Step Away from the Hustle Porn!

Step Away from the Hustle Porn.

II know. Some of you will hate me for saying this. Even my parents would hate me for saying it but there, I said it. As a person coming from a family with an evangelical commitment to our work ethic, I am a newly minted heretic. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to figure this out.  “We grow too soon old and too late smart.” 

I have secretly recoiled at the constant one upmanship inherent in the hustle culture but am even more repulsed by the insipid humblebrag that is its first cousin. As a reformed hustler, I do get it. I was the queen of rise and grind, but I am so over it and maybe you should consider at least a hustler’s hiatus.

Overworking has been the hallmark of our success and that of many of our successful predecessors. Clearly it has been the mantra of the entrepreneur, but however long the candle that burns at both ends is, it will not last the night. We begin to believe that we are the hustle after a while, and we forget why we are programmed in this way. I’m here to tell you that this race against obsolescence, impertinence or even our own mortality is not a race to be won. I do respect the hustle as a means to get you going and to jump start your project, business or endeavor. I’m just saying that that same hustle will not always get you to your ultimate goals and that the toll it takes on you may actually slow your progress. 

Our work is a part of our purpose and if we are living our true purpose, we will get there without burning out in the process. What if instead of working 60 hours a week we worked less and spent more time thinking about how we can best perform our work. Imagine the clarity you can have when you create the space to allow other thoughts, imagination or play to come in and inform the way you create your work. 

As an employer, consider the impact of expecting fewer hours but achieving higher quality deliverables. Consider the reduction of churn and the ability to attract and retain quality people. This caliber of thinking often pays for itself in cost and productivity. The financial issues are easily solved with a new perspective on the grind. The problem with porn is it can become addictive and eventually destructive. Step away from the hustle porn. HR will thank you.