Habits and Hustle Culture

Habits and Hustle Culture

Do the words “habit” or “routine” immediately inspire a sense of anxiety in you? You’re not alone. I think “hustle culture” has played a big role in linking these words to our ideas of strength and power.  

Yes, habits should exist to help us improve ourselves and take steps toward our desired goals. There is nothing wrong with aiming for success, depending on how you define it, and becoming your best self is an honorable notion, assuming you’re doing so to help you build a fuller life for yourself and those around you.  

Hustle culture turns “become your best” shift to “become THE best.” With this mentality, having a perfect routine acts as a display of strength as if to signal that if you aren’t waking up at 5 am to do a 3hr workout, 1 hr meditation, and refusing sugar every day, then you’re behind in both your day and your life, you’re weak, or even worse...average, and therefore undeserving of success. For some, this kind of routine is life-filling! But many feel drained striving for it, not to mention the amount of privilege and access required to maintain that lifestyle. 

Hustle culture often promotes “power-over” thinking, and can be toxic in ways that you can probably predict. But even from a practical standpoint, it’s ineffective for habit formation!

First, it develops an association between our habits and the way we perceive our moral fortitude, and punishment and shame are quick to follow. If we skip a day, our brain jumps to “I failed/I’m a failure” associating our positive habit with a negative feeling. In her book “Better than Before”, Gretch Rubin explains that those who show more self-compassion are more likely to bounce back and return to their habit tomorrow, than those who feel guilt. Instead of treating a skip like a failure, we can adopt a growth mindset to improve our resilience.

Second, it implies that there are only so many seats at “the top,” so success has to be yours alone. It’s very isolating. But as James Clear discusses in Atomic Habits, we can make our desired habits more attractive by using our evolutionary desire to belong to our advantage. If you join a community of people with similar goals, you’ll significantly increase your chances of sticking with your habit because showing up means belonging. With the right community, you’ll inspire each other to stay on the hook as you give and receive positive reinforcement. Plus, contributing to someone else's goals means you get an added satisfaction of sharing in another’s successes. 

The race for the most perfect life is futile. Striving for “best” is draining. Striving for “better” is fueling. So I challenge you to ask how much of your daily behaviors have been influenced by hustle culture? Are you forming habits to be YOUR best or THE best?