Side hustles, once framed as optional, are increasingly becoming economic necessities, but the psychological toll of perpetual work is beginning to show

By Viiveck Verma

In the past decade, the term side hustle has transformed from a fringe concept to a cultural phenomenon. Once the domain of struggling artists and part-time freelancers, side hustles are now proudly proclaimed on LinkedIn profiles, monetised on TikTok, and discussed in bestsellers promising financial freedom. The idea that you should never rely on one stream of income has been repeated so often that it feels like common sense. But beneath the sheen of empowerment and entrepreneurial grit lies a more troubling question: Are we simply normalising overwork under the guise of ambition?

Let’s start with the numbers. According to a 2023 survey by Deloitte, nearly 45% of millennials and Gen Z workers in the United States report having at least one side hustle. In the UK, a similar trend has emerged, with estimates suggesting more than a third of workers have turned to second jobs or freelance gigs to supplement their income. Even in countries like India and Singapore, where traditional career paths were once more rigidly defined, the side hustle culture is rapidly gaining ground, fueled by social media, start-up culture, and a volatile job market. The reasons vary.

Promise of Escape

For some, side hustles are a lifeline in the face of stagnant wages and rising living costs. For others, they’re a means of pursuing passion projects that their 9-to-5 doesn’t accommodate. There’s also the seductive promise of escape, the idea that with enough hustle, one might transcend the drudgery of salaried work altogether. The modern worker is no longer content with one job—they want multiple income streams, a personal brand, and perhaps even the chance to become their own boss.

The problem lies not with the hustle itself, but with its glorification, and with the economic conditions that make it feel mandatory rather than chosen

But this optimism masks a deeper exhaustion. Side hustles, once framed as optional, are increasingly becoming economic necessities. The gig economy may offer flexibility, but it does not offer stability. Food delivery drivers, freelance designers, and content creators are all locked into a system that often demands more than it gives back. The average Uber driver in major U.S. cities earns less than minimum wage after expenses. Freelancers report working longer hours for less pay, with little to no job security, benefits, or legal protection. For many, the hustle never ends; it only accelerates. What’s more, the psychological toll of perpetual work is beginning to show. Burnout, once limited to high-pressure professions like finance or healthcare, is now widespread across industries.

A study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that individuals juggling side hustles in addition to full-time work experienced significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. The blurring of work and leisure, fueled by smartphones and an always-on culture, means that even downtime becomes colonised by tasks, content, or performance.

Into a New Trap

Ironically, the side hustle culture arose in part as a rejection of traditional corporate life, with its long hours, rigid structures, and opaque hierarchies. But in attempting to escape the trap, we may have built a new one—one where we are both employer and employee, CEO and intern, marketing team and customer service. Hustle culture promises autonomy but often delivers atomization. You are never truly off the clock when you are the brand. This isn’t to say side hustles are inherently bad. For many people, particularly marginalised groups, they offer a critical form of agency and financial leverage. Artists, parents, students, and immigrants have long relied on side gigs to build careers and create alternative paths. The problem lies not with the hustle itself, but with its glorification, and with the economic conditions that make it feel mandatory rather than chosen.

There is also the uncomfortable truth that our obsession with side hustles may be a collective coping mechanism for deeper systemic failures. Wages have not kept pace with inflation. Healthcare and housing costs have skyrocketed. Job security is a relic of a past era. Faced with these realities, it’s easier to double down on individual productivity than to demand structural change. The side hustle becomes both a distraction and a salve, a personal ambition in the face of impersonal dysfunction.

Culture of Monitisation

In such scenarios, we must ask, what kind of society treats rest as laziness and constant labour as virtue? What does it mean when our identities are so entwined with output that even hobbies are monetised? We are told to ‘find what we love and monetise it’, but in doing so, we risk losing the very joy that passion once brought. Not everything needs to be content. Not every hour needs to be billed.

The way forward lies in nuance. Side hustles can be empowering, but only when pursued with boundaries, self-awareness, and support. Employers must reckon with why so many of their employees are driven to moonlight in the first place. Governments and institutions must address the economic insecurity that makes multiple jobs a survival strategy rather than a choice. And as individuals, we must learn to differentiate between ambition and addiction. It may be time to retire the mantra that sleep is for the weak, that you can rest ‘when you’re rich’, or that your worth is tied to your productivity. True success isn’t about how many hustles you can juggle; it’s about the freedom to choose when, how, and if you want to work. The goal should never be to hustle until we drop. The goal should be to live well, and that includes knowing when to stop.

(The author is founder and CEO, Upsurge Global, co-founder, Global Carbon Warriors and Adjunct Professor, EThames College)