Hustle leads to burnout, burnout leads to the dark side
Hustle, Side Hustle and Hustle Mindset are words and phrases we can’t avoid at the moment. So many posts and videos are pressing on us that we need to hustle if we are going to ‘make it’. But is it true? Do we have to hustle and work ourselves to the bone to achieve success in this life? Let’s discuss:
To constantly hustle is counterproductive and a great way to land ourselves with burnout. Humans require mental rest as much as physical rest and depriving ourselves is a recipe for disaster. Burnout leads us to become distracted, sleepy, irritated, unmotivated and, basically, not effective.
What does it mean to Hustle?
Hustle – push roughly; jostle.
At the core of the hustle mindset is the belief that we must work extremely hard over a long period of time – no excuses, just do it, do it fast, and do it forcefully.
At the core of the hustle mindset is the belief that we must work extremely hard over a long period of time – no excuses, just do it, do it fast, and do it forcefully.
On the face of it, having a hustle mindset may sound positive. We might strive to work hard and long, and admire people who can achieve consistent levels of hustle. There are certainly benefits to having such a mindset, but is it truly achievable and maintainable?
Hustling has been romanticised and capitalised upon recently by high profile entrepreneurs. What we must keep in mind is that these entrepreneurs can portray what they want to us. The small snippets of their life that they let us see are just that – small snippets. Do they really work ’24/7′? Or do they film their I work 16 hours per day and you should too video and then jump in a bath and relax?
Why we shouldn’t hustle … all the time
I don’t want to sound like I am against working hard and putting effort into our goals. Working hard is necessary if we want to achieve great things. But we are not required to work in top gear all the time 24/7. The greatest danger of the hustle mindset is that it will lead to burnout if we are not careful.
Burnout
Working hard and long is a sure-fire way to reach burnout quickly. We need time off to allow our brains to process and relax. Burnout is no joke, and take it from someone who has first-hand experience, it destroys your chances of achieving what you are hustling so hard to achieve.
Major signs of burnout are:
- Feeling tired most of the time
- No enthusiasm, and negativity toward achieving your goal
- Being agitated or angry
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Procrastinating
A detailed list of burnout symptoms can be found here on WebMD.
Work/Life balance
If we constantly hustle, we won’t have time for the finer things in life – catching up with friends, watching our kids grow up, really enjoying and actually tasting a well-cooked meal. What happens to our friends and family if we spend 24/7 focused on our next goal? Life is incredibly short and it would be a shame to miss it.
How do we achieve if we don’t hustle?
To achieve in life we need to try. There are no two ways about it. Whether our goal is to make a million or to create a happy home, hard work is required. We have to … hustle. But the trick is to not go overboard.
Working 24/7 is impossible and working 16 hours a day is not sustainable, so how long do we work? Well, everyone is different. We need to listen to ourselves and be completely honest with how we are feeling and performing.
If we are constantly showing signs of burnout then we should cut back and allow ourselves time to heal. Conversely, if we are not achieving what we want then we need to ask ourselves if we are trying hard enough. It may be the case that we are working hard and pushing the boundaries of what can healthily be achieved. If this is the case then we need to find a way to work more effectively, delegate to others, or lower our expectations. Doing this will be far more productive in the long run than trying to work harder or longer.
There is a great, but hard to distinguish, difference between calling it a day when we have worked beyond our capability and calling it a day when we are just finding something hard. Employing the hustle mindset when we are struggling with a difficult task can lead to great things. Employing the hustle mindset when we are beyond our means can lead to … nothing but burnout.
Look after yourself
Please remember that just because someone says they are hustling from dawn to dusk doesn’t mean they are. And even if they are, which they aren’t, then that doesn’t mean you have to. Look after yourself and you will go further and stronger than you ever will by letting yourself burn out.
Looking for some further help to avoid burnout? I’ve collated a list of tips on how I avoid burnout in this post – My Top 7 Tips for Avoiding Burnout and Stress.
Thanks for reading
Iain McClafferty – The Five Year Mortgage
