How Can Young People Best Avoid Burnout at Work

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Does Success Require Working 18 Hour Days?

A got a question from Dudefluencer yesterday.

How Do You Get Out of Hustle Culture

“What would you say to young people who are bombarded by influencers telling them that their success is dependent on 16-18 hour days? How can young people best avoid burnout at work”?

My Humble Response to Say No to Hustle Culture and Avoid Burnout

Hustle Culture has become a mindset, philosophy, desire, addiction, cult, and a way of life. This never-ending vicious cycle is not sustainable, not human, and not profitable.

According to Gallup, ⅔ of Americans are burnout. The World Health Organization classified burnout as an official medical condition in May 2019. We’ve turned into a society of mass-addictions. We are addicted to social media, technology, drugs, consumerism, and work. We work more but we are less happy. We are more connected than ever but we are more lonely. Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone (46%) or left out (47%). (Source: Cigna 2018 U.S. Loneliness Survey). We don’t take our vacations (50% of Americans don’t take a vacation) but we produce less than other developed countries.

Social media influencers, your parents, your school, society’s norms demand that you work long and hard to succeed. However, the latest science shows that long work hours doesn’t make us more productive, it makes us less productive.

Hustle Culture Makes You Less Productive and More Tired

Not only that but when you work 16-18 hour days for long periods of time you end up exhausted.

You are sleep-deprived. You are not taking care of your well-being. You have no time for yourself. And all of this adds up to burnout.

When you are tired and stressed out, there’s no way you are getting into a state of high performance.  But if you are well-rested, then you can get into a state of flow – and by doing so, you can get more done, in less time. So you can still have a life and perform well at work.

Ways to Avoid Burnout

To avoid burnout make sure you get 8 hours of sleep, eat well, move on a regular basis, and take a break for every hour you work.

Take time to unplug from your phone and do something that brings you joy in real life – hang out with your friends, go out in nature, do something fun outside.

Charge your batteries just like your charge your phone.

And when you need a mental health day, don’t feel guilty about taking it. You’ll come back refreshed and energized.

It’s OK to do nothing every once and a while – that’s how most great inventions came to life.

You can read the full article on Dudefluencer: “Why We Don’t Talk About Male Millennial Burnout”.

Need more insight into how to avoid burnout and take your life back? Join our membership program and get actionable tips in 15 min a week, so you can go from hustling to high performing human.

Sign up for the Unhustle® Newsletter and get ideas how to escape the rat race and design a life you love.

SIGN UP