Today, we have a rampant obsession with overworking ourselves for the sake of attaining a certain level of success at the expense of our own health. Even the peacefulness of a much needed break is obstructed by the so-called motivational speakers standing behind three letters —TED— with their hands crossed, passionately speaking about how you should “find your passion”, but why should one even have a clear goal to begin with?

Unfortunately, there is always a place we need to be in, something we need to accomplish, or something we need to finish. Thus, this notion of hustle culture has become a mindset entrenched in our society to becoming a literal ideological epidemic. Hence, we have been oblivious to the amount of work we put in everyday—overworking ourselves has become a subconscious decision. Not to mention that being unproductive has become stigmatized, meaning people who do not conform to the norm of “being productive” are often viewed as lazy, unmotivated, and unpassionate, which further reinforces the struggle to constantly hustle and work.

Hustle culture is a modern lifestyle where an individual excessively overworks themself—at the expense of their mental and physical health—to reach a certain goal which promotes the idea that triumph can only be obtained through an extreme level of dedication. However, the phenomenon of hustle culture is not modern, as the idea of working hard and hustling excessively has been prevalent for centuries. The roots of this phenomenon can be traced back to the 16th century where the Protestant work ethic emerged during the Protestant Reformation, a movement that highlighted the corruption imposed by the Catholic Church . John Calvin, a leader of that movement, emphasized the importance of hard work and frugality for achieving salvation and glorifying God. In 1990, Max Weber popularized this concept of the Protestant work ethic, claiming that the dedication to one’s work is pleasing to God. This ideology laid the foundations for industrialization in Europe. In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was an austere economic system that required a disciplined workforce that could work for hours for low wages—leading to the emergence of capitalism. Hence, under a capitalist system, the pressure to produce as much as one can has become an unfortunate norm that equates an individual’s worth to their level of productivity. The modern hustle culture is an extension of the mentioned historical trend—individuals are expected to work beyond their capacity, regardless of their wellbeing, to thrive in this capitalist society.

There are a plethora of signs that indicate that you are engaging in hustle culture. Studies have shown that when you work for a supreme number of hours, your productivity decreases. This was substantiated by a prominent Stanford research paper which showed that people who worked for 70 hours per week did not accomplish more than the people who worked 56 hours per week. Thus, if you see yourself working for many hours and not achieving as much as you want to, then you have probably fallen victim to hustle culture. Furthermore, the pressure to “grind” all the time can leave little time for leisure activities, which would possibly force you to sacrifice the amount of sleep you need for some free time. Hence, a very busy day clumped with the need for free time would lead to an immense amount of sleep deprivation that remains unnoticeable since the short-term effects aren’t palpable. Another sign is setting unrealistic expectations for yourself to work constantly throughout your day and in order to make ‘every minute count’. Being diligent and dedicated is healthy, but when it reaches the point of setting unattainable standards, it becomes counterproductive. Moreover, a prevailing sign is feeling guilty for not being productive. Due to hustle culture, we always feel the need to be productive, so when we are not engaging in activities related to our tasks, we feel shameful and useless—showing how this culture has commodified our worth. Many of us university students feel bad when we “waste a day” not working, but why is doing nothing “productive” considered wasting one’s day? Sometimes, doing nothing is what is needed for your mental and physical health.

In a world that heavily encourages workaholism, it’s important to acknowledge the negative impacts this culture has on our mental health. Hustle culture can potentially be synonymous to burnout culture. Burnout is the result of a huge amount of stress that can lead to emotional and physical weariness or exhaustion. Once again, feeling the need to constantly be productive can make it very easy for us to disregard our basic needs such as our mental wellbeing and social bonds which ultimately leads to burnout. In turn, burnout can lead to many mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. In 2018, the CDC claimed that overworking was the second leading cause of mental or physical illness that prevented employees from going to their work. This shows how much of a role burnout culture plays in the workplace. Not to mention that this culture skyrockets imposter syndrome or the feeling of not being enough. When we constantly compare ourselves to others who seem to be doing better than us, we feel like we are not doing enough. This can decrease our self-esteem and increase the negative self-talk impacting our mental health. Also, just like there are consequences to mental health, there are physical effects of hustle culture. For instance, when you are overworking yourself, you can sometimes forget to eat. This might seem like a problem of minimal concern; however, in the long run, not having a healthy eating habit can lead to the development of an eating disorder and not properly drinking water can lead to immense dehydration. Overworking can lead to a weakened immune system as well as an increased risk of illnesses. Furthermore, as mentioned, hustle culture results in the lack of sleep which has many negative physical effects such as heart diseases.

Not engaging in hustle culture may be an arduous task, but it is not impossible. First, you can set clear boundaries between your work time and your personal time—dedicate time for both your work and your personal time. Say no. Do not be too agreeable. This might seem selfish, but overcommitting to things you do not want to do would only add more to your plate. If your plate overflows, then that plate may crack—you should not bite more than you can chew. Another tip would be prioritizing your wellbeing. Make sure you take an adequate amount of time off if needed and make sure that you get the right amount of sleep. Furthermore, setting realistic expectations for yourself would be very helpful as you would know what you’re capable of accomplishing. One note is that everyone’s expectations are different because every person’s capacity is different from the other. While these tips might be cliché for some, sometimes, being cliché is the answer. Practicing those tips might seem too idealistic, but approaching this culture on a case-by-case basis can help you disengage from the culture.

Not engaging in hustle culture does not equate to not working at all. Hustle culture has not been entirely a toxic culture. It has led to many broader positive outcomes such as modern technological innovation and economic growth. It has also helped many people find their passion and reach their goals. However, you can work hard and achieve the goals you set for yourself, it should not be at the expense of your mental and physical health. It is possible to work hard without falling under the dictatorship of hustle culture. We are human beings—not human doings.