You don’t have to do everything to get where you want. We always want “just one more thing” to add to our resumes, but it’s better to just leave some things alone. Hustle culture may make you feel like you're accomplishing all of your tasks and of course, you’ll feel short-term pride when you accomplish something, but the long-term effects of this toxic overworking are much more substantial. Hustle culture leaves you with poor mental health, anxiety, no energy, and a poor sense of where your worth lies. Finding the balance between what you think you should do and what you can actually do can be a hard and long process. It’s nearly impossible when we often overestimate what we can do with our time without even thinking about it. Burnout is real and at the end of the day, wouldn’t you want to spend your time doing the things you like to be successful, not just doing everything you think you need to do to be successful? With that said, here are some tips on how to find balance between go-getting and no-getting.
Tip #1: Focus on what you like
When you focus your time and energy doing things you do not like, you are likely to get burnout. However, when you focus on what you like, it makes it a lot more enjoyable for you to do the work. Focus on the activities that you like, love, make you smile, and make you laugh. An easy way to find activities that you like is by writing a list of things you are interested in , enjoy doing, or would like to do or learn. From there, do some research. College campuses have a variety of different clubs to choose from and usually have a website that displays the different clubs and information regarding them. For those not in college, there are plenty of places that give classes on art, dance, yoga, or anything else of interest. Remember to have fun with the tasks you are doing and the clubs you choose to join.
Tip #2: Take time for yourself
Too many times we say to ourselves, “Ugh I don’t have time to do (insert activity) right now because I have too much work to do.” But we have to take time for ourselves! As a college student myself, I know how hard it is to fit in time to do the things we want to do, like painting our nails or watching a movie. Sometimes we can even feel like a selfish and unproductive person, a sort of no-getter, for taking time for ourselves. However some things we can do for ourselves are quite simple, like doing face masks, getting your nails done, watching a sunrise or sunset, or going on a walk. These take minimal time and you can even do some of these activities while still getting work done. Learn to set boundaries and only take on a healthy amount of work because even with hectic schedules, it’s important to stop, listen to your mind and body, and take a break every once in a while. Taking time for yourself restores your energy to keep on pushing through that schoolwork and studying. Despite what hustle culture tells us, taking breaks is productive.
Tip #3: Set boundaries
It takes courage to say no to taking on more work because we always feel like there’s one more thing we can do before going home, or making dinner, or XYZ. We want to be appreciated, respected, and thought of highly, and to get those things, we feel that we need to do whatever is asked of us from bosses or peers. However, if you do not have the time or resources to get said tasks done, have the courage to say no. There is a much better outcome when we leave what we can’t do to other people who can do them. Saying no to certain tasks because you are not able to commit to them is also respected. Accept that you can’t please everyone and stop apologizing for saying “no”.
With our already too-busy lives, the effects of hustle culture, namely anxiety, depression, and burnout, can be detrimental to your health. So, we have to do some things for ourselves to avoid those effects. Remember: find a balance between being a go-getter versus a no-getter. Do what you find to be enjoyable, allow yourself to have some you-time, and start saying “no” to tasks beyond your responsibilities and resources. You might just find yourself to be more productive than you have been and more happy too.
