How Hustle Culture Sets Our Pace

And what we can do about it as entrepreneurs and side hustlers.

How did hurry become our default pace?

There are hundreds of good reasons—if not thousands—to explain why we routinely find ourselves in a frenzy, but many researchers acknowledge the Industrial Revolution as the tipping point.

The result? Modern hustle culture.

Photo Credit: Lauren Mancke on Unsplash

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When I first entered entrepreneurship, hustling had a positive connotation. It was worn like a badge of honor to show others you were important enough to be busy. 

Today, more people are beginning to see hustling as the completely unsustainable practice it is. 

Hustle culture has always encouraged us to work tirelessly at the expense of our physical and mental well-being, all in the name of efficiency.

“Get up and grind” isn’t just a cute saying on a coffee mug; it’s the tired anthem of those who work in a society that prizes productivity at all costs.

While hustle culture affects people at every level, the effects can be harrowing for entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and the self-employed.

Entrepreneurship was sold to us as the land of milk and honey, giving us unfettered access to the freedom and flexibility we’ve always dreamed of. But nobody told us it's a double-edged sword.

On one hand, you can control your schedule more than those with a nine-to-five job, but you’ll pay for it through your on-call availability.

You’ll start to believe since you can technically work from anywhere at any time, you probably should. When you inevitably overbook and overwhelm yourself, you’ll feel like you’re the only one to blame.

Work trips will soon become synonymous with vacations, usually focused on attending large, overstimulating conferences which leave you with a feeling of information overload. And sure, you may be at the pool during your breaks, but you’ll still be on your laptop logging in more hours or writing emails.

Let’s face it: it’s still work, just with a better view. 

Still, we buy into the lie that this can still be considered “time off.”

Photo Credit: Atman Studios on Unsplash

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In an article sharing three ways to achieve work-life balance when taking time off as an entrepreneur, the second strategy read, “If you have to work regardless, you might as well travel more often.” The author touts this as a way to “have your cake and eat it, too.”

But when we step back, we see what’s wrong with this picture. 

If we’re required to respond to emails and messages as quickly while we’re away as we are at home, we’ll never be able to unplug.

Nearly a decade ago, a survey found that while 57% of business owners planned on taking a vacation, only 9% would follow through. Today, I’m willing to bet these numbers are even more abysmal.

Some entrepreneurs don’t even remember what a real vacation looks like. 

With no supervisor advocating for you to take time off, you may find yourself lost in an endless sea of to-do’s, wondering when you can finally come for air.

It’s hard to mentally “check out” when your daily responsibilities and routine are so intertwined with your work, but we need not be dismayed. At the risk of sounding like a bad infomercial, there’s a better way forward. 

That’s what we’ll explore together through these essays.

I created this anti-hustle space to connect with other entrepreneurs and creatives who want to ditch burnout and thoughtfully design a slow-paced business and life. 

If that sounds like you, I’m so glad you’re here.

I’ll have much more to say on this subject, but for now, I’d love to connect in the comments and hear your own hustle culture story. 

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A moment to reflect

How has modern hustle culture affected the pace at which you live and work? In what ways can you counterbalance this by intentionally setting your own pace?