Redefining our relationship with time

Workforce evolution and career-centric stories are some of my favorites to work on. I recently wrapped up a reported feature (coming soon!) about “career minimalism.” I fell down the rabbit hole of the history of the American Dream and the Industrial Revolution era’s impact on the workplace and productivity. We introduced new technology (the dotcom bubble followed by the rise of social media). And then, more recently, the rise of the hustle culture era.

The peak of hustle culture in the 2010s encouraged an “always on” mentality, fueled by productivity trends, founder glamorization, and a #RiseandGrind attitude. More work. Less free time. And the growing acceptance of the work-centric identity became the norm. I experienced it (as I know many of you did, too).

And now I can’t unsee it: The pursuit of living intentionally and deeply considering how we spend our time (and with whom) is a rebellion and response to the hustle culture era.

The craving for and excitement surrounding the development of hobbies to fill free time that previously didn’t exist. Deeper, stronger relationships with the people we choose to spend our lives with, rather than those we have to spend time with at work. The mental freedom to consider our legacies, impact, and who we want to be, rather than who we think we should be and how we should perform to satisfy others.

We’re simultaneously pushing back against the lingering exhaustion of hustle culture as today’s technological advancements promise to give us more time back. In a recent article about AI saving us time, Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO at Thrive Global, wrote:

(P.S. Arianna also writes about Chronos and Kairos, and eulogy values in this article — maybe she’d love Time Intentional?!)