Hustle culture is over-rated - by Jean Hsu - Tech and Tea
I’ve long had this story about myself that I haven’t worked very hard in my life. It’s a story that I haven’t brought up often except to those close to me, because I worry about its impact.
Will people think that I’m bragging — that I didn’t need to work hard to get where I am? Or will people think I’m lazy and not someone who will do the work needed in a role?
When I think back to when I felt like I actually worked really hard, I’m brought back to a summer I spent in Jishou, a small Chinese city in Hunan province. With a crew of a dozen other students, we wrote and published a textbook, put together all the lessons plans, and ran a new 10-week English immersion program.
I have a vivid memory of sitting in my bed in the teacher dormitory, finishing up my final prep for a lesson I had to teach in a few minutes. I was so exhausted, I set my phone alarm to 2 minutes to take an ultra-power-nap. I woke up slightly more refreshed, and went to teach my morning class.
That this memory is what I remember as one of the times I worked really hard makes me realize that what I think of as working hard is what society has taught me to equate with hard work — all-nighters, caffeine-fueled late nights, and putting out last-minute fires. And a feeling of utter exhaustion and depletion.
