If your workplace insists that everything is a priority, vacation days are for the weak, and a moment not grinding out work is a moment wasted, then you’re likely living in hustle culture.
What signals might you spot in an organization suffering from the hustle?
– Items are only added to to-do lists, never subtracted – Lunch breaks are comedy—everyone laughs at them – There is always discussion of the next thing, with no pause to recognize or celebrate what’s already been achieved – No one has asked about your boundaries – Vacation days are to be collected but rarely spent
The antidote to hustle culture isn’t doing less work. It’s doing work more mindfully with more purpose, intention, and focus on impact over activity.
In an anti-hustle culture, we’d be asking better questions like: – What’s the outcome you need to achieve, and might there be a simpler path to achieving it? – Has someone inside our company done something similar that we might use rather than reinventing the wheel?
To drive an anti-hustle culture, stay in touch with people around you. See how everyone is doing. These are the moments in which your EQ (emotional quotient) really matters!
Proactively finding these moments—and highlighting them through stories—is an excellent way to dial back your hustle.