Don’t get snared in the hustle culture trap
If you’ve spent any time online in the past few years, you’ve probably noticed the popularization of the “hustle culture” lifestyle. Whether working on multiple side businesses or simply wanting to progress in their career, countless self-proclaimed hustle bros and girl bosses boast about working long hours every day of the week. For them, productivity, success, and financial reward trump everything else, including family, friends, sleep, and self-care. And their carefully curated social media feeds present this lifestyle as aspirational.
Hustling certainly isn’t a new concept and has its roots in the American Dream of pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and achieving anything you set your mind to. Hustle culture is a new spin on this, with the conveniences of the Internet and modern technology with its online stores and gig apps (allegedly) making hustling your way to millionaire status easier than ever.
It’s not hard to see the appeal of hustle culture, especially in trying economic times.
But pursuing success at work at the expense of everything else is not sustainable in the long term. This mindset leaves people vulnerable to exploitation from those who don’t have their best interests at heart.
Common hustle culture scams
Whether someone wants to earn a little extra cash on the side, start building wealth, or start their own business because of a lack of employment opportunities, there are myriad scammers who claim to want to help them. You’ll just have to drop a few thousand dollars on their online course or buy their self-help book first to learn how.
An article from Vox explores how TikTok and YouTube hustle gurus exploit their followers by teaching them “easy” ways to earn money. And if you’re looking to get rich quick online, how can you resist video titles like, “Watch these 55 minutes if you want to be a millionaire in 2022” or “I Found the EASIEST Way to Make $1000 with AI.” Such videos often include links to the creator’s online courses, where you’ll learn all the “secrets” to earning money online.
Common topics include passive income streams, flipping houses and cars, crypto, drop shipping, and creating online courses (just like them!). While some can be legitimate ways to earn money online, it’s not as simple as the hustle gurus lead followers to believe. Cryptocurrency has proven an incredibly volatile investment, and while drop shipping can be profitable, the market is oversaturated. None of this is to say that making money online is impossible, but as always, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. It also never hurts to be wary of influencers who primarily get rich by teaching other people how to get rich.
Other ways in which people can fall prey to the false promises of hustle culture is by joining multi-level marketing schemes or entering the gig economy. While MLMs are technically legal in many jurisdictions, the majority of people who join tend to lose more money than they make. Furthermore, according to the FTC, many MLMs are actually illegal pyramid schemes. Meanwhile, the gig economy is rife with worker exploitation.
Generally unsustainable
Scammers and dubious business ventures aren’t the only things people need to watch out for when it comes to hustling. The #grindset mindset can be detrimental to people’s health — both physically and mentally. Anxiety, depression, and chronic stress are common consequences. In fact, burnout and chronic stress are on the rise in younger generations. Chronic stress can subsequently lead to heart disease, headaches, and substance dependency.
Jacinta Jiménez, a psychologist and author of The Burnout Fix, told Fortune,
“We’re actually wired to tolerate stress in small doses. The real culprit is chronic stress without recovery or rest.”
She believes people should prioritize rest and not just see it as a reward.
Whether you subscribe to the hustle culture mindset or not, most people have likely felt the pressure to be more efficient and productive in all areas of their life. According to Talkspace, overworking yourself to this degree can, in fact, lead to decreased productivity.
Avoiding the hustle burnout
None of this is to say you shouldn’t pursue side projects and business opportunities. However, being mindful of falling into the trap of believing some random Internet guru’s “get rich quick” schemes and overworking yourself should help you stay on the right path. Be mindful of what you can realistically do in a day, and don’t neglect proper rest. Remember that stress isn’t aspirational, and it will probably hinder your progress in the long run.
