Hustle culture is the term for a lifestyle that pushes people to work continuously, even beyond their own energy capacity. It’s usually driven by financial need — whether to cover what’s lacking or to reach a dream of financial freedom in the future.
People caught up in hustle culture are known for being excessively obsessed with their work. This workaholic culture inevitably takes a toll on health, both physical and mental.
So what does it actually look like?
Why Has Hustle Culture Grown?
Hustle culture has grown into an increasingly widespread lifestyle since social media became so prevalent. It happens because people can more easily compare themselves with other people’s achievements and successes. The fear of being left behind leads people to cope by working.
That, in turn, pushes people to keep working tirelessly, to the point where they no longer prioritize themselves.
Beyond that, hustle culture often also stems from a personal obsession with achieving high status in other people’s eyes, or with meeting the demands of life. Perfectionists tend to be the ones living a hustle culture lifestyle.
The Signs of Hustle Culture
The main sign that someone is trapped in hustle culture is a life that is intensely productive, full of relentless hard work. And that person feels guilty if they aren’t doing it.
Other signs worth watching for include:
- Thinking about work anywhere, even on holiday
- Sacrificing sleep to finish work
- Feeling obsessed with success at work
- Having a fear of failure in the workplace
- Working as a way of dealing with feelings of guilt
- Ignoring other people’s advice to rest or cut back on work
- Using work as a reason to avoid relationships with other people
- Lacking confidence
- Finding it hard to feel satisfied with what’s already been achieved
- Neglecting your health, to the point of forgetting to eat and staying up too late to finish a task perfectly
The Health Effects of Hustle Culture
Nobody is asking you to avoid hard work. But recognizing the limits of your energy is essential, so your body doesn’t give out and leave you facing the worst of sacrificing your health for your job.
That’s because people trapped in hustle culture tend to ignore physical complaints and keep working. Over time, it becomes harder to recognize the signs that your body needs rest.
Research has linked long working hours to stress and depression. Other research has also found that working 55 hours or more per week can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Try taking a moment to rest and assess how you feel. At times like these, try meditating and examining what’s on your mind. This helps you recognize the pressure you’re under, how your body is responding, and what you actually need.
Working hard isn’t the problem. The problem is when you no longer have a boundary between work time and rest time. Recognizing your energy limits is the first step, and the next is arranging a work environment that supports that boundary.
One simple way to do it: separate your workspace from your resting space. When you work from home, you often struggle to “switch off” work mode because your laptop and your pile of tasks are always in sight. Having a dedicated space to work in makes it easier for your brain to tell when to focus and when it’s time to stop.
This is where SpaceHub Lab can help. As the coworking space at SpaceHub Thamrin, SpaceHub Lab provides hot desks and meeting rooms you can use as you need them. You can come in, work with focus, and go home feeling finished, without carrying the mood of work into the place where you rest.
Being productive matters, but staying healthy and sustainable matters far more. Start setting your own working rhythm, and try working with more purpose at SpaceHub Lab.
