feel like they stopped working even when they get back home..
But what needs to be understood is that just because you’re awake at 2 in the morning (maybe binging on netflix) you won’t start replying to the pending mails. Physically exiting the office is necessary, but what is more important is psychologically disconnecting from the obligations and duties that come with your work.
3. Toxic Sense of Competition
Hustling hard at something you’re passionate about while maintaining the right balance between hustling and recharging isn’t really a bad thing; but if it’s about outdoing coworkers where winning becomes the only acceptable outcome, that healthy sense of rivalry can turn deeply dangerous to company productivity and individual well-being. Striving to foster a culture that celebrates hard work but also appreciates and rewards employees who take care of themselves should be the next thing.
4. Unhealthy Lifestyle
Not everyone needs the same eight hours each night, but an ongoing sleep deficit isn’t something your body can ignore for long. Lack of sleep is a corporate epidemic worldwide.
Diet is equally affected. Fast and junk food have become an easier and faster alternative to cooking healthy food from scratch which can amount to a lack of energy. Fresh air walks, exercises, fun and refreshing hobbies are all sacrificed, making one a machine out of a wo/man.
To sum up, as human beings we all come with hard-wired physical, mental and emotional limitations which should be respected. A work-life balance should be embraced. It’s completely okay to aspire to achieve goals, but if you’re ending the day worn out and sacrificing your well-being for it, it’s time to reassess your priorities and remind yourself that while your office can easily replace you, your loved ones can’t. And more importantly, you owe it to yourself to rest and rejuvenate.
Shalini Yadav, PR Team
The Placement Cell, Miranda House 