The “hustle” is highly admired. They say, “Don’t knock on the hustle.” While it’s true that having a hustling culture might be advantageous in some situations, this is typically not the case in the workplace. More and more people in the job today are adopting hustle culture, particularly in light of the fiercely competitive and fast-paced lifestyle of today.

Hustle culture encourages a workaholism that is especially appealing to millennials, particularly recent grads and singles. Everything revolves around how “busy” they are and how many million things they’re juggling at once. For many, hustle culture has been the norm when evaluating factors like performance and productivity.

What is hustle culture?

As the name suggests, hustle culture entails continuous effort. It entails working—hustling—for as long as you can during the day. At work, there are no time-in or time-out periods. Work may be done anywhere, including at home, coffee shops, the office, and even outside of it. And working while on the go is quite feasible in a society where people are always on the go and have the means to do so.

And it’s a way of thinking, a philosophy, and a way of living that many people—both individuals and even businesses—adopt. The more you work, the more renowned you are in the hustling culture. Don’t care if you skip meals, sleep, and other significant occasions. Taking a pause is considered weak in hustling culture. Eventually, your brain is conditioned to be always busy and producing ideas.

Hustle culture is harmful

This is why many people believe that hustling culture is beneficial: It typically means climbing the corporate ladder more quickly. Occupational Medicine released a research that revealed a strong positive correlation between greater corporate position and “[w]orking time.” On the other hand, the same financially “successful” individuals also “had significantly more depressive and anxiety symptoms and worse sleep quality.” The study found that “increased levels of anxiety and depression symptoms and worse mental health status are linked to longer working hours.”

1. Hustle culture kills

Japan is the first place you should search for workaholics. Many of them go above and above, even if they have a strong attention to detail. They lose not just their health but also their lives as a result.

More anxiety, a higher risk of depression, and worse mental health are all consequences of overworking. A plethora of diseases and ailments brought on by overwork simply make it unworth it.

2. It’s not productive at all

At first, look, working on and on and on could appear appealing, but what is truly accomplished? Given research demonstrating that excessive work hours lead to worse mental health and elevated anxiety, what type of productivity would you anticipate from someone experiencing these issues? Simply doing as many tasks as possible, regardless of the caliber of the job produced, is encouraged under hustle culture. Numerous additional studies demonstrate that excessive hours are bad for creativity and production, especially over the long term.

Surpassing hustling culture

Elon Musk encountered strong pushback when he shared his pro-hustle culture views on Twitter. According to one person, working efficiently—completing a lot of work in a shorter amount of time—is more intelligent than working longer hours.

Hustle culture isn’t the end of the world. It’s actually quite the opposite. There are more effective approaches to doing tasks.

1. Work smart.

Once more, simply clocking in as many hours as you can is not the greatest strategy. The way to go is to work wisely. Consider completing a task in three hours as opposed to six. In this manner, you have time to verify again before continuing. Avoid mindless labor at all costs since it will not benefit you. Efficiency, not excessive labor, is the key to success. And consider how much money a company could save if employees worked more productively rather than laboriously. The savings on overtime compensation alone would be substantial.

2. Embrace a work-life balance

A creative mind is a new one. On the other side, working nonstop leads to boredom and monotony. Take time off, spend it with loved ones, volunteer for a worthy cause, take up a new activity, or visit a beautiful location. Anything else than droning on about business or job. Your mind will be able to recuperate and rejuvenate as a result, and you will return to work with original and imaginative thoughts that you would not have otherwise been able to generate. Because it promotes growth and development, creativity benefits the company as well. Therefore, it is best for employees to be more innovative.

Why working long hours is not productive

Due to increased stress, exhaustion, and burnout, working long hours can reduce productivity. This can result in attention issues, errors, and lower-quality work, which can eventually affect an individual’s and an organization’s performance.

i. Fatigue and Burnout: Exhaustion and burnout brought on by long hours make it challenging to focus and finish things effectively.

ii. Diminished Concentration and Focus: Fatigue affects cognitive function, which results in a decrease in concentration, a delay in decision-making, and a rise in mistakes.

iii. Reduced Quality Work: People who are overworked may complete assignments quickly, which can result in errors and a drop in the caliber of their work.

iv. Increased tension and Anxiety: Persistent pressure to put in long hours can cause tension and anxiety to rise, which will further affect wellbeing and productivity.  

Conclusion 

A successful firm relies heavily on striking a balance between employee productivity and hours spent. Employee performance is maximized while their well-being is prioritized when you understand what productivity means for your company, understand the link between hours worked and productivity, and put techniques for balancing work and life into practice. 

Want to know more about hustle culture and smart work? Feel free to connect with EnrichMyCareer for a FREE 15-minute call with our counselors. 

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Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How does working long hours affect productivity?

When workers put in more than fifty hours a week, their productivity per hour starts to drop, and it gets worse beyond sixty. According to estimates, for instance, productivity in 60-hour weeks would be less than two-thirds of that in 40-hour weeks.

2. Why is it so hard to be productive at work?

Your productivity may be impacted by a variety of variables, including stress, distractions, boredom, or a lack of skills. Fortunately, there are a few tactics you may take to improve your productivity and job happiness. Here are six suggestions to help you increase your output at work.

3. Why does working long hours hurt your work performance?

Compared to those who worked 53 hours a week, those who worked 70 hours produced 19 percent less the following week. Pencavel hypothesized that in order to replenish their energy, employees require time off. This is supported by further study, which attributes a critical function to sleep.