Stop Glorifying the Hustle Mentality! 3 Ways to Be Mindfully Productive

Sleep is for the weak. Rise and Grind. Hustle Harder. These are hustle culture mantras! But, why are we glorifying being exhausted and restless?

Why are we grinding and pulverizing ourselves into a smaller version of who we are? Why are we being so hard on ourselves for never being able to hustle hard enough?

In this article, we’ll explore the single answer to all of those questions – toxic hustle culture.
 

What Is Hustle Culture?

Of all the definitions in the dictionary for hustle, our favorite is a fraud or swindle.

That’s because hustle culture will lie and tell us that the more work we do, the more valuable we are. Hustle culture will trick us into believing others will forge ahead with breakthroughs if we decide to take a break.

Hustle culture tells us not to stop when we’re tired, not to stop when we’ve got nothing left in our tanks, and not to stop when we’ve put in over forty hours. Hustle culture says busier is always better.

Hustle culture wants us to give 110% of our heart, yet there is a 100% chance it could hurt our heart, literally.

A recent study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found “increased instances of burnout can lead to a potentially deadly irregular heart rhythm known as Atrial fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other complications.”

Basically, even though hustle culture could cause our heart to skip a beat, it doesn’t want us to ever skip a beat. And through all of this, it also swindles us into believing we should absolutely LOVE this toxic cycle. The truth is that hustling is not helping us. It’s hurting us and it’s okay to HATE that.

Don’t take hustle culture by its word, it’s very definition. It really is fraudulent that toxic hustle culture wants us to work like that when it clearly doesn’t work!

Why We Should Stop Glorifying Hustle Culture

Hustle culture is intense. Its toxic all-or-nothing approach to life can make it difficult when we’re not on the job. If our focus wavers outside of work for even one second – BOOM – we feel like a guilty failure who doesn’t deserve success or happiness until we get back into hustling mode.

We’re convinced it doesn’t matter if we miss meals or sleep or are put out as long as we’re not missing our outputs!
 

Hustle culture says busier is always better.

 
If we were to think of ourselves as human beings that have 100% capacity to experience all areas in our life, especially the areas that light us up, is it fair for hustle culture to ask us to give our all to our careers?

In other words, if hustle culture requires us to completely disconnect from everything alive within us, in order to fully connect to what is alive externally around us – like our job – then that means there would be 0% of ourselves left.

Now, we’re no mathematicians but those percentages just don’t add up to a healthy mindset.

We should stop glorifying something that tricks our souls into believing that its job is solely to have a job.

5 Ways to Create Balance Between Your Work and Personal Life
 

Let’s Hustle to Stop Hustling

First, let’s be clear.

We’re not saying all we have to do is sit pretty on the couch and do nothing to achieve our goals. We still have to take inspired action towards our dreams. But, it’s important to recognize when we’re trying to fool ourselves into doing in instances where our minds, bodies and spirits are calling us into being.

Here are three ways you can start hustling to stop hustling!

3 Ways To Stop Hustling:

1. Work Hard at Playing Hard

In hustle culture, you often hear, “Work Hard, Play Hard.” The truth is, you can just play hard.

Your inherent worthiness isn’t something that needs to be earned with good behavior. Play is an essential part of life. It can relieve stress, supercharge learning and can help you be more productive!

This means playing is actually good for your soul and your salary! The new saying should be, “Play Hard So You Can Work Hard.”

Does laughing, taking care of yourself and connecting with your inner child not sound way more fun than grinding as an adult in the pursuit of the same result – happiness – anyway?
 

2. Forget the Presentations, Focus on the Present

Hustle culture is all about working hard and waiting for your reward. It says you’ll be successful or happy “someday” but not “today.”

Break this cycle by setting boundaries with the hours you spend preparing for meetings and all the tomorrows. Present yourself with opportunities to savor the present moment. Take a deep breath. Feel the world around you. Notice your thoughts.
 

The new saying should be, “Play Hard So You Can Work Hard.”

 
You deserve happiness today. You’re worthy because you are being and not because you are doing. You’re already successful without needing to hustle because you are alive (scientists estimate the probability of your being born at about one in 400 trillion-basically a miracle.)

Your presence is more jaw-dropping than your productivity. You don’t need to try to get a gold star from your boss, or anyone else, when you understand you’re already… quite literally… a star!

The work will always be there tomorrow, but you may not be. So, be here now.
 

3. Hustle Culture is Not Lit! Burn the To-Do List Before Burning Out

Planning and understanding your priorities are important. We love a good to-do list.

But, if that list does not help you manage your work AND your wellness, then add this as an action item: burn it!

The hustle is real but so are the consequences if you’re not penciling in time for yourself.

Here are things to consider adding to your daily planner – even if it’s just for five minutes a day. They will not only make you feel good by keeping your mental, physical and emotional health in check, but you’ll also get that satisfying feeling checking them off too!

These types of activities are guaranteed to get you fired up instead of burnt out.
 
 

Don’t Chase, Attract! And Say Good-Bye to Hustle Culture!

This mindset of believing we need to constantly overwork, overachieve and overcompensate needs to be over.

It’s a culture that says do, do, do and quite frankly it feels like doo-doo.

So, let’s stop glorifying shitty hustle culture, and let’s start hustling to put an end to the toxicity of competition, materialism and unfulfillment.
 

You’re worthy because you are being and not because you are doing.

 
Having our dream life can be accomplished without working ourselves to death. We can make a healthy living and live healthily. We can have what sets our souls on fire without burning out. We can rise and shine without needing to rise and grind.

We don’t have to hustle hard. We don’t have to push hard. We don’t have to force productivity. We just have to feel good – it’s that easy!

It’s okay to give ourselves unconditional permission to rest, to relax and do things that fill our cup. Because when we’re in a state of bliss, of joy, and of happiness, we attract and align to everything we want without needing to chase it.

Slow Down to Enjoy Life More: Use These 7 Strategies to Make it Happen

Remember, the most important job you’ll ever have is working on yourself. So, what’s one small step you can take each day to prioritize the inner work required to let go of some of these toxic beliefs about needing to hustle at work?

Let’s stop glorifying hustle culture! Share your go-to strategies to stop hustling with us in the comments below – we love hearing from you!