Hustle Looks Different Here

When I worked in tech, hustle meant being constantly “on.”

Slack pings, emails, late-night slides, deadlines that moved every ten minutes.

It was all noise, and a lot of it wasn’t actually that productive.

You just had to look busy.

I remember one of my old bosses — who I really liked — told me I needed to “be more visible” during lockdown.

And the truth is… I wasn’t visible enough, because I wasn’t performing.

I was surviving.

Trying to adapt overnight to remote working in a job that was never meant to be remote, in a one-bed flat with no outside space, no break from the screen, no space to think.

That whole time taught me something I didn’t realise until much later:

Being “visible” isn’t the same as being okay.

And being productive doesn’t always mean you’re making progress.

Now that I’m freelance — especially in hair and makeup — hustle looks completely different.

Some days I do loads, some days I do barely anything.

But it’s still something.

I’ll clean out my kit.

Go through old job notes.

Check my finances and try not to panic.

Decide against buying the palette I “need.”

Eat something proper.

Reply to one message. Or none.

Some days I don’t speak to anyone.

Some days I batch cook and deep clean my bathroom and just try not to feel like I’m behind.

I’m still figuring out what the balance is, but I don’t think hustle means what I used to think it meant.

You’re not always going to have something visible to show for it.

But if you’re keeping yourself in motion, not shutting down completely, not giving up — that counts too.