Walking away from the grind: the slow but certain death of hustle culture 

Our toxic relationship with hustle culture goes back decades, so the idea that we have to put work before everything else in a relentless pursuit to achieve more and get ahead in life is so deeply ingrained in our society that we have come to accept it as normal. Distancing ourselves from the rise-and-grind lifestyle is not easy because we’ve bought into the false narrative that we either give it our all or become utter failures. 

It’s perfectly true that no great thing can be achieved without dedication, perseverance, and effort. But it’s one thing to work hard and focus on your goals and quite another to work yourself to death and sacrifice yourself on the altar of ambition and success. And that’s exactly what hustle culture has been pushing us to do for all these years. 

However, just because something has been going on for a long time doesn’t mean it’s meant to last forever. More recently, people have been waking up to the realization that hustling is not a sustainable lifestyle, but a lie that has been perpetuated for years and silently accepted by everyone. The more one thinks of it, the clearer it becomes that the benefits it provides are not worth the costs.  

The dark side of hustle culture 

Hustle culture has been praised and promoted for so long that many of the issues stemming from it have flown under the radar. Slogans like work hard play, or no pain no gain have helped popularize the hustle culture agenda and wrap it in a pretty packaging to be served to the masses. But now the narrative is slowly changing, and the negative consequences of hustling have come to the surface for everyone to see.  

For starters, many used to gloss over the fact that normalizing long work hours, prioritizing productivity, and constantly pushing ourselves to the limit can have severe health implications. As unreasonable as it may seem, hustle culture glorifies busyness and chronic fatigue, which are often worn as badges of honour by adepts of the ideology, although there is glaring evidence that these habits can take a huge toll on people’s mental, emotional, and physical health. 

Data from the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization shows that between 2000 and 2016 the number of deaths from heart disease linked to prolonged work hours increased by 42%. So, it’s not just a matter of fatigue and exhaustion – hustle culture is quite literally killing us. 

And it’s not only the risk of chronic disease or burnout one has to worry about. When people are mentally and physically exhausted from working themselves to the bone, they are more likely to lose focus, ignore safety measures, or make poor decisions which could result in serious workplace injuries. 

Hustle culture also ignores scientific evidence which shows that making time for rest and taking regular breaks can fuel creativity and productivity, shaming anyone who dares to think about relaxation and focus on something other than work. Those who don’t follow these unwritten rules are labelled as lazy and inefficient. 

Basically, hustle culture tells people they have to get up and get working and then rinse and repeat. Personal time is non-existent in this scenario and neither is having any semblance of a work-life balance, because the only thing that matters is work. People have to behave like robots that work and then work some more, to the point they forget what they’re working for. This is certain to alienate you from your loved ones and sever social relations. 

One doesn’t even need to search for studies or look at the numbers to figure out how damaging hustle culture can be. It’s common sense that the go big or go home mindset may work for some for a certain period of time, but it’s not an effective strategy in the long run. When everything revolves around working harder and reaching the next goal, with no time for breaks, no rest, and no regard for health and well-being, bad things are bound to happen, whether they come in the form of burnout, chronic health issues, work accidents, decreased productivity, or poor work-life balance. 

Breaking free from hustle culture and embracing a healthier lifestyle 

As people become more aware of the negative side effects that hustle culture implies, this phenomenon is starting to lose its grip on society. But if the grind mentality is dying a slow death, what do we put in its place? There must be a safer and healthier alternative to hustling that can help us escape its clutches. 

According to KeyBank’s 2024 Financial Mobility Survey, wealth and status are no longer the main drivers for the current workforce, with 72% of respondents saying their definition of success is based on a soft-life culture that prioritizes happiness, comfort, and satisfaction. 

These days, companies and employees seem to shift their focus to a different set of principles and practices that can benefit all parties. One important aspect that stands out is the switch from long work hours to shorter workweeks. An increasing number of companies in different countries have already adopted this model based on the idea that shorter hours can reduce the risk of burnout and boost employee productivity. In 2019, Microsoft Japan saw a 40% increase in employee productivity after reducing the workweek to 32 hours spread over four days, so the strategy seems to be working. 

Obviously, not all companies can afford to make these types of changes, but there are other solutions they can implement in lieu of embracing the hustle culture philosophy, such as creating a positive work environment, ensuring a good work-life balance for their employees, offering flexible work arrangements, encouraging breaks and time off, providing mental health resources and so on. So, although hustle culture may not be entirely eradicated, at least we have the possibility to step away from it and choose a different path.