Why I gave up on Hustle Culture
For years, I was obsessed with productivity hacks, morning routines, and squeezing every drop of efficiency out of my day. I devoured books, podcasts, and articles from so-called "hustle culture" gurus promising that if I just woke up earlier, worked harder, and pushed through burnout, I’d achieve success. Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
Growing Up in the Girl Boss Era
I became an adult during the "girl boss" era around 2014-2015, a time when hustle culture was glorified and deeply influential on my mindset as I started my business. Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal and author of #GIRLBOSS, was my idol at the time. I admired her for creating the life of her dreams and building a business from the ground up. She, and the hustle mentality, promised that if you worked hard enough, you could achieve anything. I felt pulled into the capitalist trap of it all. I believed that success could only be earned through relentless effort and constant productivity. The idea of work-life balance wasn’t even on my radar. I didn’t question it because I was convinced that grinding was the only path to success.
This mentality followed me around for many years as I constantly looked for ways to optimize my life. I devoured books like Atomic Habits by James Clear, obsessing over the idea of hacking my daily routines to become more productive. As a Capricorn stellium in the 6th house, the idea of structuring my days for maximum efficiency deeply resonated with me. I loved the thought of creating systems and routines that would help me achieve more in less time. But instead of feeling empowered, I found myself trapped in a cycle of over-optimization, where productivity became the end goal rather than a means to live a fulfilling, balanced life.
The Cost of Hustle Culture
But this mindset didn’t empower me, it hindered me. It led to burnout and disconnected me from my values as a service provider. As a Latina designer, I wanted to be accessible and available to communities that normally wouldn’t be able to engage with designers. (This is a topic I'll cover in the future, there's so much to be said about it!) This desire, combined with hustle culture’s toxic messaging, led me to undercharge for my work, overwork to make ends meet, and ultimately burn out because I couldn’t find balance (I hate that word, but it fits here) in my business and life.
Hustle culture sells a seductive narrative: work harder, grind longer, and success will eventually find you. It glorifies busy schedules, late nights, and endless to-do lists as badges of honor. But here’s the truth: it’s unsustainable. Hustle culture thrives on scarcity mindsets, convincing us that if we’re not constantly producing, we’re not valuable.
What hustle culture doesn’t tell you is that productivity isn’t the same as purpose. Chasing endless tasks doesn’t necessarily lead to meaningful progress. It often distracts us from the work that truly matters—the work that feels authentic, resonant, and aligned with our values.
The Nuance of Hustle Culture
To a certain extent, hustle culture isn’t entirely bad. I mean, we all have to work to achieve our goals in the world. There’s value in dedication, ambition, and hard work. They’re essential parts of building a business and creating meaningful work. We can’t coddle ourselves into thinking that we don’t need to put in effort.
The difference lies in not letting capitalistic productivity become the only important thing in our businesses and lives. Life is about so much more than being productive. We are not machines. Our worth isn’t measured solely by output, and we don’t always need to be perfect at everything we do. It’s okay to slow down, to take breaks, to savor the simple moments. In fact, it’s extremely healthy. Slowing down allows us to reconnect with ourselves, recharge our creativity, and show up more authentically in both our work and personal lives.
Redefining My Design Process
As I've grown and evolved in my business, I've worked hard to remove the hustle culture mentality from my design process. Urgency does not lead to good design work, especially when my work is deeply centered on connecting to intuition and energy. Design thrives on spaciousness, reflection, and intentionality. After all, it is a creative process. Whenever possible, if clients have the space for longer timelines, I take them. This allows ideas for their projects to roll in smoothly, without the pressure of artificial deadlines.
This shift has led to more meaningful, intentional, and positive results for my clients’ businesses. The designs are more thoroughly vetted, explored, and tested to ensure they truly align with the client’s brand and the goals we’re working on together. This applies to both brand design and website projects. By giving myself and my clients the gift of time, the work becomes richer, more authentic, and deeply resonant.
What Happened When I Let Go
When I stepped away from hustle culture, I didn’t magically become less ambitious. In fact, I became more intentional. I redefined success on my own terms:
Prioritizing Rest: I gave myself permission to rest without guilt. Rest isn’t a reward; it’s a necessity for creativity and wellbeing. A major influence on this shift was learning from The Nap Ministry's work, which reframed rest for me as an act of resistance against capitalism. Rest isn’t just about recovery; it’s a radical way to reclaim our humanity in a system that constantly demands productivity. It’s also a path to a juicier, more fulfilling life—even if that doesn’t seem obvious at first glance. By embracing rest, I’ve found not just balance but a deeper connection to myself and my work.
Embracing Flow: Instead of rigid schedules, I've leaned into flow states, working when I’m most inspired and allowing space for spontaneity. I’ve realized that some of my best creative ideas don’t come when I’m sitting in front of my computer. They emerge when I’m out living my life, fully experiencing it—whether it’s during a walk, a conversation with a friend, or simply resting. This understanding has transformed how I approach my design process. I intentionally work a sacred pause into all my projects between the moodboarding phase and the design phase. This space, whether it’s a day or a week long, gives me the opportunity to let my mind wander, absorb inspiration from everyday life, and allow creative ideas to flow in naturally. It’s in these pauses that the most authentic, resonant ideas often surface.
Listening to My Intuition: I stopped outsourcing my decisions to productivity "experts" and started trusting my inner voice. This shift didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual process of realizing that external advice, while helpful at times, often disconnected me from my own inner knowing. I began noticing that the more I relied on external frameworks, the more out of sync I felt with my natural rhythms and values. By tuning into my intuition, I discovered that I already had the answers I was seeking. My instincts guided me toward decisions that felt authentic, aligned, and deeply resonant with who I am, both personally and professionally. Trusting myself has not only improved my creative process but has also helped me cultivate a more fulfilling, intentional life.
Surprisingly, I became more productive. Not in the hustle culture sense, but in a way that felt fulfilling, meaningful, and sustainable. My work had more depth, my creativity flourished, and I felt genuinely connected to my purpose.
Redefining Success
To me, success isn’t measured by how busy I am or how many hours I've worked. It’s about how aligned I feel with my values, how present I am in my life, and how much joy I experience in the process of living. Success is less about the hustle and more about feeling grounded, fulfilled, and connected to what truly matters. It’s about living intentionally, with purpose and authenticity, rather than simply checking tasks off a to-do list.
For me, success looks like:
Having the freedom to design my days around what matters most.
Creating work that feels authentic and impactful.
Building a business that supports my well-being, not one that drains it.
But this definition of success isn’t one-size-fits-all. I encourage you to reflect on what success means to you. It doesn’t have to be tied to productivity metrics or external achievements. Maybe it’s about having time to nurture meaningful relationships, pursuing passions outside of work, or feeling peace at the end of the day.
Ask yourself:
What makes me feel most alive and fulfilled?
How do I want to feel in my work and life?
What values do I want my success to reflect?
Defining success on your own terms frees you from the pressure of constant comparison and allows you to create a life that’s meaningful to you. It’s okay if your version of success looks different from someone else’s. What matters is that it feels authentic, resonant, and aligned with who you are.
Final Thoughts
If you’re feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or like you’re stuck on a hamster wheel that never stops, it might be time to question the hustle culture narrative. You don’t have to earn your worth through exhaustion. Your value isn’t tied to how much you produce.
Give yourself permission to slow down. To rest. To trust that you’re enough, even when you’re not "hustling."
Let’s redefine success together, on our own terms.
