Retirement – Switching from Hustle Culture to Leisure Culture – retirementtransition

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I love words, so when I read new phrases, I often will delve deeper into them. Recently I saw the terms “optimization culture” and “serious hobbying” which took me down a rabbit hole into cultural definitions in today’s world. “Optimization Culture” is an aspect of the Hustle Culture mindset, which is opposite of a Leisure Culture mindset. This is almost a cultural “war zone” and made me realize I’m living a Leisure Culture lifestyle with a Hustle Culture mindset.

Even with mindfulness and slow living trends, the Hustle Culture is very much alive. It is also the one I lived in all of my career and is embedded in my mindset. The optimization framework within that culture means everything in life (professional tasks, what we eat, how we sleep, our exercise routines, our leisure time, how we run errands) needs to be “optimized” to be “the best.” It emphasizes the relentless pursuit of constant self-refinement to improve efficiency and maximize productivity, often using “hacks” to achieve ideal outcomes or “curating” for the ideal state. How many articles do you read that give these optimization tips and hacks?

The Hustle Culture presents overworking as a positive attribute, even glorifying it with busy-ness a badge of honor. One should feel guilty for wasting time; Hustle Culture frames rest and leisure pursuits as unproductive. But, living with the Hustle Culture mindset often leads to discontentment, burnout, and stress.

In the Hustle Cultural mindset, a “serious hobby” is a “side hustle,” and should be monetized, otherwise it’s a waste of time! One should transform a personal interest into marketable content or turn every skill or passion into a branded opportunity. This must-monetize-it belief is heavily fueled by the gig economy, the rise of social media influencers, and the need for extra income in an increasingly uncertain economy. When I heard the term “serious hobbying”, thinking it was about hobby monetization was my immediate reaction!

“Serious hobbying” in a Leisure Culture mindset however is the deep, long-term engagement in an activity pursued for pleasure and self-fulfillment rather than profit. It requires serious effort to gain specialized skills, knowledge, and mastery/expertise in the hobby.

A Lesisure Culture mindset values intrinsic satisfaction and self-care, a sustainable lifestyle that prioritizes well-being, personal growth, and meaning beyond the job. Instead of viewing leisure, hobbies, and free time as wasteful, this mindset sees them as vital and meaningful parts of a well-lived life.

A Retirement Lifestyle is often the definition of Leisure Culture! In retirement, there tends to be active engagement in restorative activities, like hiking/walking, creative hobbies, or socializing with friends. Retirees often explore finding meaning (personal growth) after the job/career is over and spend time on well-being with a focus on longevity, not productivity.

Looking at these two different culture lifestyles and mindsets, I realized that I (and many others around me) still have a strong internal belief that the Hustle Culture is the “right thing”. It has come out when we all complain about the local building department not putting in overtime to deal with the backlog of building permits. It has come out when I complain about the younger generation taking time away to “play” versus working to get the job done. And, my automatic assumption that a “serious hobby” was associated with monetization of said hobby. And I even often get asked about selling my own craft projects.

But my retirement transition in fact shifted me from living in the Hustle Culture to living in the Leisure Culture! And I’m realizing that living a Leisure Culture lifestyle with a Hustle Culture mindset leads to cognitive dissonance, feelings of guilt, and often resentment! I need to work on shifting my mindset to match my lifestyle reality.

Shifting from a productivity-focused hustle mentality to one that values leisure can be a challenge. After so many years focused on productivity and achievement, how do I stop glorifying overwork, stop measuring worth by productivity, and stop feeling guilty for days spent in leisure activities? It’s not actions, because I am already living the Leisure Culture! It’s mindset.

Articulate the joy in the leisure activities. Decline tasks, activities and social invitations that do not bring joy.
Recognize that I am not doing anything as a serious hobby, in either mindset. I am not monetizing my hobbies. My hobbies do not (and might never) have a level of professionalism/mastery. And that is OK! For me it is about engagement, not mastery.
Reiterate “rest and relaxation are not signs of laziness but an essential part of a sustainable and healthy lifestyle” when I start to make judgment about people taking time away from the job or not working overtime. (This is going to be challenging as that time away might mean time delays on the house build!)
Recognize that rest as a necessity for maintaining well-being and enhancing creativity. Dedicate one day a week as a “Do Nothing” day to intentionally rest with no agenda. And celebrate when I stick to it.

Awareness is always the first step in making a change. Becoming aware that I am living a Leisure Culture lifestyle with a Hustle Culture mindset is hopefully the first stage of encouraging the mindset shift!

Do you have more of a Hustle Culture mindset or a Leisure Culture mindset?

Picture Credit; Pixabay – just colorfulness for my current brain swirl overthinking!

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