Busting the myth of Hustle Culture
Hustle, hustle, hustle. Right?
Wrong.
Here’s the proof.
Research shows that in an eight-hour workday, you are only productive for about three, 2 hours and 53 minutes to be exact.
Research from Stanford shows that extra hours don’t necessarily convert to extra outcomes and an increased ROI.
For knowledge workers, an 8-hour workday is impossible to sustain with the type of work we do. We are basing our productivity on a number of hours instead of output.
The average American before the pandemic worked about 47 hours a week, not 40. And almost half of the country works 50 hours or more. During the pandemic, we put in an extra 3 hours each day working from home.
Studies show that out of your eight-hour day, you spend 45% on work, 40% on meetings, admin and interruptions, and 14% on email.
In other words, we are busy with busywork.
We’ve turned our days into a multitude of fleeting moments and distractions. Instead of doing deep work, we struggle with S.O.S. (Shiny Object Syndrome) or we allow other people and things like social media and emails to shift our priorities and steal our attention.
These are the same studies that convinced Andrew Barnes to put his 254 employees in Perpetual Guardian, New Zealand on a 4-day workweek in 2018. The concept of reducing work time and adding more time with family, hobbies, and time for well-being delivered significant results. At the end of the trial period, the results from Perpetual Guardian showed that productivity increased 20%, stress decreased, and customer engagement level increased 30%. Revenues remained stable, and costs decreased. At the end of the trial, 78% of employees said they could successfully manage work-life balance compared to 54% before the trial.
Now, you may not want to go on a 4-day work week. I get it. I know it doesn’t work for me. When you Unhustle, you’ll learn a new way to work, and play based on your idea for speed, your tempo and your biorhythms.
Just know that it’s possible. And now that you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it.
This reminds me of the Bannister effect.
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was the first man to run a 4-minute mile in 1954, something thought of as impossible to do for years. He did minimal training while procrastinating to be a doctor. After he broke the record, it took only 46 days for someone else to do the same. What people thought was impossible all of the sudden became possible. The four-minute barrier has been broken since then by 1,400 male athletes. High schoolers now do it. Once you see it’s doable by someone else, it’s easier to take the leap of faith. You can’t unsee it. Large organizations, like Barclays Bank, saw they can run a bank from the kitchen table. People saw they can work from anywhere and be productive while having more freedom and flexibility.
Why not use the times we’re in as a starting point to how we design the future of work and change the way we live and work? This is our chance to reshape the way we work for a more human and sustainable future.
Some of the world’s most innovative and successful people didn’t put in 80-hour weeks.
Charles Darwin wrote “The Origin of a Species” working four hours a day.
Theodore Roosevelt published 50 books plus a hundred and fifty thousand letters in his life while becoming the youngest president of the US at the age of 42 while taking naps regularly.
Ernest Hemingway became a famous writer by putting in 6 hours a day. Every day.
Unhustling isn’t about not working, moving to the beach and doing nothing.
But rather about fitting your work into your good life, instead of the other way around while you still do the good, important and deep work that lights you up.
“In a world of burnout, nothing is more important than your well-being.
In a world of distractions, nothing is more powerful than reclaiming your mind.
In a world addicted to hustle, nothing is more essential than unhustling.”
—Milena Regos
Now, if all of this sounds good, but you’re still on the fence about investing in yourself, you can sign up for my pilot training program Build Without Burnout for only $598 today.
Your health, life, joy, fulfillment and impact will thank you! You earned this. (Also, if you live in a country where the US is not the currency, let me know and I’ll be happy to accommodate you. No human left behind.)
Now, just a warning! Just because the financial commitment is lower, it doesn’t mean you should lower the expectations of yourself.
If your commitment isn’t there, and you’re not ready to give this program 100% of your attention, Don’t Bother Joining Us!
Why would I be asking my people NOT to join Build Without Burnout?
Because the quality of the people and the community is what makes the experience special at Unhustle.
We’re not talking about some weekend coaches, “lookie-looks,” and complainers. If you’re serious about your transformation, I want you in. If not, no hard feelings. Keep doing what you’re doing.
I hope this is clear and if you think it’s a good fit for you now, go sign up before we close the doors:
https://unhustle.com/buildwithoutburnout/