The Hustle Trap: Why Slow Living Feels Impossible in America

Every time I come back from being abroad, outside of the US, I am faced with the same thought: man, life was so slow and nice, and now it's time to get on the grind again. I went to Rome for my study abroad Fall semester of 2024, and just recently, I came back from a mission trip in the Indonesian island, Flores. Although the extent of slow living and the context is completely different when comparing Rome to Flores to my time in Barcelona and Croatia as weekend trips while studying abroad, the ending conclusion is the fact that there isn't as big of a pressure to be working super hard 24/7. As someone who is always on the bridge of burning out and losing my purpose (check out my Manifesting Clarity article), these moments of slowness were greatly appreciated.

However, it seems that no matter how much I try to implement slow living when I go back to the States, I just end up falling victim to the work hustle culture all over again. Don't get me wrong, I am not a lazy person. But it is evident that our obsession and pressure to always be improving in some manner is becoming extremely toxic and is affecting my mental health. So, what exactly is the issue: why does it seem almost impossible to create and stick to a slow living environment in America? Here are my thoughts and reflections on this.

The Burnout Society

I finished reading The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han a while back. This book is a philosophical examination of the widespread psychological and neurological disorders such as depression, ADHD, and burnout in contemporary society. 10 out of 10, highly recommend reading it. There are several points that Han makes in his book, but I want to focus on two that I feel are crucial for my reflection: the shift to an achievement society, and the loss of contemplation.

The Shift to an Achievement Society

There are several points that Han makes in his book. He argues that there is an obvious shift from what Michel Foucault described as a "disciplinary society" to what Han calls an "achievement society". In a disciplinary society, there was an emphasis on prohibition and control exercised through external constraints (e.g., "thou shalt not"). In an achievement society, we operate under the idea that "nothing is impossible", where individuals are no longer being controlled by external authority, but rather are driven by an internal desire to perform and achieve. If the old disciplinary society was defined by "You shall not", then the new achievement society is defined by the empowering but dangerous phrase "You can do anything".

We can notice very quickly, that in an achievement society, the individual becomes the exploiter of the self, constantly pushing ourselves to be more productive, efficient, and successful. This idea, Han calls "self-exploitation", which can be seen as one of the most dangerous forms of exploitation because it is hidden under the guise of freedom. So, while we do have freedoms to be able to work hard and move up the corporate ladder or socioeconomic levels in America, these freedoms encourage self-exploitation.

I've definitely seen it in my life. At a certain point in my life, I worked 3 jobs, managed 2 university clubs, took 18 credit hour quarters consistently, and had relationships to uphold. I couldn't keep up, but why did I feel like I had to do all that? Because I had a pressure to constantly do better and do more. And even amidst doing all these things and failing at keeping them all, I still tried to exploit myself even further by saying that I am not good enough and I need some more time to do all this. Naturally, I exploited my own sleep for the sake of "being better and doing more". And this is just one instance in my life, I can list more of these moments to fill up a whole book.

The Loss of Contemplation

A key part of Han's critique is our loss for deep, contemplative attention. Our modern technology fosters a state of what he calls "hyperattention," which is a shallow, scattered focus that jumps from one task or stimulus to another. This hyperattention prevents a "profound boredom" that Han believes is necessary for creativity, reflection, and the creation of culture. Instead, we are trapped in a restless, active life, pouncing every trace of stimuli.

Once again this makes sense in my life. During my time in Indonesia, since I was on a mission trip, I was doing a media fast. So, no media for 3 weeks. I felt great, and able to connect with the locals and the team in a meaningful manner. In addition, we prayed a holy hour every day and went to daily mass and did group prayer everyday... so long story short, a lot of contemplative focus.

Similar thing can be found in my time in Europe. The culture is built around art, philosophy, poetry, and religion. The culture around taking your time with food, and the siesta culture (that can also be found in Barcelona) intentionally slow down life. If you walk around non-touristy parts of the eternal city, you encounter people just sitting down, people watching and being still. Overall, there's not a lot of stimuli.

As soon as I get back to the States, I am bombarded and taken aback by how much stimuli are being shoved in our faces. Ads are everywhere, music is everywhere, there doesn't seem to be a single place to avoid all this stimulus. It's this constant state of hyperattention that leaves me feeling exhausted in a way that can't easily be diagnosed.

So, What Can We Do?

In summary, America is an achievement society that promotes hustle culture and eradicates space for profound boredom. I can probably go on and on about how America's individualistic culture also plays a role in nationwide burnout, or how the housing, healthcare, retirement, and paid leave programs only benefit those who exploit themselves, or how "at-will" employment adds extra pressure to perform above the expectations, but I think we get the point. It's counter-cultural to live a slow life in America. Am I too extreme? Maybe. But you get my point - it's not easy. That's why I've failed every time.

However, I do believe that there are some things that can be done to mitigate a lot of these points. A major thing that can be done is redefining what success and productivity means and looks like to you. Write it down. Refer to it when cultural pressures start creeping in. Society defines success by income, title, hours worked, and material possessions. But what about you? Personally, my success is defined by friendships, health, and being able to live below my paycheck. Another key thing in redefining success, is to define what "good enough" looks like to you. The reason this is important is because no matter what metrics we've decided, it's easy to exploit ourselves to maximize these areas. For me, how many friends is just enough? What does a "good enough" life look like for me? Does the size of my muscles matter in health, or is it overall mobility? You get the point.

Once success, priorities, and the good enough levels have been defined, the next thing is to set important boundaries. Being super intentional about your work hours and your free time is important. If you don't take your own time seriously, no one else will take your time seriously. Be intentional about the environments you put yourself in too. Should you really be carrying around your work laptop when you have family time? Is it a good idea to have 24/7 access to work emails on your phone? Set boundaries and defend them as if your life depends on it.

Once you've developed your boundaries, make sure to set time for profound boredom or contemplative work. This can be a block of time in your day to sit down with tea or coffee and looking out the window. Or it can be for mindful practices (meditation, yoga, prayer, etc.). Walks in nature are great too. Whatever it is, this time is specifically to disconnect from technology and learn to be bored again. Turn off your phone and music and just sit with yourself. This will help you properly rest.

The Paradox

Ironically, by redefining success for yourself, setting and maintaining boundaries, and setting intentional time away from technology, you will feel better about yourself and the world, which in turn will make you a more productive person. So, why exactly is this counter cultural when it still promotes working more, doing more, and being better? Is this not a form of self-improvement?

I think the key here is that while these steps do lead to more productivity and creativity, it is counter-cultural simply because it is not a form of self-exploitation. The achievement society is not only about becoming better, but also of constant relentless action. Hence why people who take care of their mental health or take their time and aren't working 80 hours of overtime every week are seen as suboptimal. It seems like we measure our progress and productivity by being busy, when in reality, progress is more nuanced than just action 24/7. The key difference is that one is driven by external pressure and relentless action, while the other is rooted in your own redefined values and intentional rest.

The Finish Line

In conclusion, the grind mindset of the American dream leads to self-exploitation and a loss of contemplative arts, but there are ways to work around these harmful effects of the culture. I'm not here to say it's easy, or that this will solve all your problems with burnout or other psychological and neurological disorders. I do, however, want to give this my best shot as this is not my first try. I've failed time and time again, and it makes sense because I am trying so hard to work against the system that I currently live in.

I can't do this myself. If any of this resonated with you, I'd love to hear in the comments: What does 'good enough' look like to you in your own life?