How I'm Working to Beat Hustle Culture

I’ll just come out and say it… I am a victim of hustle culture. For years I have pushed away remedies for my unhealthy work-life balance to pretend to enjoy my full plate of never-ending tasks. Hustle culture disguises anxiety as desire. This “desire” to accomplish things is used to overwork yourself and make you feel guilty if you spend too much time on anything non-work-related. Hustle culture trains you to think there is always more to be done. More achievements to be made, certifications to gain, promotions to land, the list goes on. It can block you from seeing what you have in the present by shifting your focus on achieving more for the future. What is true about hustle culture is that there are, and always will be, more things to be done. However, you don't have to do them all, especially if you feel like your plate is about to break. 

This summer I made it my goal to try and recognize how hustle culture controls me and work on loosening its grip on my life. By practicing the following, I have a better footing to work towards finding balance in a world that encourages taking on countless tasks.

Conceptualize doing the task before agreeing to it 
Before agreeing to do a task, take a moment to think about what is being asked of you and imagine yourself doing it. Seriously, close your eyes and picture doing the work. It sounds silly, but it’s easy to add more to your plate just because you like the idea of it. Plus, just because something sounds good or looks impressive on a resume does not mean you will enjoy doing it. If you can't even imagine being able to fit the task into your schedule or get some sort of enjoyment out of it, do not do it. Stop trying to make everything work. Take a lesson or two from this PR Hangover podcast with Dr. Adrienne Wallace, where she warns against committing yourself to too many things and stretching yourself thin.

Remind yourself that rest is productive 
Shockingly enough, we live in a world where articles have to be written to communicate the health benefits of resting. Hustle culture has caused me to overwork myself to the point where my therapist repeats the phrase “rest is productive” at the end of our sessions in the hope that I will get the hint. The rumors are true, rest is productive. We need it to be the best versions of ourselves, and that will show in our work and day-to-day interactions. To make rest feel productive to me, I added a placeholder for it on my Google calendar. 

Take stock of your schedule/responsibilities 
If you are someone juggling multiple responsibilities, I am sure you already use some form of digital planner, or online calendar to stay organized. Since hustle culture has caused me to be hyper-focused on completely booking my calendar, I once filled my schedule with additional meetings and work to feel productive. This caused me to neglect other important life tasks and feel burnt out. Today, I reserve time on my calendar for things outside of work such as going on walks, resting, calling friends/family, cooking, and cleaning to create a better work-life balance. The data showing the positive relationships between mental health and cleaning, exercising, and staying in touch with friends are hard to debate, so make room for them on your calendars. Before agreeing to take on another commitment, take into account how much time you spend - or want to spend - on non-work-related things. Make sure to avoid piling too many work-related tasks on your schedule that cause you to neglect taking care of yourself.  

Get lost in a fiction book
If you're someone like me who struggles to rest and forget about unaccomplished tasks, losing yourself in a book may just be your fix. Although I love my fair share of self-help books such as Atomic Habits, sometimes my mind needs to escape to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There are many health benefits to reading, but for me, fiction books are an outlet I use to mentally transport myself away from my worries. They provide an escape from my stressors and cause me to spend more free time on myself...thanks, Harry. 

Focus on what you have accomplished 
With so much to accomplish in the world, it is difficult to remove your head from the clouds and ground yourself to see what you have in front of you. With hustle culture teaching there is always more to be done, it is hard to feel like you have accomplished much at all. It can trick you into thinking you're incompetent and make it extremely difficult to accept your achievements. Take some time today to look back on what you have accomplished. Think about what you know now that you once did not. Write a list of what you have experienced in the last few years that has excited you the most, and has drained you the most. This will help you prioritize what tasks to add/drop from your plate. 

The advice listed above has worked so far for me, but as stated in the Medium article criticizing anti-hustle culture, every person is different. I am all for professional development, career advancement, and growing your skills, but prioritizing your mental health should come first. It is not always best to get lost in your work, as mentioned in the many social media posts speaking up against hustle culture. I will end this like how my therapist ends our sessions: Rest. Is. Productive.