If you’ve been an aspiring entrepreneur for more than 5 minutes, you’ve likely heard of the term, “hustle culture”.
This buzz phrase is all over social media, and it’s a hot topic of discussion among the business owner community.
Basically, hustle culture is the glorification of over-working.
It tries to tell us that if every minute of every day isn’t productive and accounted for, you don’t have the chops to be a competitive business owner.
For instance, it’s not enough that you’re working at your desk. You need to make calls on the way to your desk. And once you’re at your desk, you shouldn’t stop moving because it’s a standing desk outfitted with a treadmill – that way, you’re multi-tasking and won’t need to take time out to go to the gym later. You take 3 meetings during lunch, which your assistant prepares for you and brings to your desk so you don’t waste time eating. Then, you put in an 18-hour day because sleep is a waste of time. While you drift off to sleep, you listen to a podcast that will help you learn how to be more productive… and on and on.
Okay – this might be a slight exaggeration but, in all fairness, if you were to watch what some productivity gurus are pitching, this ridiculous extreme isn’t far off the mark.
Hustle culture encourages us to amp up our productivity at the expense of down-time, relaxation, hobbies, fitness and nutrition, and socializing with friends and loved ones.
It is a dangerous and misleading premise that does more harm than good.
Furthermore, it might convince people to NOT start businesses because they might wrongfully think they don’t “fit the profile”.
Nothing could be more wrong.
Here are 3 ways hustle culture is lying to you…
Working non-stop will make you LESS productive
If you think working all day and all night with no breaks in between is going to help you be more productive, think again.
If you don’t allow your brain and body to rest, you’ll become less effective.
You’ll spin your wheels.
So, take those breaks!
We tend to fill time
When we resign ourselves to the idea that we are going to work all day, every day, there is less impetus to get something done by a solid deadline.
We just fill our days with being busy.
We can actually take LONGER to complete tasks if we don’t tell ourselves we are going to leave the office and shut down work for the rest of the day by a certain time.
Therefore, working non-stop is NOT conducive to running a business. If anything, it’s counter-productive.
Take breaks, take care of your mental and physical health, give yourself hard deadlines, and you will get further along in the long-run.
Workaholism is a toxic avoidance tactic
Sometimes things come up, and it’s necessary to burn the midnight oil.
Maybe you have an important product launch, and everything is riding on it. So, you put your life on hold for a few weeks and focus on getting your product online.
Maybe you need to close an important contract. So, you stay up all night working on a presentation.
It happens.
When you run a business, there are going to be times when you will be required to push hard for a limited amount of time.
And then (and this part is important), after you meet your deadline (because there IS a deadline and a clear end goal), you reward yourself for a good job completed and you make sure you take time to recuperate so you can go back to your normal level of productivity.
That’s fair.
However, if burning both ends of the candle is your normal state of being, you have a different situation.
If pushing yourself to an extreme is your normal, you have a problem.
You are a workaholic and you are going to burn out. This way of living is not sustainable. Furthermore, it is a red flag that something more insidious might be at play.
Workaholism is an ailment. It is an avoidance tactic. If you feel the need to work all the time, ask yourself, what are you avoiding?
Why don’t you want to see your spouse or children? What thoughts are you afraid of being alone with if your mind isn’t buzzing with work from the office?
Why do you think you are worth less if you don’t work all the time? Do you not think you have anything else of value to offer?
You might have deeper issues that should be dealt with head-on if you feel like you need to work all the time with no end in sight.
Whatever it might be, it is worth addressing.
Hustle culture touts the virtues of working hard and non-stop, but it sends a message that can cause more harm than good. By all means work hard, but also remember that you are more productive if you are able to take breaks. According to Parkinson’s Law, we tend to fill up time with busyness, so it does not serve your best interests to work all the time – set deadlines and stop working when the task is done instead. Remember, workaholism is a toxic behaviour and could be hiding a more serious emotional issue that should be addressed.