Hustle culture may seem to be losing its luster, but it’s alive and well in many workplaces.
Hustle culture is the belief that working long hours and sacrificing interests outside of work are necessary to advance your career and that advancing your career should be your ultimate goal.
This may show up in the workplace as people routinely mentioning how many hours they work or how many vacation days they haven’t taken.
Some workplaces explicitly glorify hustle culture, some reward it, others just tolerate it. When it’s present and you’re not joining in, you may be perceived as being not dedicated or committed enough.
Whether you used to subscribe to hustle culture and have changed your mind or never bought in at all, now you see what’s happening, and you don’t think it’s right for you. You’re not lazy; you’ve just decided that you don’t want to sacrifice all the other parts of your life—family, friendships, community—for the sake of more promotions and raises.
The problem is that your peers and bosses still buy in. How can you stay in good standing at work without your non-work life suffering?
Below are three evidence-based tips to navigate hustle culture when you would rather opt-out.
Good Call
First of all, evidence suggests that rejecting hustle culture is a good decision. A strong body of research indicates that working too much and neglecting hobbies and relationships is unhealthy. Long work hours and work interrupting non-work time are associated with higher rates of burnout, anxiety, and even physical health problems like stroke, heart disease, and diabetes.
Even among people who say they prefer blending their work and non-work life (rather than clearly separating them), blending is still correlated with lower well-being.
There are probably some people who can thrive in this culture and for whom career success and making money really are their dominant passions. But if it’s not for you, you shouldn’t buy in.
How to Opt-Out of Hustle Culture—Without Opting out of Work
First, don’t join in when colleagues commiserate about their hours or workload. When they complain about being overworked or subtly brag about their exhaustion, you don’t have to reciprocate. You can nod or offer sympathy and just move on. Even if you don’t share details about your workload, many people could interpret your behavior as validation and conclude that you’re on board and overworking as much as they are.
Second, do as much work in 40 hours as others do in 60 by focusing. Research on switching costs shows that multitasking and constant distractions make you less productive because you lose time with every switch from one task to another. So when you’re at work, even at home, be fully at work. Take breaks for food and exercise, but avoid time-wasting busywork or social media scrolling. You don’t have to grind endlessly to be successful if you are efficient and focus on the most valuable tasks.
Third, build and maintain effective boundaries between work and your non-work life. Clearly differentiate work time from the time you spend on other interests, and don’t let one creep into the other. To achieve this, you may need to set time limits (e.g., restrict work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day) or space limits (restrict work to one specific area in your home). Or, you may need to just be mindful of interruptions in your non-work life and mentally set work aside when it’s over to devote your full attention back to non-work.
A Different Work Belief
There’s another way to work hard and succeed, and it doesn’t have to cost you your hobbies and family life. Don’t join in the commiserating—just be disciplined and focus. You can do as much as your hustling colleagues and fly under the radar of those leaders who believe 40 hours means you’re not dedicated enough.
And if your job still demands more than you’re willing to give, maybe it’s time to find one that fits better with your values. Work isn’t everything—no matter what hustle culture wants you to believe.
