The Hustle Culture Lie: Work Hard, Burn Out, Die Early
This is a bit of a long one so get a cuppa and settle in.
It seems that I have a lot to say about this.
Work hard.
Keep your head down.
Put the hours in.
Make sacrifices.
Don’t complain.
And eventually, you’ll be rewarded.
That’s what we were told, wasn’t it?
Work hard at school.
Get a good job.
Work your way up.
Buy a house.
Build a career.
Provide for your family.
And one day, when you’ve done enough, you’ll finally get to relax and enjoy yourself.
One day.
That right there is key……
Because somewhere along the way, working hard stopped being something we did to support our lives.
And became the fucking point of our lives.
Now we’ve got an entire culture telling us that if we’re not constantly doing something productive, we’re somehow falling behind.
Welcome to what is know as the hustle culture.
Where being exhausted is a personality trait and fully expected.
Being busy is a status symbol.
Where apparently getting eight hours’ sleep is for people who don’t want success badly enough.
Rise And Grind, You Lazy Bastard
Some twat standing in an expensive gym at 4:30 in the morning.
Probably shirtless.
Probably holding a black coffee.
Probably telling you that while you’re sleeping, he’s outworking you.
“NO EXCUSES.”
“THE GRIND NEVER STOPS.”
“SUCCESS DOESN’T SLEEP.”
“WINNERS WORK WHILE LOSERS REST.”
Just brilliant.
What exactly are we winning?
Because I’m increasingly convinced that some people have confused having a life with completing an endless to do list of tasks before they die.
The fitness industry has absolutely embraced this bollocks.
Train harder.
Train longer.
Get up earlier.
Never miss a session.
Push through.
No pain, no gain.
No days off.
If you’re not crawling out of the gym feeling like you’ve been hit by a fucking bus, you haven’t worked hard enough.
However
Being completely exhausted isn’t proof that you’re doing something worthwhile.
Sometimes it’s just proof that you’re completely fucking knackered.
Your Body Doesn’t Know You’re Hustling
Training creates a stimulus.
Your body then needs the opportunity and resources to adapt to that stimulus.
That’s how you get stronger.
Fitter.
More capable.
You train.
You recover.
You adapt.
Repeat.
Not particularly complicated.
This whole culture though has managed to convince people that the recovery bit is somehow optional.
As though your muscles look at your motivational Instagram stories and think:
“Fair play. This one’s got a winner’s mindset. We won’t need any sleep tonight.”
Unfortunately, biology doesn’t give a fuck about your inspirational quotes.
If you’re continually training hard while sleeping poorly, eating inadequately and dealing with significant life stress, recovery can suffer.
Performance can suffer.
Your ability to maintain training quality can suffer.
And depending on the circumstances, injury and illness risks may increase.
That doesn’t mean one bad night’s sleep destroys your gains.
It doesn’t mean every hard training block is dangerous.
It means stress and recovery both matter.
You can’t keep demanding more from your body while pretending it has unlimited resources.
You’re Not Just Recovering From The Gym
People don’t arrive at the gym as blank slates.
They arrive with lives.
Jobs.
Children.
Relationships.
Bills.
Deadlines.
Parents who need looking after.
Money worries.
Broken sleep.
Long commutes.
Health concerns.
Sometimes just a really fucking shit week.
Then we hand them a training program and act surprised when they’re not performing like somebody whose entire job is to train, eat and recover.
Because your body doesn’t experience exercise in complete isolation from everything else.
A demanding workout is one form of stress.
But it’s not the only one.
And while exercise can be brilliant for managing stress and improving wellbeing, adding more high-intensity work isn’t always the answer when somebody’s already running on fumes.
Sometimes a hard session is exactly what you need.
Sometimes a walk, a lighter session or an evening off is the better choice.
Good coaching means knowing the difference.
Not just shouting at somebody to work harder.
When Did Rest Become Something We Have To Earn?
Hustle culture has turned rest into a reward.
Something you get once you’ve completed everything.
Finished the work.
Cleaned the house.
Answered the emails.
Trained.
Done the shopping.
Sorted everybody else’s problems.
And finally, if there’s a spare half-hour left…
Perhaps you’re allowed to sit down.
Except there’s always something else to do.
Another email.
Another job.
Another task.
Another workout.
Another opportunity to be more productive.
That never fucking ends.
Rest keeps getting pushed further away.
Eventually people start feeling guilty when they’re doing absolutely nothing.
Think about how fucking ridiculous that is.
We’re living organisms.
We need sleep.
We need downtime.
We need recovery.
We need time with people we care about.
Sometimes we need to sit on the sofa watching something utterly pointless without turning it into a self-improvement opportunity.
Rest isn’t a prize for finishing life, although that is the ultimate rest.
It’s part of living it.
The Productivity Trap
Hustle culture has infected practically everything.
Your hobby should become a side hustle.
Your free time should be productive.
Your morning should be optimised.
Your evening should prepare you for tomorrow.
Your weekends should be used to get ahead.
And if you’ve got a spare moment, perhaps you should learn a new skill, build a business, track your habits or listen to a podcast about becoming a better version of yourself.
Simply enjoying something isn’t enough anymore.
You have to monetise it.
Measure it.
Improve it.
Turn it into a fucking project.
You can’t just go for a walk.
You need steps, zones, calories, a recovery score and a graph telling you whether you’ve done it properly.
You can’t just enjoy a hobby.
You need goals, progression and a fucking five-year plan.
You can’t just be a person.
You have to be a constantly improving product.
I think that’s exhausting just reading that.
The Lie That Hard Work Always Gets Rewarded
Now, I believe in working hard.
I’ve built a business.
I’ve spent years coaching people.
I’ve put in long days.
And there are times when hard work is necessary.
But there’s a difference between recognising the value of effort and pretending effort guarantees a reward.
Because it doesn’t.
You can work incredibly hard and still struggle financially.
You can give everything to a job and still be made redundant.
You can spend years building a career and still find yourself exhausted, stressed and wondering whether any of it was worth it.
You can do everything you’re told and still find that life doesn’t follow the plan.
And telling people that success is simply a matter of working harder ignores an awful lot.
Opportunity.
Health.
Circumstances.
Support.
Luck.
Money.
Responsibilities.
The systems people are working within.
Not everybody starts from the same place.
And not everybody gets the same return for their effort.
Hard work matters. But it’s not a fucking guarantee.
When we pretend otherwise, we end up blaming people for struggling in circumstances that may already be demanding everything they’ve got.
Burnout Isn’t A Badge Of Honour
There’s something strange about the way people talk about being busy.
“How are you?”
“Flat out.”
“Absolutely manic.”
“Non-stop.”
“Can’t remember the last time I had a day off.”
Sometimes there’s almost a sense of pride attached to it.
As though being completely overwhelmed proves we’re important.
But chronic workplace stress can have serious consequences.
The World Health Organization describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed.
It’s associated with exhaustion, greater mental distance or cynicism towards work, and reduced professional efficacy.
Long working hours aren’t simply a matter of feeling a bit tired.
Research has linked working 55 hours or more per week with increased risks of stroke and ischaemic heart disease compared with working 35–40 hours.
That doesn’t mean everyone working long hours is destined for an early grave. ( I bloody hope not, although there are days)
It does mean that we should probably stop pretending that permanently sacrificing health for productivity is some kind of achievement.
You shouldn’t have to destroy yourself to prove you’re working hard enough.
And Then They Sell You Recovery
We’ve created an entire culture that encourages people to work harder, sleep less, do more and never stop.
And then we’ve developed an industry selling them ways to recover from it.
Recovery powders.
Sleep supplements.
Stress supplements.
Cortisol support.
Cold plunges.
Red-light therapy.
Expensive wearables.
Recovery scores.
Wellness retreats.
And a thousand other products promising to fix the effects of a lifestyle that’s leaving people fucking exhausted.
Now, some recovery tools can be useful.
And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a sauna, a massage or a bit of technology.
But perhaps before spending hundreds of pounds on recovery products, we should ask a simpler question.
Could you actually get some rest?
Could you sleep more consistently?
Could you reduce unnecessary training volume?
Could you set a boundary at work?
Could you stop filling every spare minute with another obligation?
Could you have an evening where nothing needs to be achieved?
Not everybody has the freedom to make those changes easily.
That does matter.
But where we do have some control, perhaps the answer isn’t always another product.
Sometimes it’s changing the demands we’re placing on ourselves.
The Fitness Industry Needs To Grow Up
As coaches, we have a responsibility here.
Because motivation is easy.
Anybody can say:
“Two more reps!” (It’s always two and if you ask, it’s 5)
“No excuses!”
“Push harder!”
Good coaching requires a little more thought.
It means understanding the person in front of you.
Their goals.
Their health.
Their experience.
Their stress.
Their sleep.
Their recovery.
Their actual fucking life.
Sometimes that means encouraging somebody to work harder.
Sometimes it means reminding them that they’re capable of more than they think.
But sometimes it means telling somebody that they don’t need another hard workout.
They need to recover.
Or eat properly.
Or sleep.
Or simply stop beating themselves up for missing a session.
And the fact that doesn’t make them lazy.
It makes the program appropriate for the person.
The best training plan isn’t the one that looks hardest on paper.
It’s the one somebody can benefit from and sustain alongside their life.
I’m Just As Guilty Of This Bullshit
Now, before anybody thinks I’m sitting here preaching about work-life balance from some position of enlightenment, let’s get something straight.
I’m just as fucking guilty of this as anybody.
Probably worse than some.
I’ve spent years building The Fox Den Gym.
Early mornings.
Late nights.
Long days on the gym floor.
Trying to be everything to everybody.
Running a business, coaching clients, planning sessions, sorting problems, answering messages and constantly thinking about what needs doing next.
And somewhere along the way, I became rather good at running myself into the fucking ground.
I’ve burnt out.
I’ve pushed myself beyond the point where I should have stopped.
I’ve convinced myself that just getting through another week was somehow a sign that I was doing things right.
And there have been plenty of Wednesdays when I’ve been standing there with eyes like piss holes in the snow, absolutely fucking knackered, wondering how I’m supposed to get through the rest of the week.
But you carry on, don’t you?
Because there’s always something else that needs doing.
Someone else who needs your attention.
Another job that can’t wait.
And when it’s your own business, there’s that little voice telling you that if you’re not there doing everything yourself, somehow you’re letting people down.
The ridiculous thing is, I’ve spent years telling clients about the importance of recovery.
Managing training loads.
Getting enough sleep.
Not constantly pushing themselves beyond what they can sustain.
And then I’ve gone home and done the exact fucking opposite with my own working life.
Turns out knowing what you should do and actually doing it are two very different things.
So What’s Changed?
Well, I’ve got older.
And while I don’t particularly fancy spending my days dwelling on mortality, I’ve reached a point where there’s a fairly obvious reality staring me in the face.
I’ve got fewer years ahead of me than I’ve already had.
That’s not me being a miserable old cunt.
Quite the opposite.
It’s made me start thinking more seriously about what I actually want those years to look like.
Because what’s the fucking point of spending my entire life building something if I’m too exhausted to enjoy any of it?
What’s the point of having a business I’m proud of if it requires me to sacrifice my health, my time and my enjoyment of life just to keep it running?
And what’s the point of telling people to get stronger, fitter and healthier so they can enjoy their lives if I’m not making enough time to enjoy my own?
I love The Den.
I love coaching.
I love watching people achieve things they never thought possible.
I still want to get better at what I do.
But I don’t want being a better coach to mean being a more exhausted coach.
Those two things shouldn’t have to go together.
The Next Chapter Of The Den
This is something I’m actively working on.
The next stage of The Fox Den isn’t about me working longer hours, squeezing more people into the diary or proving how much I can physically endure.
It’s about building a business that allows me to continue doing the things I love, become a better coach and give people a better experience.
Without having to be personally involved in every single thing that happens.
That means developing the team.
Trusting other people.
Building better systems.
Creating different ways to help people beyond constantly being on the floor.
And learning that stepping away from something occasionally doesn’t mean I’ve stopped caring about it.
Quite the opposite.
If I can create the time and headspace to think properly, learn, develop my coaching and actually enjoy life outside the gym, surely that’s better for everybody?
My clients don’t benefit from a coach who’s permanently exhausted.
The other coaches don’t benefit from a business owner who’s constantly running on empty.
And I certainly don’t benefit from spending the week counting down the hours until I can collapse on the sofa.
I want to build something sustainable.
Not just financially.
But physically and mentally too.
And I want to have the time to enjoy the things I’ve worked so hard for.
I’m Not Pretending I’ve Cracked It
Because I haven’t.
I’m still learning.
I still catch myself thinking I should be doing more.
Still find it difficult to switch off sometimes.
Still have days where I take on too much.
I know after spending so many years working a certain way, changing those habits isn’t going to happen overnight.
But at least I’m starting to recognise it.
Realising that constantly being busy isn’t the same as moving forward.
That being indispensable to every part of your business isn’t necessarily a strength.
And that success shouldn’t be measured by how completely fucking exhausted you are at the end of the week.
I haven’t lost my ambition.
I’ve just realised I don’t want ambition to cost me the life I’m supposed to be enjoying.
The Den is a huge part of my life.
But it shouldn’t have to be the whole fucking thing.
What Are You Actually Working Towards?
What is all this effort for?
The long hours.
The training.
The sacrifices.
The constant pursuit of more.
More money.
More success.
More fitness.
More productivity.
More achievement.
At what point do we stop and ask whether any of it is actually making our lives better?
Because ambition is brilliant when it’s helping you build a life you want.
It’s a different story when your entire life becomes something you’re enduring in the hope that you’ll eventually get to enjoy it.
And there’s always another target.
Another promotion.
Another race.
Another business milestone.
Another fitness goal.
Another reason why now isn’t quite the right time to slow down.
When exactly does the enjoying-life bit start?
None of us knows how much time we’ve got.
You Don’t Have To Earn Your Existence
Reminder to all.
Your value isn’t determined by how many hours you work.
How much money you make.
How early you wake up.
How many workouts you complete.
How busy your diary looks.
Or how much you can squeeze into a day.
You are allowed to have ambitions.
You’re allowed to work hard.
You’re allowed to train seriously.
You’re allowed to want more from life.
But you’re also allowed to enjoy the life you’ve already got.
See your friends.
Spend time with your family.
Go to a gig.
Have a weekend away.
Read a book.
Sit in the garden.
Do absolutely fuck all for an afternoon.
Without needing to justify it.
Without turning it into a recovery strategy.
Without feeling guilty.
Not every hour of your life needs to produce something.
Sometimes the point is simply to experience it.
Work Hard. But Don’t Forget To Live.
I’m not telling people to stop trying.
Or stop training.
Or give up on their ambitions.
Far from it.
I’m saying we need to get better at recognising the difference between working towards something worthwhile and endlessly exhausting ourselves because we’ve been told that’s what successful people do.
Train hard when it’s appropriate.
Recover when you need to.
Work towards goals that matter to you.
Set boundaries where you can.
Ask for support when circumstances are overwhelming.
And stop treating exhaustion as evidence that you’re winning.
Because if the reward for a lifetime of hard work is eventually being too tired, too unwell or too burnt out to enjoy anything you’ve built…
We might have got the whole fucking thing backwards.
Life isn’t supposed to be one enormous to-do list.
And rest isn’t something you get when you’ve finally completed it.
Work hard for the life you want.
Just don’t be so busy working for it that you forget to fucking live it.
