Young adults today are often lured by the idea that they have to be successful as soon as possible. They have resorted to worshiping work in search of life’s glories. And while working hard and smart may be essential for one’s survival, overworking to the brink of exhaustion may do the opposite.
This is popularly known as the hustle culture. A culture where work is prioritized over other aspects of life. A culture where the only road to success is through going above and beyond what’s expected. This sounds very enticing on paper, especially to young ones who feel like they have a lot to prove. But it can prove to be a ruse that opens up the doors for other harmful behaviors.
What Is Hustle Culture?
Hustling is the term associated with working hard. Of course, nothing seems to be wrong with it at face value. Working is part of life, after all. The negative aspect of it is when you worship hustling. Yes, work is part of our lives, but it should not be our whole lives.
This is what hustle culture does. It is essentially romanticizing the idea of work. As it romanticizes the idea of working hard, it conversely demonizes the idea of rest and breaks. We all need consistent breaks to function. Breaks and rests help us cope with stress and prepares us to do more work.
When you take this to heart, work burnout is in your immediate future. Burnout caused by overworking can lead to heart failures and strokes. People who work more than 55 hours every week are 35% more likely to get a stroke and 17% more likely to die from heart disease.
Overworking has been the cause of death for at least 745,000 people in a year. And that is mainly because of heart disease development. These numbers are alarming. So if you think you are overworking, make sure to check with your cardiovascular experts for screenings.
This culture is already harmful in itself. What’s worse is it may open doors for unhealthy behaviors like revenge bedtime procrastination.
What Is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?
Revenge bedtime procrastination is a behavior that sacrifices sleep for some activity of leisure. People who are always busy and have low control over their daily activities are most prone to this behavior. Those who work late often fall for this trap.
If you are always “hustling” and working during the day, you can never find time to unwind. Your only time to relax is during the moments after you finish working.
If you finish late and still spend time on your leisure, you are deliberately lessening your sleeping hours. But you won’t mind it because you spent it doing things you enjoy. It is a dilemma of personal priorities that negatively affects one’s health.
This is a no-brainer, but there is no substitute for sleep. We should always make sure we get enough sleep every single day. Our quality of sleep determines how well we function during our waking hours. Lack of sleep affects our mood, levels of focus, performance on tasks, and cognition. Adults should always get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
Avoiding Hustle Culture
Now that we have exposed how fraudulent hustle culture can be, it’s time you know how to not fall for it again.
First and foremost, you must not get bullied by those who worship working. Don’t let them sway you into thinking that you are wrong for resting. Keeping away from the hustle mentality is important because it will determine how well you can avoid falling for it ever again. If you can achieve this, you can then systematically create habits for you to avoid overworking.
Create a Schedule
Make an ideal schedule that healthily divides work and other aspects of your life. Make sure you stick to this schedule at all costs. Creating a schedule makes sure that you know when to work and when to rest. This can also prompt you to work more efficiently as you are working within a schedule.
Recognize Your Limits
We all have our limits. Recognizing them helps you determine the amount of work you can do at a given time. When you know your limits, you make sure that you are not taking more than you can handle. This helps you have more time for rest since you are not constantly working.
Do Not Procrastinate
Delaying your tasks will only cause them to pile up. Make sure to work on your tasks as soon as possible to avoid backlogs that may hurt your leisure time.
Work is only a part of our lives. Don’t let the hustle culture harass you into thinking that working is all there is to life. If your work becomes the center of our existence, you are not doing it right.
