Less is more.
But in a world where making stupid money and shooting to overnight fame is no longer the endgame but a mid-level check point in the never-ending to-do list, it's very easy to get swept up in the quicksand of instant gratification that never really lasts. How much is too much and how do you know when to stop?
The human body and mind may be nature's most enduring machines. But — they both keep score. Not to say there aren't the dime-a-dozen hacks to 'fix' what's going wrong. Take Chinese influencer Tom Jia for instance, who ditched his mainstream career in favour of following his 'lying flat' ideology. That's code for taking it easy and not letting the rat race control you. But it's going to take more than one soaring example and mind you, a million-dollar one at that, to get most to pause, let alone let go. Then again, for those raised to constantly put out quantifiable metrics of success, that may never really be the true endgame.
We asked experts to help us maneuver the complex dynamics of striking this sacred balance.
Can hustle be 'healthy'?
The answer to this should be a straightforward yes, but the burnout-driven narratives flooding every which platform push an entirely different story. Pulkit Sharma, clinical psychologist and author, says, "The yard stick is very simple. If your ambition gives you an inner satisfaction and if you can balance between activity, recreation, rest, and take phases where there's not too much of activity in your life and those phases don't disturb you, then I think that's healthy ambition. But if you are constantly rushing (into) activity after activity and if you measure your progress in terms of how the world is looking at you, then I think there is a problem."
Life and executive coach Dr. Krishna Athal affirms, "Hustle should be cyclical, not a permanent climate", explaining, "The trap begins when hustle becomes identity. I see this in high achievers who mistake anxiety for ambition. The loop tightens with constant comparison — LinkedIn wins, Instagram reels, family WhatsApp groups benchmarking cousins. When every milestone breeds a restlessness for the next best thing, you’ve replaced growth with compulsion. My rule of thumb: if your achievements stop increasing your capacity for presence, then your hustle isn’t building you, it's using you." The lesson? "Healthy hustle respects biology and returns you to yourself after the push. Anything else is performance art."
Losing control
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And there will always be signs warning you when you aren't just embracing hustle culture, but being held hostage by it. Pulkit says, "If someone comes and tells me that not achieving, not getting likes or not being admired is creating a sense of very deep vacuum in their life. Your achievement should never be a drug. It shouldn't be that you can exist comfortably only when you are achieving something and when you aren't, you start getting restless or depressed."
Dr. Athal in turn, delineates the need to justify the concept of rest to yourself coupled with seeing connection and conversation (not surrounding work) acting as stressors as the primary giveaways. "That's bondage, not ambition", he says. The counter procedure is quite straightforward for those truly looking to avoid the quicksand. "I ask clients three questions monthly: What did you protect? What did you postpone? What did you pretend not to know? If the answers cluster around sleep, family, and health, you're hostage. The antidote isn't a vacation; it’s boundaries." The next plan of action is to come up with a 'sacred three' list. He suggests general health, one relationship and one creative practice. Crossing the line here is of course permissible — we're all human after all. But he warns, "If you must, just know how to walk back."
Avoiding the guilt trip
Just like any bad habit needs regulation and accountability, so does the hustle epidemic. Pulkit says, "My suggestion to such people is to always keep a completely different activity and in that activity, for God's sake, don't measure your progress. For instance, if you are going for a walk or a run, don't tie this gadget onto yourself. (Don't track) how many steps you've walked, how many calories you've burned, how much weight you've lost in a month."
Dr. Athal additionally, suggests a weekly 'effort audit', but that can only yield results when put into action. Sharing a client anecdote, he explains, "(A Delhi sales lead) logged twelve-hour days and felt 'on' constantly. We cut two standing meetings, set a two-hour no-meeting block daily, and created a one-page deal-progression template. Within three weeks, her pipeline velocity increased while hours dropped. Hard work feels demanding but clean, like a good workout. Hardly working feels sticky, you end the day tired and unclear." The bottom line — always listen to your body.
Final takeaway
Tom Jia may be the popular face for the anti-rat race demographic, but he's not alone. The internet is home to several thriving subsets which make their oxymoronic points, while minting millions in the process. Trad wife culture to tiny home living, there's a platform and a booming audience for every odd 'alt' way of life you can imagine. But in a real world context, balance needs to be struck between the swinging extremes of unbridled luxury (influencer Becca Bloom makes for a great example) and happily surviving on the bare minimum.
Dr. Athal reflects how hustling has essentially become an 'aesthetic', but neither does your grind need to be public, nor glamourous. Being lazy isn't the greatest danger here — "Their risk is over-commitment and under-recovery", he asserts. Pulkit suggests, "When you are taking input or information these days from anywhere, don't take it blindly, and try to see two things. Number one, what is the motive of the other person who is giving you this message and number two, whether the other person is practicing what they are preaching."