The picture up, disguised as a motivational quote, is the very definition of the Hustle Mentality. It glamorizes workaholism, and it’s dangerous to your physical health, your mental health, and the very business you’re trying to grow.
Think about it, who is this business for? Are you working for the business, or is the business working for you? Who is the boss here?
It’s great that you are hard-working and ready to put in the work for your success, but surely you want to be in good health to enjoy that success?
What Is A Hustle Mentality?
There will always be one more email to send, one more text to type, one more report to file, one more podcast episode to edit, one more blog post to write, one more task to do, and before you know it, it’s 9 pm and you’re still hunched over your desk.
You might get up, walk around, grab something to eat, but after that you’re back in your office or desk, checking that email, replying to your colleague’s or client’s emails even when it’s WAY past your work hours.
This is hustle culture:
- You are always on call
- You are always at work even on weekdays, holidays, or on vacations
- You consider always being tired, exhausted, or worn out a badge of honor, or a sign of “hard work”
- Your work and your personal identity are the same. You are your work and you do not seem to exist beyond that
- You are proud of getting no sleep, and you see it as a sign of being hardworking or productive
- You are not spending any time with your loved ones, because you are always working
- You take the phrase “I’ll rest when I’m dead” too literally
Is Having A Hustle Mentality So Bad?
Here’s the thing, hard work is a necessary part of entrepreneurship or career growth. And while having a never-quit attitude can make you strong to overcome challenges, we need to draw the line and have boundaries we will not cross except in emergencies.
Working too hard, and for too long without pause and reset can hurt you in the process. It can result not just in burnout, but can also have repercussions on your health.
Effects Of The Hustle Mentality
- It sets up, unsustainable and unrealistic expectations that will only lead to physical and mental exhaustion
- It encourages an unhealthy lifestyle as you’ll exercise less, sleep less, and eat nutritious food, but instead, opt for fast food and anything that’ll take the shortest time
- It almost always leads to burnout
- It alienates you from your loved ones
- The lack of sleep will often lead to irritability, and you’ll find yourself snapping at the slightest things
How To Step Away From The Hustle Mentality
It’s not going to be easy to suddenly drop a habit you’ve maintained for months if not years, even when you know it’s dangerous to your physical and mental health, but here are some ways to slowly step away from such terrible toxic mentality.
- End the workday even if you’ve not completed everything on your desk; Take time to recharge.
- Go to bed early, even if it’s only a few minutes earlier than you usually do.
- Schedule time on your calendar for something other than work. This might be going to the gym, going to an art gallery, seeing friends, or spending more time with your family. Take it a step further and set a reminder to help you hold yourself accountable
- Stay hydrated. Keep a bottle of water on your desk as a subtle reminder to stay hydrated.
- As you work, pause and ask yourself, “Why is this important?”
- Categorize your tasks by urgency and importance, then make time for the more important and urgent tasks by dropping the least urgent or important items on your to-do list.
There will never be enough time to do everything, one more task will magically appear, an email will always show up just when you think you’re done for the day. Instead, let’s prioritize our health and our relationships with those around us rather than make our work our life.
The perfect work-life balance doesn’t exit, but we can set boundaries to distinguish between the two and allocate time for both.