How to be anti-hustle culture and still get ahead
If you know anything about the movement I started called Not Your Dad’s Leadership, you will know it is anti-hustle culture and rooted in Self-Love.
But Lindsey, what if I want that promotion? What if I want a raise? Don’t I need to “hustle” to do that?
I hear you. And, yessss, but mostly no. Through the NYDL movement, I empower women to be effective and impactful at work without sacrificing their well-being. Meaning, we can get things done, get that promotion (and raise), and still enjoy life.
Truth is, there is a sustainable way to hustle.
Here are five ways to practice sustainable hustling. (Is that real term? Did I just coin it?)
Define what success and fulfillment mean to you - Does success to you mean climbing the corporate ladder at all costs and working 60 hour weeks? You do you. Or does it mean showing up as your best self, doing honest work, and still having time for your loved ones? Go for it. Does it mean working from home, even if you have to take a pay cut? Make it happen. Write down what your dream life looks like. What would you be doing every single day? But most importantly, how would you feel?
Examine your need to hustle - Why are you working so much? Who are you trying to impress? Where does the need to hustle come from? Reflect on those questions. If you wrote down anyone or anything but doing if for YOURSELF. Let’s chat.
Manage your time and practice motivational flow -
Are you hustling because you have a lot to do, or because you just don’t know how to manage your time? Notice what is taking up a lot of your time and decide if they could be eliminated or handed off. Learn what works for you in managing your time and creating a work flow.
Your motivational work flow is when you are feeling the most energetic and inspired, so get your most creative tasks out of the way at this time. We all usually have about 1-3 hours in us where we feel energized, motivated and creative. So, set your do not disturb on, block off your calendar, get your shit done and feel good doing it! The rest of the day can be used for returning emails, doing back end systems, running numbers, collaboration, etc.
Communicate, be curious and anticipate -
Clearly communicate with your team on your goals and intentions, key players, and due dates. If you are the one doing the task, make sure these are clear to you.
Ask questions and anticipate the needs of your organization, clients, and team. Sometimes we don’t ask questions or ask for help in fear of looking incompetent. However, if you really want to get ahead and be a good leader, asking for help and anticipating the ins and outs of a workload is an important quality.
Set boundaries and practice self-care - Make your boundaries known by communicating what time you will stop working every day. AND STICK TO THOSE. If you really think you will need to work overtime to finish a project, clearly communicate that as well. Something like “As you know, it’s important to me to leave right at 5 every day, however, I am happy to stay late this week so we can finish this project. Please note I will be leaving at 5 again once we have wrapped up.” And never neglect your self-care. Make a list of things that bring you joy and do those. Sometimes the last person in the world you want to show up for is you. But you’re not going to get that promotion if you’re a burnt out, toxic employee. Promise.
I want to pause here as I think it’s very important to acknowledge the privilege that comes with being able to have this conversation. As some people truly do have to hustle to make a living. We should be grateful we are able to examine our need to hustle, and are able to set boundaries and slow down if we need. (At least this is the truth for me in my personal experience, and with the clients I have worked with.)
I hope these tips give you actionable steps to hustle in a sustainable, healthy way!! Please take my word for it, as it happened to me: You can hustle for your job all you want, but you still might get fired…
So enjoy your life first, and hustle healthy out there please. 🫡
And if you are ready to dive deeper into these 5 points along with way way, like wayyyy more, check out my leadership program here!