the glamorization of toxic productivity

Toxic productivity is the glamorization of overworking yourself; it is about never taking a break and always feeling that you are never going to be enough for yourself or those around you. As Tiffany Ferg stated in her video Hustle Culture, Workaholism, and Toxic Productivity, “hustle culture tends to be glamorize workaholism and obsessive productivity.” Hustle culture is the social pressure to constantly be working harder, faster, and stronger in absolutely every part of your life.

It is an extremely detrimental mindset, especially to the younger generation of today’s society, one that has been especially perpetuated by successful entrepreneurs and social media influencers. For example, Elon Musk—the founder, CEO, CTO, and chief designer of SpaceX—replied that the number of hours one needs to work each week to “change the world” is around 80 hours to over 100 hours.

As someone who has continued to fall victim to this mindset, I find it horribly harmful for students because so many people have unrealistic expectations for themselves, their peers, and their idols. Not only does this put pressure on students to be constantly working and neglecting their mental, emotional, and physical health, but it also creates a negative environment for their peers and idols as they believe that they need to be doing all of this for people to believe they’re “smart” or “successful.”

What are the negative impacts of hustle culture, according to experts?

According to a Talkspace therapist, Dr. Olga Molina, “Hustle culture has a negative impact on mental issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. It can also cause burnout due to work-related stress and long working hours. Workers in a hustle culture have lost the ability for a work-life balance that’s critical for positive mental health.” Although Dr. Molina’s comment revolves around the workplace, the notion can be directly applied to student life as well, whether that is high school or postsecondary education.

The examples of mental issues are extremely prevalent when considering the effects of toxic productivity and hustle culture, but they often come hand-in-hand with guilt for taking any time off—speaking from personal experience, it almost feels like you’re letting people down because you’re not doing something that is going to make them proud—and an apathetic attitude of never being satisfied with anything you do.

Mental impacts don’t work alone when considering toxic productivity, there are countless physical adversities as well. By working too hard and for too long without any breaks, you’re subjecting yourself to physical exhaustion, which leads to psychological distress and increases the risk of illness. Often, the glamorization of toxic productivity also comes with a lack of sleep, poor dietary choices, and can cause a more weakened immune system. According to Talkspace, “Some research shows that long work weeks increase the risk of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease.”

You need breaks to perform at your highest capacity; you deserve time to yourself, time to rest and rejuvenate. The number of hours you work does not define your worth, nor does the number of things you get done in a day or how little sleep you get. You are valid and loved.

Yours Truly,

Dear Youth Global

Kalpita Gangwar