Hustle culture is synonymous with working hard, but it is so much more than this simple comparison. Any kind of culture is its society’s way of living based on people’s collective tendencies and beliefs. “Hustle” is a word that gets thrown around a lot, especially in recent times. Hustling can be anything from finding ways to increase your income to taking on many tasks at a time, often more than can be appropriately handled. Like any kind of trending “culture” of the times, hustle culture is mentally reinforced to us through aspects like social media, comparison, school life, and more. The difference between simply working hard and hustle culture is the pressures that come with hustle culture. These pressures can be both internal and external. Trying to keep up with hustle culture and facing these pressures can lead to a crash of burnout.
1. PEople pleasing
Hustle culture can be extrinsically motivated by others. Once we are exposed to how our work and achievements can please others, we sometimes begin to direct our hustle towards being rewarded with this validation. However, people pleasing is an unhealthy form of validation because it is easy to become dependent on it, negatively affecting self-worth. As self-worth becomes based on pleasing others, the chances of burnout rise.
2. fear of failure
School and academic life are very influential variables in the fear of failing and can lead to a dependency on academic validation for self-worth. As humans, it is a natural instinct to want to avoid failure, and hustle culture can reinforce doing anything to avoid this feeling. However, overworking yourself to avoid failure can quickly lead to burnout due to over-working and over-committing yourself.
3. distracted multitasking
Hustle culture often involves working on multiple tasks at a time in order to get everything done. The problem with multitasking for the benefit of hustle culture is your tasks are most likely not getting your best work. Multitasking can also become overwhelming which can leave you feeling burnt out.
4. competetion
This is another strive of hustle culture that is influenced by academics, as well as the media. Hustling can also be synonymous with ”who is doing what best and fastest with the most success?” Hustle culture naturally creates competition between individuals; It becomes a game of “who is hustling the most?” I find this especially prevalent in high school and college academics and extracurriculars. Students often look for ways to one-up each other in order for greater success. However, I have also seen many individuals fall from the pedestal of hustle culture only to land in extreme burnout.
5. lack of boundaries
This is an important, and often less talked about, part of hustle culture. Working in a hustling manner can often lead to sacrifice, whether that be your time, sleep, and even mental well-being. Part of this sacrifice of hustle culture is often when doing things for others which can lead to losing boundaries or lack of boundaries. The overwhelming feeling of lack of boundaries can lead one to feel burnt out in their tasks.
While hustle culture may teach work ethic, it has many downsides when it comes to time management, self-care, and effective learning. It is important to identify your limits and boundaries when working and especially when you find yourself having too much on your plate. While individual success is so emphasized in our Western culture, self-care also needs a spotlight when it comes to this culture. When you combine working hard with necessary self-care breaks or tricks, you can avoid burnout.