Hustle Culture vs Work-life Balance

And where do we stand?

“Work like hell…Every waking hour…put in 80-100 hour weeks every week”.

~Elon Musk

“Rich people don’t sleep 8 hours a day”

~Steve Harvey

Often, we come across intimidating quotes with gigantic work ethics from Celebrities and Billionaires. Inspiring us to commit apparently ‘every waking hour’ to our work and not rest at all if possible. Creating an illusion of a luminous lavish life, making us to believe that in order to achieve our dreams we must not sleep!

We idealize Hustling as the only way to go in order to make a name for ourselves, and live our dream life. And alongside we feel inadequate in our efforts, constantly thinking we are not doing enough!

And then there is always that argument that “if it’s coming from successful people then must be true”.

Well YES! It is true (in a way).

Elon Musk reportedly sleeps under his desk in his office when he has a target to reach. And only allows himself 6 hours of sleep in a day.

Bill Gates describes how in his struggling days he would go sleepless nights to deliver a software surviving only on ‘coffee and adrenalin’.

Shah Rukh Khan said in an interview “forget sleep, forget comfort, stay stressed, and fear failure enough that winning becomes the only option”

It is undeniable that in order to achieve something BIG, a ‘larger-than-life success one must work like hell, go through discomfort and make huge sacrifices.

Where, then, amidst all this fits the “Work-life Balance”.

And more importantly “why the hell is it not working for most of us?”

We work our fingers to the bone, burn the midnight oil, sacrifice our personal lives and yet more often than not end up disappointed.

The problem, as I see it, of course, lies not in the dedication for work but in the direction of work.

The hard work builds the muscles of their career, compounding in the form of astronomical achievements, that looks like a Massive Success to us. All their efforts return to their “ventures” first hand.

If you are an employee, on the other hand, the profit comes first to the company which then profits the Boss, then the Managers and then probably You in the end.

Even if you go the extra mile, stay after office hours, take the office to home, never come out of it at all…in the end who reaps the fruits of the hard work that you sowed?

You perhaps get a slice or a fraction of a slice, carrying more seeds to sow!

Having said that, it’s not a CRIME to work as an employee, though, I’m afraid, I made it look like so!

Getting a job at a fine firm or company is a dream of most freshers. You do not need huge capital or take large loans to start working. We get an established environment where we can brush up our skills. A secure income and hardly any risk involved.

The problem arises when organizational structures promote hustle culture as the only go-to way of working, leading to an endless cycle of Grinding. It is designed to keep you running in the Rat-race, not escape it. Corporate Moguls, on top of that, provide unhealthy incentives that encourage overtime work, promising a one-time gain in return, which, however, does not add value to your career in the long run.

Trouble begins when managers begin to micromanage. They supervise their employees with eagle’s eye, leaving no room for creative freedom.

 So, employees basically do the labor-work on the road maps drawn by their managers, all in the hopes of getting good appraisal.

An air of fright flows through the offices around March, as obedient and qualified employees wait with bated breath, only to find out that appraisals were never about playing by the rules, it actually depends on who hustled more or in some cases who buttered more.

Those who stay office till late, email during after-hours and never take leaves, those whose lunch-time looks like a marriage between figures and food (Tortilla weds Target), are praised publicly by their superiors.

This promotes a toxic mentality of working beyond your human capacity, always connected, never taking a break, never unwinding, all day, every-day, continuously busy…

This “Robotification” of humans is regularly glorified by giving them badges of “Hustler” or those who “Grind”, leaving others deprived of their self-worth and their sleep!

And that is why they say:

“Employees leave their managers not their company”

When you look at an urban settlement, you witness an ocean of shining bright buildings. But when you take a peek inside, you will find out that this ocean is filled with ghastly creatures, sharks and sometimes even pirates. and poor employees dive through anyway in the hopes of finding ‘the hidden treasure’ someday!

Hustle Culture tells you to just work harder instead of questioning the system.

……….

• A study by Deloitte across four countries (USA, UK, Canada and Australia) indicates that around half of the employees constantly felt exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed, experiencing fatigue and declining mental health.

• Data suggests that working more that 55-hours per week increases the risk of a stroke by 35%.

Now, is a success that comes at the cost of broken relationships and blocked arteries even a success?

So, by now, I believe, I must have left you questioning: what are you trying to say Maria? Should we or should we not HUSTLE?

And how the hell did people like Elon Musk and Shah Rukh Khan turn out to be hale and hearty after all these years of hustling?

Well…well…well…

Hustling, my dear readers, is like Caffeine.

Caffeine is indeed a drug that stimulates our nervous system. Over or misuse of which is, in truth, “hazardous to health”. and being a wise well-wisher, it was my solemn duty to enlighten you about this Toxic type of Hustling first.

…….

Now let us finally jump to the interesting part…

When we consume caffeine in controlled dosage it serves us more good than harm. And just like our beloved caffeine♥️, Hustling, too, can work as a Tonic when we do it with the right measures and in the right direction.

First, it is crucial to be mindful of your purpose. Why you chose the work you do? Careers are not entirely about money-making, they serve us with a sense of identity and worthiness.

Once you have a clear goal in mind, once you have faith in your purpose, you can dedicate your hard work in the right direction.

Now, there can’t be a standard definition of hustling or success.

It is highly subjective and only you can define it for yourself.

I can serve you with a framework for Hustle, in which you fill in your own details:

“Hustling right means figuring out your max capacity and trying to push just a little bit harder. Decide when to go all in and when to take a breath. Developing an earnest work ethic wherein you eliminate all distractions and excuses, maintaining discipline and consistency, despite all the failures and obscurities. And you move in the direction of your goals with all your might. Like a Fireball!

The continuum of this attitude towards work will invariably develop a beastly resilience within you, and you emerge as a feisty force of nature, who knows no fear. Who is UNSTOPPABLE!”

Thereupon, I would encourage you to curate your own Hustle routine. After all, only you can decide how many cups of coffee you wish to consume in a day. It is good to take inspiration from your idols, however, it is equally important to translate their work ethics into your own language.

And when it comes to Sacrifices, you give up on something either way in life. You spare extra time for sleep and leisure and you probably miss out on opportunities in work space, or the other way around.  Hustling right means acknowledging and being deliberate about what you are willing to let go.

A robot that rotates 24/7 at the command of its owner goes through a Tough Grind, and so does a Lion, chasing a Gazelle for his hunt.

So, if you must HUSTLE, ask yourself these questions:

WHAT are you Hustling for?  WHO are you Hustling for?

……

Now, let’s talk about the elephant of the room: Work-Life-Balance

When we put work in our left hand and life in our right, continuously measure both in order to strike a balance, what we are signaling to the brain is that we must choose between the two.

 Constantly trying to prove our family that they are also our priority, whilst our internal monologue telling us to prioritize work. And focusing on our health looks like a distant dream…

“I’m uncomfortable with the term work-life-balance. Balance is achieved with two opposing forces and why should work and life be in opposition with each other” ~ Simon Sinek

According to Jeff Bezos, “the term work-life-balance is misleading”. We are feeding our brains an askew narrative, juggling between different trades leaves us master of none.

The narrative he supports is Work-Life-Harmony.

He goes by asking this question: “is your work depriving you of your energy or is your work generating energy for you?”

Your primary work should stimulate you, not drain you of all your energy. When your work gives you a fulfilling, purpose-driven experience, you may go home tired but with a face lit up with satisfaction and self-esteem.

And of course, there is a ‘crunch period’, especially at the beginning of your career, wherein you laser-focus on your work and go the extra the mile in order to get ahead of the game, inculcating Work-Life-Harmony later on is crucial to maintain sustainability.

After all, there is a reason why sprints have a shorter track in competitions than marathon.

A sustainable approach that allows us to move smoothly between work, personal life and health, is a quintessential for running in the long-game.

So, I hope that you use this Caffeine of Hustle as a tonic for your fruition and fortune, and be aware of its toxicity!

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger. And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distills a poison in the wine. And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

~Kahlil Gibran