We live in a world obsessed with busyness. From the pressure to climb the career ladder and pursue new opportunities at every turn to the normalisation of side hustles and personal projects, it’s hard not to feel as if you’re falling behind if you’re not constantly progressing.

It’s why productivity hacks and trends like the ‘that girl’ persona perform so well on social media – in 2022, there’s an expectation that we should spend every hour of the week working on something, whether that’s on our career, relationships, wellbeing or financial status.

But just because the pressure to be productive 24/7 – also known as ‘hustle culture’ – has become so pervasive, doesn’t mean everyone subscribes to it. In fact, a growing number of people are rejecting this pressure in favour of reclaiming a more traditional, structured lifestyle – as a now-viral TikTok by user @dawnnpark recently highlighted.  

In the post, which has received 190,000 likes since it was uploaded less than a week ago, Park addresses the issue of hustle culture, and why she’s tired of feeling like she has to chase “big things”.

“Can we talk about normalising the nine to five work grind?” she says as the clip opens. “On social media I’m always shown [messages like] quit your job, take risks, travel the world, make a living travelling and become financially free by the age of 30 etc. But what if I want a stable income, a normal relationship with friends who come over for dinner parties, to be happy with my adventures as a weekend warrior and romanticise starting a new hobby after work?” 

As the voiceover – which is accompanied by shots of Park going about her day-to-day life – continues, she highlights the pressure she feels to be “unhappy” with what she’s got when she scrolls through social media – and recognises everything she has to be grateful for.

“I spend so much time scrolling that everywhere I look the algorithm wants me to see how unhappy I should be, even when I’m grateful for what I have – a good job, great co-workers, a great partner, good friends,” she adds. “I always end up in a pit of comparison and a whirlwind of what-ifs.”

While many people in the comments have (rightly) pointed out that the nine to five has been a normalised part of society for decades, Park’s perspective taps into the pressure so many of us feel to want and be more.

At the end of the day, it’s not up to social media, your friends or society to decide who you are and what makes you happy – whether that’s quitting your job and travelling around the world, running a business or finding joy in a nine to five position.

It’s up to us to define what success and happiness looks and feel like – and Park’s TikTok is an important reminder of that fact.   

Image: Getty