Can Hustle Culture Please Die?
Why It's Time to Sober Up from Grind Culture!
image credit Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
The Archimedes Bath Revelation
In ancient Syracuse, around 250 BCE, lived one of the greatest mathematicians and inventors of all time: Archimedes. He was known for his brilliant mind and his ability to solve complex problems. But our story isn't about his constant work ethic—it's about a moment of relaxation that changed the course of science.
King Hiero II had commissioned a golden crown and suspected the goldsmith had cheated him by mixing in silver. He tasked Archimedes with determining if the crown was pure gold without damaging it.
This problem haunted Archimedes. He spent days and nights poring over calculations, trying to find a solution. The pressure was immense—failure could mean disappointing the king or wrongly accusing an innocent craftsman.
Exhausted and frustrated, Archimedes decided to take a break. He went to the public baths—a place of relaxation and socializing in ancient Greek culture. As he lowered himself into the tub, he noticed the water level rise.
Suddenly, it hit him. The volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body submerged. This principle could be applied to the crown problem! He could compare the volume of water displaced by the crown to the volume displaced by an equal weight of pure gold.
Archimedes was so excited by this revelation that he allegedly leaped out of the bath and ran naked through the streets of Syracuse, shouting, "Eureka!" (I have found it!)
This moment of insight, born not from 'hustle' but from a moment of relaxation, led to the principle of buoyancy and laid the groundwork for hydrostatics and fluid mechanics.
What can we learn from this story?
Breakthrough ideas often come when we're NOT actively working on the problem.
Rest and relaxation are essential parts of the problem-solving process.
"Hustle" doesn't always mean constant, visible effort—sometimes, it means giving your mind space to make unexpected connections.
Some of the most important work happens outside of traditional work settings.
Sometimes, the best thing we can do for our work is step away from it and take a bath.
Just maybe keep your clothes on when you have your next "Eureka!" moment.
The Concept of Hustle
I've always been fascinated by the concept of "hustle."
Not the dance, mind you—I tried that once at a friend's wedding and nearly took out the cake table. No, I'm talking about the kind of hustle that self-help gurus and social media influencers, including me, won't shut up about.
The kind that supposedly separates the wheat from the chaff, the entrepreneurs from the wage slaves, the go-getters from the... well, stay-putters, I suppose.
I once met a guy at a party who introduced himself as a "hustle coach." I asked him what that meant, and he launched into a ten-minute speech about "maximizing potential" and "crushing goals."
By the end, I wasn't sure if he was selling a lifestyle or a particularly aggressive brand of protein powder.
But here's the thing: this obsession with hustle is more than annoying—it might be counterproductive.
The Hustle Paradox
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who constantly push themselves to be productive often end up less satisfied with their lives and more prone to burnout.
But wait, what about all those success stories we hear about?
The entrepreneurs who slept under their desks and built billion-dollar companies? Well, my friend, that's called survivorship bias.
We only hear about the ones who made it, not the countless others who burned out, went broke, or just decided that maybe sleeping in a real bed wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Real Hustle vs. Hustle Culture
Real hustle isn't about posting motivational quotes on social media or bragging about how little you sleep. It's not about working yourself to the bone to look busy or treating every moment of relaxation as a personal failure.
No, real hustle is more... well, hustly.
It's the single mom who works two jobs and still finds time to help her kids with their homework.
It's the immigrant who learns a new language while working long hours to send money back home.
It's the artist who spends years honing their craft, facing rejection after rejection, but never giving up.
Real hustle is quiet.
It's persistent. It's showing up daily, even when no one's watching, even when it feels like you're getting nowhere.
I had a neighbor who ran a small bakery in Elmhurst, Queens.
She woke up at 2 AM every day to start the ovens, spent hours kneading dough and decorating cakes, and then stayed late to balance the books.
She never posted about her "entrepreneurial journey" or gave TED talks about "disrupting the pastry industry."
She just... did the fucking work.
That's hustle.
The Hustle Hierarchy: A Framework
So, how do we differentiate between toxic hustle culture and genuine hard work?
I propose the "Hustle Hierarchy":
Purpose-Driven Hustle: Work aligned with your values and long-term goals.
Necessity Hustle: Working hard to meet basic needs and responsibilities.
Growth Hustle: Putting in extra effort to learn and improve.
Social Hustle: Working hard to contribute to your community or help others.
Ego Hustle: Working primarily to impress others or boost your self-image.
The goal is to focus on the top tiers and minimize time spent on ego hustle.
The "Anti-Hustle" 30-Day Challenge: Embracing the Art of Slow Living
For the next 30 days, commit to deliberately slowing down and resisting the urge to hustle constantly.
Here are the rules:
The "Leisurely Morning" Rule: Start your day without immediately checking emails or social media.
The Mindful Lunch Break: Take a full hour of lunch break every day away from your workspace. Do not multitask.
The Weekend Wanderer: Spend at least one day each weekend without any planned activities or to-do lists (if you can).
The "Embrace Boredom" Challenge: Spend 15 minutes daily doing nothing. No phone, no book, no TV. Just sit with your thoughts.
The "No" Practice: Say no to at least one non-essential commitment or invitation each week.
The Tech Detox: Avoid using social media for at least one day per week. Half a day works, too.
The Reflection Ritual: At the end of each day, write down one thing you enjoyed about taking it slower.
Bonus Challenge: If someone asks what you're up to, try responding with "Oh, not much" without feeling the need to justify your lack of busyness.
At the end of the 30 days, reflect on how this change of pace affected your mood, productivity, and overall well-being.
Did slowing down help you accomplish more?
Did you discover new insights or creative ideas during your "unproductive" time?
The Psychology of Hustle Culture
Psychologists have a term for the mindset that drives much of hustle culture: "toxic productivity." It's the belief that one's worth is directly tied to their output. This can lead to a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and burnout.
The impact of hustle culture is felt across industries:
Tech: The "move fast and break things" mentality has led to ethical concerns and employee burnout.
Finance: Long hours and high stress contribute to health problems and decreased decision-making ability.
Creative fields: The pressure to constantly produce can stifle creativity and lead to burnout.
Adaptation strategies might include:
Implementing true work-life harmony policies
Focusing on output rather than hours worked
Encouraging and modeling healthy rest and recovery practices
Redefining Hustle
I challenge you to redefine hustle for yourself. Your hustle may involve working hard at your 9-to-5 so you can provide for your family. It may also involve pursuing a passion project on the weekends or just doing your best to be a decent human being in a world that often rewards the opposite.
The point is, don't let anyone else define your hustle for you. And for the love of French fries, don't buy into the idea that if you're not miserable and exhausted, you're not hustling hard enough.
Real hustle isn't about the grind. It's about the purpose behind the grind.
It's about showing up, doing the work, and knowing why you're doing it. It's about understanding that sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is nap, read a book, or spend time with loved ones.
So the next time someone tries to sell you on their brand of hustle, remember: you're not a machine; you're a human.
And humans need rest, reflection, and, occasionally, a slice of cake from that bakery in Queens. Gosh, I miss New York City.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some very important hustling to do. And by hustling, I mean I will walk by the ocean. Because sometimes, the most revolutionary act is permitting yourself to just... be.
Crystal Cove, California 2022
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I have a good friend who is working on a book to address that very topic. She's contrasting hustle culture with "blue zone" culture and applying it to business. I'll share this with her.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some very important hustling to do. And by hustling, I mean I will walk by the ocean. Because sometimes, the most revolutionary act is permitting yourself to just... be."
I would absolutely be 100% more productive if I could take a daily sunset walk on the beach.
Neela there are so many things I love about this post. I love how you correctly point out that true hustle is simply doing the daily tasks IN PRIVATE that are boring and repetitive, but necessary to keep the lights on.
But I really love how you are clarifying that we all have to work to define what our version of 'hustle' really is. We waste too much time worrying that we need to keep up with some 'standard' we see on social media for what we should be accomplishing.
Sometimes, often times less is more. Especially when it comes to creative work. As you correctly point out, the pressure of 'hustle' causes our creative processes to shut down. Stress fills our brain and removes our ability to mentally connect dots and create effectively.
Love that you are on a crusade to change our perception of hustle. It's a fight worth fighting!