Break Free from Hustle Culture: 3 Myths Holding You Back and How to Reclaim Your Time

Are you stuck in hustle mode, feeling like you’re working harder but not getting anywhere? 

The truth is, hustle culture might be the very thing holding you back. In this episode, we’re busting three damaging myths that keep entrepreneurs overwhelmed, overworked, and stuck in chaos.

Here’s what we’re covering today:

• Why being available 24/7 doesn’t serve your clients—or you—and how setting bold boundaries is a game-changing form of self-care.
• The real truth about residual income and why intentional income aligned with your goals is the key to building a business that works for you.
• Why hiring help without systems will only create more chaos and how to build scalable systems that let your business grow sustainably.

This episode is for you if you’re ready to reclaim your time, energy, and focus. With actionable steps tied to my POWER In Motion framework, you’ll walk away knowing exactly how to take the first step toward a business that supports your life—not the other way around.

Tune in now to break free from hustle culture and take control of your business. Don’t forget to grab your free Biz Ops Checklist from the show notes for your first step toward clarity!

1:14 - Why hustle culture is holding you back from building a sustainable business

3:44 - Why you need to start setting boundaries which is an easy way to practice self-care

6:23 - The power of creating intentional income that aligns with your personal and business goals

8:17 - How building simple systems creates efficiency and prepares your business for sustainable growth

Resources Mentioned:

📋 Grab the Biz Ops Checklist, a fillable PDF, to quickly audit your back office, spot inefficiencies, and create a smoother, more efficient operation!

✨ Join The MY-T Society for tools, templates, and expert support to simplify your business systems and take control of your time!

Related Episodes Mentioned:

Episode 193 - The Ultimate End-of-Year Planning Framework to Build Momentum for Next Year

Let me know your thoughts! Click here to send me a text.

Tired of feeling stuck behind the scenes?

Book a POWER In Motion Jumpstart Session! A 60-minute call where we’ll pinpoint what’s holding you back and build a 30-day action plan you can use right away.

It’s the perfect first step before joining the Founders Circle.  Book your session here.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hustle culture has you believing that the grind is
the only way.
But what if that's the verything that's holding you back?
Well, today we're busting threemyths that are draining your
time and energy and keeping youstuck in chaos.
I'm going to show you how toreclaim your power with bold
boundaries, intentional incomeand simple systems that work for

(00:20):
you.
Let's shake things up.
This is an episode you don'twant to miss.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.
I'm Shannon Baker, yourcoffee-loving host and business
operations strategist.
Each week, I'll share practicalinsights and bold strategies
rooted in my power and motionframework to help you streamline
your operations, reclaim yourtime and build a business that

(00:43):
supports your life.
Whether you're just startingout or scaling to six figures
and beyond, these episodes willhelp you take control and create
success on your own terms.
So grab your cup of coffee oryour favorite beverage and let's
dive into today's topic.
What if I told you that thehustle is the biggest lie
entrepreneurs have ever beensold, that working harder and

(01:07):
longer it's not the path tosuccess, but it's really got you
on the road to burnout?
Hustle culture tells us thatfreedom comes from grinding 24-7
.
But let's be real.
We didn't start our businessesto work endless hours and still
feel like nothing's working out.
You started your business forfreedom freedom with your time,

(01:31):
freedom to make your own choicesand to be free in your life to
live it how you want.
So why does it feel like yourbusiness owns you instead of the
other way around?
Well, imagine this it's late atnight, you're sitting at your
desk or in front of the TV withyour laptop open, trying to wrap

(01:53):
up client work that youpromised you would finish days
ago.
Everyone else is asleep, so thehouse is quiet and you can't
help but wonder is this reallywhat you signed up for?
Be honest, does that soundfamiliar?
Well, if it does, it's okay.
You're not alone.
I've been there too.
There was a time when I was inthat hustle mindset, thinking

(02:18):
that being constantly availablewas just part of running a
business.
I thought it meant that I wasserving my clients well, being
reliable, and was building trust.
But here's what I learned thehard way Always being available
is not sustainable.
In fact, it's the fastest wayto burn out and it's a

(02:42):
disservice to your clients.
When you're always available,you sacrifice the things that
make you your best self.
You skip meals, you don't getenough rest and you don't make
time for your family or yourself.
So eventually, you're not goingto be giving your clients the

(03:03):
best version of you.
They're actually getting thetired, stressed out and
overwhelmed version that'smaking mistakes.
And if you're frustrated withhow much they demand of your
attention, here's a big pill youneed to swallow.
You have trained them to treatyou that way.

(03:24):
So let's talk about whyboundaries in business are so
critical.
Boundaries are the invisiblebarrier that lets people know
how they can interact with youin a way that respects your time
and your energy, and they'renot selfish.
They're a necessity.
Here's something to keep inmind the only people who get

(03:48):
upset with you when you putboundaries in place are the ones
who benefit the most when youdon't have them or don't enforce
them.
So again, think back to why youstarted your business.
Was it to work 60 hours a weekand miss family dinners and feel
like you're constantly playingcatch up?
I don't think so Now.

(04:09):
That might be your realitytoday, but the good news is
you're listening to this episode, which means you're ready to
make a change and you can do it.
You have the power to decidewhere you're going to spend your
time and energy, and I want tohelp you take back that control.
So here's where you can start.
I want you to pick one boundarytoday.

(04:32):
Maybe it's setting office hours.
You get to decide when you'regoing to work and when you're
going to stop.
Then you need to communicatethat to your clients and stick
to it.
Or maybe you need to setspecific times that you check
emails and messages on socialmedia so you're not constantly

(04:54):
interrupted.
Now, if you do that, make sureyou set a time when you're going
to reply as well and you canschedule email responses.
Now it might feel uncomfortableat first, but trust me, when
you create that space, you'regoing to wonder why you didn't
do it sooner.
That will be your only regret.
Let me share a quick story withyou.

(05:15):
So a client of mine wasconstantly working late into the
night and through the weekendbecause she trained her clients
to expect her to respondimmediately, no matter what time
it was or what day it was.
So, guess what?
She started to feel exhaustedand she even started to resent

(05:37):
her business.
I remember her saying I'm at apoint where I don't even like
people.
So we worked together toimplement some boundaries,
that's, clear office hours,scheduling check-ins for
messages and using a schedulingtool to schedule calls with

(05:57):
clients and leads.
Within a few weeks, her stresslevel dropped dramatically.
She realized that most of herclients didn't even mind waiting
a bit longer for responses.
They were just sending hermessages when it was convenient
for them.
So she had been running herselfinto the ground for absolutely

(06:18):
no reason.
Is that you?
You can change that.
Now let's talk about anothermyth that keeps entrepreneurs
stuck.
That's this whole thing aboutresidual or passive income.
It's often marketed as theultimate goal, the dream of
making money while you sleep butthe reality is it's not magic

(06:40):
money.
It doesn't just come out ofnowhere.
What you really need to focuson is creating intentional
income.
That means that every dollaryou earn serves a purpose.
It's aligned with your goals,it supports your business growth
and it helps you build the lifeyou want.

(07:00):
Now, if you don't have clarityabout what you're working
towards, it's very easy to fallinto the trap of chasing every
opportunity that comes your way.
So you end up saying yes tothings that don't align with
your vision, you spread yourselftoo thin and then you get
overwhelmed.
This is where the power inmotion framework comes in,

(07:20):
because it's specificallydesigned to help you organize
your operations, but also makesure it aligns with your life,
because when you're intentionalabout what you're your
operations, but also make sureit aligns with your life,
because when you're intentionalabout what you're working
towards, you can create systemsthat supports those goals and it
helps you focus on what mattersmost, whether it's in your
personal life or your business.
So let me give you a practicalplace to get started.

(07:44):
I want you to put in yourschedule 15 minutes that you're
going to answer these threequestions why did you start your
business?
How is it serving you and yourfamily right now, and what do
you want it to do for you in thelong run?
Now these questions soundsimple, but the answers are so

(08:07):
powerful.
When you answer these questions, you're going to get the
clarity that you need to makesome very intentional decisions
about where you're going to useyour time and energy.
One of my clients told me thisexercise actually helped her
realize that she was spendingway too much time on things that
weren't moving her businessforward.
So she shifted her focus andwithin a few months, she started

(08:32):
to see real progress.
Now let's talk about this lastmyth.
It's the myth that you can hireyour way out of the mess and
chaos that you've created.
Now I know how tempting it isto think well, if I just had a
VA or virtual assistant,everything else would be easier.
But here's the truth If yourbusiness is already operating in

(08:56):
chaos, don't bring somebodyelse into that mess.
It's just going to make itworse and you're going to make
them as miserable as you are.
Without systems in place, avirtual assistant is going to
spend more time asking you howto do things than actually
getting them done, so thenyou're going to end up
micromanaging them and feelingeven more overwhelmed and

(09:17):
frustrated.
The real solution is to buildsystems first.
Systems are the foundation of ascalable, sustainable business.
They allow you to delegateeffectively, grow efficiently
and you can step away from yourbusiness without everything
falling apart.
Where do you start?

(09:38):
Well, start with one area ofyour business that feels chaotic
right now.
It might be client onboarding.
It might be managing your inbox.
You can create a simple,repeatable process for it.
Write down the steps, create achecklist or set up some
automation.
Once you have that system inplace, you're going to be able
to bring on help, but withoutthe chaos, all right.

(10:02):
So let's do a quick recap.
Today, we busted three big mythsthat might be keeping you stuck
.
The first one is that you haveto be available all the time.
The truth is, boundaries are aform of self-care, and they help
you show up as your best self,not just for your clients, but
for yourself.
The second myth is thatresidual or passive income is

(10:27):
the ultimate goal.
Instead, I want you to focus oncreating intentional income by
aligning your financial goalswith your personal and business
priorities.
And then the last myth is thatyou can hire your way out of
chaos.
Building systems first is howyou set your business up for
sustainable growth andsuccessful delegation, and

(10:50):
here's a challenge for you.
I want you to take action onone thing from this episode.
It could be setting one of theboundaries, it could be
answering those three questionsto give you more clarity in your
business, or you can pick onesystem that you're going to get
in place in the next 90 days.
Whatever you decide, remember,small steps lead to big changes,

(11:14):
and I want you to experiencethe relief that comes from
taking action and using thecontrol that you have.
So if you're ready to simplifyand streamline your business,
start by grabbing the BizOpschecklist.
A link is in the show notes.
It's quick and easy and it willhelp you audit your back office
so that you can start makingintentional changes.

(11:36):
Now I'm going to wrap up andleave you with this you have the
power to decide how you runyour business.
You have the power to decidehow you run your business.
You have the power to setboundaries, create intentional
income and build systems thatsupport your life and allow you
to live your legacy.
So take the first step todayand let's make it happen

(11:59):
together.
Thanks for hanging out with methis week.
If you've made it this far, it'sclear you're ready to shake
things up and take control ofyour business, and I'm here for
it.
But remember, just listening tothis episode won't get you
better results.
I challenge you to break themold and take action today.
Your next move let's connectHead to the show notes and book

(12:21):
a call with me to learn how theMighty Society membership can
help you streamline your backoffice and reclaim your time.
If you're not ready for thatstep yet, no worries.
Connect with me on Instagram,at the underscore Shannon Baker,
and tell me what resonated mostfrom today's episode.
And if you're loving thepodcast, leaving a review is a
quick way to show your supportand help more entrepreneurs like

(12:44):
you break free from the chaos.
Listening is great, but actioncreates transformation.
Go, make it happen and untilnext time, keep calm and
streamline.