Constantly Working

Rather than Living

Everywhere I look, I see people working. I live in a townhouse. My windows point in the direction of other townhouses. In some windows, I see people sitting at a desk, staring at a screen. In others, I see the glow of ring lights as they talk to a screen, using body language to display emotion. Then there are the public workers—I see them when I take a walk, sip coffee at my local shop, or eat at a restaurant. Seemingly everywhere I look, people are constantly working.

This might sound normal to you and it would to me if I lived in a business or tech mecca. I live in a suburb in Portland, Oregon. In theory, people around me should be vying for slowness and nature. But in reality, the hustle has crept into every crevice of life.

I have expressed my feelings on hustle culture in the past, and they hold true. Today, I want to talk about how this has evolved beyond hustle alone. Working has become our purpose. It is likely the first thing we think about when we wake and probably the last thing on our minds when we close our eyes. We don't only work crazy hours and use most of our mental energy for the sake of hustle—it's the only way we know how to live.

Work, for most, used to be a means to an end. Most worked to provide for their families. Now, looking out of my window, I see seemingly single people sitting at their desks making money because that is all they know. They're not just doing it from 9–5 either. I see ring lights glowing at 6 am when I am getting ready for the gym. I see them in the classic shrimp position at 7 pm, when I am cooking dinner.

You might be thinking, why are you looking at them work? Because I feel bad for them and us, as people. It's like watching something terrible happen. I can't look away.

We workers are not directly to blame for it. We are a product of circumstance and our surroundings. With the demise of third places, the normalization of remote work, and our addictions to social apps—what else is there to do?

While all the reasons above are true, I think we can still do something about it. We can have a separation of work and personal life and still be successful. Because taking a walk with your family while on the phone with work or your head deep into Slack is not okay. We can set boundaries, keep our jobs, and live a fuller life.

To be clear, I am not a detractor of remote work. I still think it is amazing that we get to work from anywhere. I think that remote work is essential for some people, beneficial for most, and detrimental for a few. There is no black and white to it, but there is a lot of gray. The real issue is the culture around work.

If you work for a company that fosters a culture of "always on" mentality, you are one of two people. You might be the person who is helping the disease spread, working all hours of the day, working in your PJs, and prioritizing work over everything else. Or you might be the person who has to deal with the precedent the first group sets.

If you fall into group one, step back and take a look at yourself, your life, and how your actions affect your family and the people you work with. If you fall into group two, speak up. Practice fearless feedback to build and foster a place where you want to work. We can perpetuate the problem or we can be the solution. I always choose the latter.

When you look out your window, walk down the block, or stare at your thumbnail in Zoom at 7 pm—what do you see? Do you see a world that is living or a world that is working? Do you like what you see? I don't. While I value work and practicing my craft, I know that I am more than just my work. I am a person who wants to live life, not watch the few living it from my office window.