Over the years, the concept of hustle has become idealized. It became expected and trendy for a person to have multiple methods of gathering incomes. These people were driven, capable of running various businesses or jobs at once, and they were an inspiration to many.
People love to talk about all of the positive sides of hustle. Now, it has become more evident that there’s a significant side effect that needs to be discussed: burnout. Those that juggle too many projects are prone to burning themselves, or possibly their businesses, out.
Burnout is the toxic side of an industry that pushes people to work harder, do more, and go above and beyond. It can destroy motivation and leave a worker feeling worse off than before they started.
The simple truth is that a person can only put so much of themselves into any given project before falling apart. That risk rises the more projects that are being juggled. It’s become a rising problem in recent years, as the generation raised in hustle have begun to burnout.
The drive for hustle has been seen on two fronts. Young entrepreneurs have always been encouraged to chase after multiple forms of income as a way of achieving their goals and becoming successful.
Likewise, businesses have begun to expect a certain level of hustle from their employees, even (or perhaps especially) from the low-level and untrained population. It became the norm to expect extra work for no pay.
Naturally, that has taken a toll. More than that, it sets up unsustainable expectations, creates unhealthy lifestyles, is exhausting, and, as already mentioned, creates burnout. All of which can negatively impact a business or professional career.
The concept of a work hustle implies that a worker or entrepreneur must always be ‘on.’ They must constantly be pushing themselves, aiming higher, further, faster. But that is unsustainable. It encourages an unhealthy level of competition and pressure.
As the saying goes: everything with moderation. Competition, drive, and pressure can all help to achieve our goals in life – but only in the right balance. Too much of a good thing can quickly turn sour, as the tendency of hustling has taught many professionals.