We often consider long hours to be a badge of honor in our fast-paced, achievement-oriented world. As a society, we glorify the “hustle culture,” where working late and sacrificing personal time are seen as necessary steps to success.
Suppose, however, that this relentless drive for productivity is actually leading us to burnout and not brilliance.
Hustle culture, also known as grind culture or toxic productivity, means constantly striving for success and pushing yourself to the limit. With little regard for rest, self-care, or work-life balance, it’s characterized by intense focus on productivity, ambition, and success.
Some workplace environments or workplace cultures, such as entrepreneurship, promote hustle culture. As well as working beyond the normal 40 hours a week, it may also interfere with an individual’s personal life. Eventually, you may feel exhausted, stressed, and unfulfilled as a result of it. Ultimately, hustle culture leads to stress and fear, impairing you and/or your employees’ performance.
Hustle culture manifests in the following ways:
Although Elon Musk and Gary Vee advocate hustle culture, it can have negative effects on mental and physical health. Besides being detrimental to our health, hustle culture can lead to burnout, and increase social isolation. Furthermore, it can have adverse effects on mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress.
The more hours you work, the more output you’ll get, right? That’s not true. This myth has been debunked by numerous studies, revealing a disturbing truth.
According to a Stanford University study, productivity plummets once a workweek exceeds 50 hours. Over time, efficiency and output decline with every additional hour, with the 60-hour mark proving particularly detrimental.
Moreover, a Qualtrics survey based on a Qualtrics survey for Slack revealed that forty percent of 10,333 workers work after hours regularly. Additionally, half said they are under pressure to do so mostly because otherwise they do not have enough time or have too many competing priorities, not because they wish to work more hours.
Employees who log off after the normal workday, however, scored 20 percent higher in productivity compared to those who felt obligated to continue working.
In other words, think of it as running a marathon. During the first few miles, you start strong. After a while, fatigue sets in, your pace slows, and finishing becomes difficult.
The same is true with work. You don’t come up with brilliant ideas or complete tasks with laser focus during those long, tiring hours. Often, you’re prone to errors and distractions, and are just trying to “get through it.”
Additionally, work-life imbalance can negatively impact personal relationships and quality of life, resulting in decreased happiness and overall well-being.
The inevitable consequence of chronic overwork is burnout, which is characterized by emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. A variety of symptoms can be seen, including:
The problem of burnout goes beyond personal health. There are also significant organizational implications:
So why do we continue to believe in the myth of the productive overachiever? This cultural blind spot is caused by several factors:
The first step towards challenging the hustle culture? Raising awareness about its negative effects. It is important to educate ourselves and others about the science behind overwork and its adverse effects.
Awareness alone, however, is not sufficient. We need to break free from the myth of the marathon worker, so how do we develop a culture that is sustainable and well-balanced?
You can take the following steps as an individual or as an organization:
Individuals are not the only ones responsible for creating a healthier work culture. It is also the responsibility of organizations to promote work-life balance and prevent burnout.
The following are some things companies can do:
Overall, workplace cultures that value well-being and productivity can lead to happier, healthier, and more productive employees.
Ignore the myth that long hours lead to productivity. Setting healthy boundaries and prioritizing our well-being will help us create a more fulfilling and sustainable work life. It’s time for us to break free from the hustle trap and embrace a work-life balance that allows us to achieve true success and productivity.
Keep in mind that your health and well-being are the most valuable assets you have. Put them first before a few extra hours at work.
It is clear from research and data that long working hours are inversely proportional to productivity and directly related to burnout. In spite of the fact that individual cases may differ, several studies support this idea:
This phenomenon is influenced by several factors:
When you’re passionate about what you do, working long hours may not seem like a burden at first. It is risky to stretch yourself too thin over the long term.
Working over 55 hours a week increases your risk of stroke by 35% and heart disease by 17%, according to the WHO.
There is even an official cause of death for overworking (known as karoshi) in Japan. Due to guilt and work pressure, employees who work long hours and don’t take any time off suffer from karoshi.
Depending on the nature of your work, some professions require occasional extended hours, such as startup founders, healthcare, or emergency services. To prevent burnout even in these cases, regular breaks, proper scheduling, and strong support systems are essential.
When you feel burned out, you should:
Image Credit: Tnarg; Pexels
The post Working Long Hours Leads to Burnout: Time to Ditch the Hustle Culture appeared first on Calendar.
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