If you’re not hustling 24/7, then you’re not doing it right.
Or so you could be led to believe from all the social media posts lately advocating ‘the hustle’.
What does hustling actually mean?
It has a few ‘proper’ meanings, but in terms of business it means frantically giving it your all, working at every given opportunity and not taking no for an answer. Finding any way you can to ‘win’.
Sounds great, right?
It ‘is’ great, in theory. I agree with the principle of hustling and I know for sure I’ve got grit.
BUT here’s the thing. It’s being banded around a lot on social media and I reckon it’s making people feel a bit pissed off.
Here’s why…
Everyone’s circumstances are different.
Some examples…
A 27 year old female entrepreneur uses the term hustle. She has no kids yet and lives alone. She can hustle to her hearts content! She can stay up til the early hours hustlin’, she can rise late in the morning, she has lots of time to hustle.
A 37 year old female entrepreneur uses the term hustle. She has 3 kids. Her hustlin’ means that she can work a couple of hours in the day (if she’s lucky) and then a couple of hours in the evening after the children are in bed. Significantly less time to hustle.
And finally, me! (forty something…) My children are both at school now, so I do my hustling between the hours of 9am and 2.30pm. Sometimes I’ll work for an hour or so in the evenings or at the weekend. Sometimes I can’t work at all because I’ve got life stuff going on. That’s my hustle.
Who hustles the hardest? Is any one better than the other? Is anyone working harder than the other?
The word is being used like a badge of honour (these are made up but you get the idea)…
“I was hustling til 2am last night! If you want it bad enough, you gotta put in the hours”
“I was hustling whilst my baby was asleep! I’m so dedicated to making this happen”
“I got up at 5.30am this morning. It’s never too early to hustle”
You know the problem with this? GUILT.
We see these kind of posts on social media and then we start to feel a bit crap.
It can make you feel like if you aren’t hustling ALL the time, there’s something wrong with you, or you don’t want it badly enough. Not everyone can hustle all the time, in fact a lot of people just CAN’T for whatever reason.
If you CAN hustle and it’s not at the detriment of your family and health, then DO! I’m not judging anyone who hustles, I just want to make it clear that it’s not for me. My circumstances just don’t allow it and I know there are others in the same boat.
Here are my thoughts on the subject which you might like if you’re being driven crazy by hustling posts
Screw the 24/7 hustle. You can still hustle – but do it when it suits you best.
Don’t feel pressured because you keep being told that you have to hustle, you don’t have to if you don’t want to or can’t! You started your business for autonomy and flexibility, remember that.
If you’re struggling for money and think 24/7 head down hustling is the answer. It isn’t – been there, done that. Proper business strategy is the answer. Take time to make a proper plan and then hustle according to your commitments and family, remembering to review that plan each week.
If you have a newborn baby, FGS when your baby sleeps, you sleep. There will be plenty of time for work during nap times as they grow.
Try miracle mornings by all means but if they aren’t working out for you and you need more sleep, get up at the same time as everyone else. Lack of sleep can make you feel uber crap.
Remember you in all this. If you’re hustling all the time it’s easy to neglect yourself. Take some time for self care.
Know your hustle times. There will be certain times of the day where you’re super productive (my best time is in the morning before 11am) – they’re the best times to hustle.
By all means have a work routine and work hard, that’s a given…but it’s all about balance.
Ditch the guilt. If you see the badge of honour hustle posts, remember that everyone’s circumstances are different. There’s no pressure on you to be like anyone else; be you.
How do you feel about all the hustle posts on social media? Share your thoughts below.
