Hustle culture sneaks up on most young adults. It starts innocently. A quick email reply on a Sunday evening. Then, a bit of editing on my deliverables due on Monday. Before long, I was knee-deep in my to-do list every Sunday, telling myself I was “getting ahead.” But all I was doing was borrowing peace from the present to pay for productivity in the future.
The idea of not working on Sundays didn’t hit me all at once. It came like a slow dawn—quiet, persistent, undeniable. My body grew tired in ways I couldn’t explain. I felt wired but worn out, productive but perpetually unsatisfied. It wasn’t burnout in the dramatic, flame-out way. It was something quieter: a chronic hum of never truly switching off.
So I stopped. I made a decision to reclaim my Sundays—not in a religious way, not in a rebellious way—but in a restorative one. And in doing so, I’ve learned something important: we were not built to hustle endlessly. And our digital age, for all its opportunities, has blurred the lines between ambition and addiction.
Hustle Culture Is Not a Badge of Honour
Let’s be honest: hustle culture had a grip on us for a while. If you aren`t working 24/7, are you even serious about your dreams? Social media amplified this mindset, turning burnout into a kind of twisted brag. “No days off.” “While you sleep, I grind.” “Rest is for the weak.”
But here’s the truth, most of us learn the hard way, hustle culture doesn’t scale. At some point, the very drive that powers your ambition begins to erode your health, your creativity, and your relationships. Constant output eventually depletes the very source of innovation—your mind.
Choosing to rest isn’t laziness. It’s maturity. It’s choosing sustainability over short-term stunts. It’s the long game. If you’re trying to build something that lasts—a business, a career, a movement—you need rhythms, not sprints.
The Digital Drain We Don’t Talk About
We talk a lot about physical tiredness. But what about digital fatigue? The kind that creeps in when you’re always online, always available, always responding. The kind that makes your brain feel scrambled even after a full night’s sleep.
Technology has blessed us with flexibility, but also cursed us with hyper-availability. Work is no longer a place we go; it’s a place we carry in our pockets. It pings at us from email apps, Slack notifications, and Google Calendar reminders. And because we can work from anywhere, many of us end up working everywhere, including Sundays.
The danger here isn’t just about working more hours. It’s about never having true mental distance from work. And that is where creativity dies. That’s where clarity and direction get lost in the noise.
Taking Sundays off is my way of fighting back. Of drawing a hard line. I don’t check email. I don’t take calls. I don’t open Notion. I don’t even allow myself to brainstorm. Sunday is for stillness. For walking without a podcast in my ear. For slow breakfasts and long conversations. For remembering that my worth is not tied to my output.
Productivity ≠ Pressure
One of the biggest lies hustle culture tells us is that every moment must be optimised. That rest is only allowed if it serves a goal. Read a book—so long as it’s self-help. Go for a walk, so long as it fuels new ideas. Even our “breaks” are filled with performance pressure.
But not everything needs to be useful to be valuable. Some things just need to be. A lazy Sunday afternoon. A nap without guilt. A meal cooked slowly, eaten with no phones on the table.
Real productivity flows from rest, not pressure. The best ideas I’ve had didn’t come when I was grinding at my desk. They came when I was relaxed, off the clock, letting my mind wander freely. Taking Sundays off has made me more productive during the week, not less. Because when you know rest is coming, you work with greater focus. When your brain has space, it creates better work.
Rest Is a Radical Act (Especially for Africans)
Let me speak here, especially to my fellow African professionals and entrepreneurs. Many of us grew up watching our parents hustle out of necessity. No breaks, no vacations. Just survival. So now, even when we have options, we feel guilty about resting. We feel we haven’t “earned it.”
But here’s what I’ve learned: rest is not the reward for hard work. It is the fuel for it.
In a continent where opportunities often come at great cost, choosing rest feels countercultural. But if we want to build the kind of businesses and legacies that outlive us, we need to unlearn the idea that endless sacrifice is the only way.
The irony? True success—the sustainable kind—requires boundaries. And boundaries require rest.
How I Practice Digital Rest on Sundays
This isn’t about being extreme. It’s about being intentional. Here’s what I do on Sundays to reset:
- Digital Detox: No work-related apps. No email. Minimal phone use.
- Movement: A walk, a stretch, sometimes just laying on the floor listening to music.
- Connection: I make time for family or friends, not in a rushed way, but in a “let’s sit and talk for hours” kind of way.
- Reflection: Journaling, praying, or just staring at the sky. It doesn’t have to be deep—just present.
- No Planning: I resist the urge to “prep” for the week ahead. That happens on Monday morning.
The goal isn’t to follow a rule—it’s to create space for restoration.
Final Thoughts: Rest Is a Form of Resistance
Saying no to hustle culture isn’t about being lazy or complacent. It’s about rejecting the lie that you are only as good as what you produce. It’s about honouring your body, your mind, and your time.
When I stopped working on Sundays, I didn’t fall behind. I caught up with myself.
And that’s the real win.
So here’s your permission slip—if you need one. To close your laptop. To take a nap. To go offline. To not have a plan for once. Because building something meaningful doesn’t mean burning yourself out.
Sustainable hustle means knowing when to work. But more importantly, knowing when to stop.
And for me, that starts every Sunday.
Have you reclaimed your rest day? What’s your version of a digital sabbath? I’d love to hear how you’re building a hustle culture that doesn’t drain your soul.
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