Hard work or hustle culture? The impact of overwork on wellbeing

Overwork is a pervasive issue in modern life, as the hustle culture has caused many to prioritise work over wellbeing. It’s an understandable impulse as these behaviours are often encouraged and rewarded, but what impact does this have on our wellbeing? This article will explore the difference between working hard and overworking, as well as the implications of overwork and hustle culture on our health and wellbeing.

What is Hustle Culture?

The term hustle culture has become increasingly prominent today, especially among millennials and young entrepreneurs. In a nutshell, hustle culture promotes the idea of continually working to become successful without taking breaks or having leisure time. It encourages people to work tirelessly and relentlessly until they achieve their goals. Consequently, this often leads to excessive workloads that create stress and overworking, affecting the health and wellbeing of those who subscribe to these patterns.

Hustle culture is also seen as a sign of ambition, success and the ability to overcome challenges with passion and determination. Taking breaks and looking after yourself is frowned upon and viewed as a setback in pursuing success.

Why does Hustle Culture Develop?

The concept of hustle culture has been around for decades. Individual beliefs, social influences, organisational or industry norms, or any combination of these factors can influence the development of hustle culture. When more than one of these factors combine, it can create even more pressure to adopt overworking behaviours.

Individual beliefs

A person’s propensity to adopt hustle culture can be rooted in their beliefs formed through family influences, schooling and other life experiences. Quite often, conscientious individuals may adopt hustle culture behaviours due to the idea that their best is never good enough and in the endless pursuit of perfection. Others may believe this behaviour is the only way to get recognised for raises, promotions, or acknowledgement from a community group.

Extended periods of hustle can lead to forgetting how to switch off and relax. The hustle mindset and behaviours become habits and can lead to almost an addiction to the hustle. This outcome forms destructive thought patterns and will inevitably lead to burnout and mental health issues if not addressed quickly.

Social Influences

By nature, humans are very attuned to what is happening in the social circles around us. If the people around you are demonstrating hustle behaviours, and especially if they are proud of it and flaunting this, you are far more likely to develop these behaviours yourself. The people around you can have their mindset formed from their individual beliefs, broader organisational culture, or different social influences, causing a vicious cycle.

Social Media can also have a considerable impact, as people broadcast an idealised version of their lives for all to see. While they show you the hard work and success stories, they are far less likely to display the behind-the-scenes tears, mental toll, and failures brought about by their actions. This limited and curated view of their life can lead to a skewed idea of the likely outcomes of overwork.

The rise of toxic positivity in the self-help sector has also made it more challenging to see the warning signs of overwork. The damage which can arise from trying to ‘grin and bear it’ can be immense. While positivity and optimism are good, this extreme form should be avoided as a risk to your wellbeing.

Organisational and Industry Norms

While all industries have difficulties and pressures, some can be extreme in promoting hustle culture as the norm. On top of this, individual workplaces each have their environments and cultures, which largely stem from management personalities and hiring practices. Any workplace can be guilty of promoting a hustle culture or expectation of overwork from its employees and contractors.

Required overtime, unrealistic deadlines and project scope, expectations of answering emails, texts and calls after hours, the expectation to work through lunch breaks and restrictive holiday and vacation policies are all examples of how a workplace may influence (or even enforce) overworking practises.

Is it Getting Worse?

In short – absolutely!

Advancement in technology in recent decades has meant that we are always connected to our places of work through smartphones and email. 

Having a constant reminder of other people’s continuous work and success in our pockets every minute of the day can only influence us to do the same. 

Being ‘on call’ for work queries or being able to take our work computers home with us means that the ability to switch off and forget about work for a while is more challenging than ever.

While we work harder than ever, for many people, financial stability and their idea of financial success seem further away. This cruel twist of economic fate has left many feeling like taking a second job, starting a side hustle or working super hard for a promotion are their only choices.

The good news is that, of late, there is a shift in thinking. As the different generations move through the workforce, the emphasis on sustainable work, work-life balance and wellbeing have been growing. If enough of the workforce can commit to protecting their wellbeing and refusing to partake in overwork, we may continue to see a shift in broader organisational and industry trends.

The Signs and Impact on Individual Wellbeing

There are many warning signs that overwork may be creeping into your life. If you notice an increase in these, it may be time to create a game plan to protect your wellbeing.

Behavioural Signs and Impact

• Reduced time spent on hobbies and leisure
• Declining social invitations and less time spent with friends and family
• Reduced sleep and lower-quality rest, including sacrificing sleep for leisure time
• Taking longer to complete tasks
• An increase in procrastination and action faking
• Strained relationships with colleagues, partners, friends and family

Mental Signs and Impact

• Feeling like nothing you do is ever enough
• Constantly thinking about work
• Declining mental wellbeing and increasing symptoms of anxiety, depression

Emotional Signs and Impact

• Tiredness and exhaustion
• Lower tolerance, ‘shorter fuse’
• Apathy
• Feeling guilty or ashamed when not working

Physical Signs and Impact

• Increase frequency or severity of colds and other illnesses
• Frequent headaches
• Chest pain
• Heart attack or high blood pressure
• Stroke

Occupational Signs and Impact

• Higher frequency or severity of mistakes
• Increased number of sick days
• Decreased productivity

This list is representative but is by no means exhaustive! It is likely that, when overworked, a variety of symptoms will appear over time. They may start small, barely recognisable. But over time, they will worsen and increase in severity until the root cause is addressed.

Working Hard without Overworking

Working hard is a positive trait and can lead to great success in both personal and professional life. Participating in hustle culture and overworking is different to working hard. The key is to balance working hard and looking after yourself simultaneously. The following strategies and ways of thinking about overwork may be helpful in your plans to achieve a healthy balance in your life.

Value individuality

Remember, you do not have to follow the crowd. What is overwork for some people may be a balance for others. Everyone is unique and has a different tolerance. What is essential is to be in tune with your boundaries and limitations. Be aware of the signs which first appear for you and react to them, regardless of others around you.

Be wary of exaggeration

It is rare to honestly know what is going on for those in our lives. We only know and see what they let us in on, and how they represent themselves and their behaviours may only partially be accurate. This is especially true on social media. Always be conscious that what you see may not be entirely factual and is never the whole story.

Keep up with social and leisure activities

Social contact, hobbies and other leisure activities are vital for overall wellbeing. If you find yourself cancelling things regularly, not having the time or not wanting to participate, think about why that is. You may need to adjust the work aspect of your life to leave you with enough mental, emotional and physical energy to keep doing these things. Withdrawing from these aspects of your life for any significant amount of time is not an option, as it can cause serious adverse mental health effects.

Understand the warning signs

You may have already experienced the symptoms of overwork and be familiar with how it presents for you. Take a few minutes to think about or even write down the earliest warning signs you can identify, and watch out for these in the future. The quicker you can determine what is happening and adjust your behaviours accordingly, the easier it is to head off the more severe aspects of overwork. If you are not sure, see the list of common signs above.

Identify your triggers

Are you more influenced by your own beliefs or by following those around you? What does your company expect from you that may encourage overwork and hustle culture? Identifying where the pressures are coming from can help you to make plans to avoid falling into the trap.

Take your vacation time and break allowances

Having time off when you can mentally and emotionally disconnect from work is vital. Whether on the small scale of leaving your desk for lunch or the larger scale of taking your vacation days throughout the year, make sure you know what allowances your work affords and use them accordingly. Try to detach from work fully during these times.

Work efficiently

Working efficiently means you will get more done at work, hopefully leading to less overtime, having to take less work home, and allowing more time for leisure and self-care. Using time-management strategies, schedules and planners can be a good way of getting the most out of your day. Some great apps and platforms are also available for planning and task management.

Use mindfulness, gratitude and meditation often

All methods of centring yourself and promoting positive mental health are helpful in combatting overwork, including mindful activities, gratitude practice and meditation. They can allow you time to focus on what’s important and give your mind and soul a break from the daily grind.

Set (and stick to) boundaries

Your boundaries may be to work an extra hour but to take no work home. It may be not responding to emails after 7 pm or no social media on the weekends. Whatever your boundaries are, set some and stick to them. 

Having a predetermined time limit or other task restrictions can help them become less invasive in your life and allow you to disconnect from work altogether. Let your significant other, family or a supportive friend know what you have chosen and stay accountable.

Practise Self-care

There are so many facets of self-care, and each has a different importance for each individual. It is vital to look after your wellbeing on all levels to maintain a happy life. This includes physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual self-care. If you feel any of these aspects of your life could be lacking, spend a little time identifying what you can do to fix that feeling.

Pick and choose your extra work commitments

Are you routinely offered a seat on multiple committees? Given a particular project, or have decided to improve a document or a workplace practice. You can do one or two of these extras, but taking on every extra duty thrown your way is the fast track to overwork! Consider the fundamentals of your job and what is considered an additional task piled on top. Are there some extras you can lose? Learning to say no to these things is difficult, but necessary to limit work hours and have enough time and mental energy for self-care and the other aspects of your life.

Redefine success

Redefining success is essential in tackling the negative impacts of overwork and hustle culture. Overworking to achieve goals should not be viewed as a measure of success. Instead, try to define success as having a healthy balance between work, family, and personal life. Try not to rely too heavily on extrinsic rewards such as money and career advancements where you can.

Be realistic with your expectations

Shifting your expectations is a challenging but essential aspect of avoiding overwork. Reaching the same output level as you did before may be possible if you become more efficient. However, for most people, you will likely need to lower the bar when working fewer hours. Setting achievable goals and breaking them down into manageable tasks can help you stay on track while allowing time for rest and rejuvenation. Don’t expect perfection; satisfactory is good enough in most cases!

Conclusion

Hustle culture has been becoming more common and is damaging in the long term. Wellbeing depends on finding a healthy balance between ambitions, responsibilities, social interaction, leisure and self-care.

It’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach; what works for one individual may not work for another. That being said, taking proactive steps towards ensuring you don’t burn yourself out should be an essential part of any plan to succeed.