Hustle Culture Is Toxic: What We're Still Getting Wrong About Hard Work
Hustle culture is toxic. Yet we’re still operating as if “hustle” is a quality to be admired.
For the longest time, I self-identified as a hard worker.
Whatever shortcomings or disadvantages I had, I'd make up for in nose-to-the-grindstone commitment.
14-hour days? Sure!
Grinding it out solo rather than asking for help? Of course!
Watching others get more recognition while doing a whole lot less? You betcha.
I never met a brick wall I didn't try to crash through--only to look back and see people casually strolling through the open door.
Even if you don't know my story, you probably know where this approach got me: a one-way ticket to burnout. Twice.
Burnout was a gift that led me to reject what I'd accepted for much of my career: hard work as a valid measure of success.
The Answer Cannot Be Work Harder Or Hustle More
Despite so many positive shifts we've made in flexible work arrangements, people still put undue emphasis on working hard:
Measuring hours worked and number of coffees needed to function
Wearing lack of sleep like a badge of honor
Questioning the "dedication" of people who deign to leave work at a decent hour
These are the wrong measures. The people sleeping normal hours, setting boundaries, and treating their time like the precious commodity it is have the right idea.
We lionize hustle culture. But hustle culture is toxic.
It's an indicator that our energy is misplaced. We're rushing, pushing, and using up energy that could be much better spent.
I'm not suggesting we tick off our goals by sitting on the couch chanting "Om." (Surely I'd have reached all of mine by now!)
Nor am I suggesting you slack off or act without integrity (if you're reading this, I doubt these concepts are in your vocabulary).
I'm suggesting that perhaps you're working hard in the wrong areas. You're hustling for hustling's sake.
Examine where you're putting your time and energy. Look at where you're working hard. How's it working for you? Are you getting the results you want? At what cost?
Are You Fighting Against the Current Or Flowing With It?
I love when my career coaching clients get opportunities "out of nowhere."
They seem to come out of nowhere because we're so used to making things a slog.
Yet, so often, it's when we ease up, take stuff off our plate, and start saying "no" that things fall into place.
It's setting up smart systems and acting with intention so that your limited energy gets you maximum impact.
It's focusing on the 1 big thing that gets you 80% of the results rather than trying and failing to do 10 "should do" things that net you nothing.
It's getting out of the weeds and into the big picture.
When you have plans, systems, and routines in place, they do much of the work for you. That's flow. It's a heck of a lot easier to operate from this place and exponentially more powerful.
Consider the distances you travel when you harness the ocean's current versus struggling against it.
Instead of working harder, consider the potential results of being thoughtful and strategic in the following areas:
1. Being laser-focused on what you want
Not what's currently on your to-do list. Not what you should want. Not what you could do. What you actually want and WHY. Everything else is a waste of precious time and energy.
2. Building strong relationships with people you like who have what you want
A strong network is like compound interest for your career. Find people that actively support your values, goals, and philosophies...and do the same for them.
3. Having a concrete plan that maps out your big goals, baby steps, & habits
How do you live a fulfilling life? One fulfilling day at a time. Purpose, Peace, and Happiness are not destinations that suddenly appear on the horizon. You create them one decision at a time in pursuit of your big-a$$ goals.
The most successful people do this through habits and systems. This is how you truly INTEGRATE all the stuff you know intellectually—but still have trouble doing—into your daily life.
4. Taking steady, strategic action
Do not mistake action for busy-ness. This step is about taking strategic action that aligns with your roadmap—and this is important—feels good and authentic.
The reason we stop taking action is because it doesn’t feel good.
It’s another example of why hustle culture is toxic; hustling is actually a roadblock because it’s really hard to sustain.
So I invite you to act in alignment NOW with how you expect to feel when you reach the end goal.
When you combine the desired feeling with action that moves you closer to your goals, that’s how you get momentum. And that’s what you need to cross the finish line without collapsing.
Hustle Culture Is Toxic: The Poison Spreads
“But, Caroline, the work needs to get done.”
Does it???
Seriously, does it?
A friend recently told me of a Managing Director working 16 hours a day. He’s driving himself and his team into the ground.
So many “leaders” work this way. Like they need to justify their hefty compensation.
I did it, too.
(I agree many leaders are overpaid. But working longer hours is a short-sighted way to demonstrate your value that doesn’t serve you or honor your talents.)
If you’re a senior leader, they’re not paying you the big bucks to work MORE or justify your existence. They’re paying you to LEAD.
So lead.
Ask the hard questions. Challenge the status quo. Empower and take care of your team, including their physical and mental well-being.
Don’t give away your power by making excuses, “It’s been promised to the client,” “This is the way it is when you work in [insert industry/area],” “So-and-so isn’t pulling his weight”…
Does that work really need to get done? What can you drop? How might you do it better?
Are a small number of people doing the bulk of important work? Focus on getting the right team in place. Burning your team out is not leading. I don’t care what promotion or carrot you dangle or how much you tell them they’re a star; they’ll resent you and eventually leave.
What message is the leader who routinely sends emails at 3am and falls asleep in meetings sending to future leaders? To her kids?
And if you’ve tried and failed to influence in these areas, I gotta ask, what’s keeping you there?
Hustle culture is toxic.
Unless you’re literally saving lives, stop behaving as if the work you’re doing is life-saving. And refocus on the work that has the most impact on the things you care about.
Am I Lazy Or Strategic?
I don't know about you, but I'm done working hard.
In fact, when something feels like hard work, it's a clue that I'm trying to crash through a brick wall instead of looking for the open door.
These days, I'm all about leaning into ease and flow: work that uses my strengths to transforms others' lives and fuels the life I want to lead.
It's NOT sitting on the couch eating bon-bons. But most days work doesn’t feel like work.
So if you feel like you're constantly struggling, straining, fighting, grinding, and working hard to get results, I invite you to consider a different approach.
I lay out HOW to do the above in my free guide 4 Steps to Take Back Your Life and Design a Career with Purpose. I also share success stories, so you can see real people getting real-life results pretty much from Day 1.
Hustle culture is toxic. If you’re ready to have maximum impact with minimal effort in your career and life, get your free career roadmap now.
Are you struggling with your career? Is your career change turning into a total grind? Does it feel like it's going to be a ton of hard work and sacrifice to achieve career success?
Isn't it INTERESTING that we assume that the success, abundance, and fulfillment we want CAN'T be easy?
What if career success were a whole lot easier? What if we could actually make it fun?
In an effort to remind you that this career stuff gets to be fun and easy, I created this fun and easy video.
Author Bio:
Before becoming a coach, Caroline worked in management consulting and financial services. She's made it her mission to help people grow, contribute, and get wherever they want to go.
She’s also a tennis fanatic, aspiring Minimalist, FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early) enthusiast, and Aloha Spirit seeker 🤙. She loves to share stories from her unconventional life and career focused on freedom, creativity, fun, health, family, and community. If she can do it, you can, too.
The life and career you want is possible once you have the roadmap. Take the first step by getting your free career roadmap: 4 steps to take back your life and design a career with purpose.
