One of the most toxic things to arise in the past few years has to be the hustle culture.
It is this pervasive idea that a person needs to be constantly working, or hustling to make it anywhere in their career or life.
What makes it so exceptionally toxic is that we are now expected to put in over 40 hours of work per week. If you are not constantly busy working on the next big thing, then you are wasting time.
Time spent with family or friends, or even just on hobbies is seen as time wasted.
The idea is to rise before the sun does, grind and hustle for all available hours, all while doing this on as little sleep as possible.
It means giving up downtime for rest and relaxation. It means giving up your weekends in order to hustle. It means putting in your 40 hours for The Man, then spending your own time working on a side hustle if you have one.
It means monetising any skill or talent you have. If you are good at something, it is almost expected that you monetise it in some way. Forget about doing something for the sheer enjoyment of it. It has to make you money.
The biggest problem with the hustle culture is burnout. Physical and mental burnout. If we are constantly busy, when do we get to rest and recuperate?
We need to disabuse ourselves of this notion that we need to be constantly busy. Not everyone wants to work 70 hours per week. This does not mean that they are lazy or unmotivated. It could merely mean that they are striving for balance in their lives.
Not everyone wants to build empires or monetise their hobbies. Not everyone wants to be the next big CEO on the cover of Forbes. Some people just want to have a comfortable life, with needs that are met. Not everyone needs to be or even wants to be a millionaire.
Allow people to be who they want to be, instead of pressuring them into a life they have no interest in. Allow people to eschew what they feel is toxic to their lives.