Advocating for grueling 80-to-100-hour work weeks, tech billionaire Elon Musk once famously posted on social media that “nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.”
If hearing that makes you feel like a slacker, you are certainly not alone. It is meant to evoke that exact reaction, serving as a prime example of the kind of relentless thinking that has fueled toxic productivity for generations. In today’s modern workplace, however, which increasingly embraces "right-to-disconnect" policies and a re-evaluation of personal time, a comment of that nature is far more likely to be met with eye-rolling than a thumbs-up.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread normalization of remote work, a pronounced cultural shift has been taking root across various industries: a collective rejection of the relentless rise-and-grind mindset. People are openly questioning how overworking became so deeply normalized, and why they bought into the fatigue-driven narrative for so long.
This leads to a fundamental question currently facing many professionals: Is hustle culture finally on its way out?
"I don’t think ambition is dying. I think our willingness to sacrifice our health in the name of ambition is starting to die," says Toronto-based holistic coach Annie Gaudreault, founder of Veev Health & Wellness. "For years we’ve glorified being busy, exhausted, and constantly available as evidence that we’re committed and successful. But there is nothing high-performing about being chronically depleted."
Gaudreault is quick to clarify that hard work itself isn’t the core problem. "It can be incredibly fulfilling," she notes. Instead, she argues that the future of work needs to be about determining "how well we can perform without sacrificing our health to do it."
Focusing on impossible productivity standards remains a fast track to severe burnout. The work-till-you-drop mindset largely ignores the psychological and physiological reality that productivity tends to decline sharply after prolonged stretches of overwork. Eventually, as many exhausted professionals discover, your body sends you the bill.
Expectations Have Changed
This philosophical re-evaluation is hitting particularly close to home in industries traditionally defined by round-the-clock availability, such as residential and commercial real estate.
"Our clients’ expectations have changed, and so have ours," says Kim Fairley, president of the Ontario Real Estate Association. Pointing to broader societal shifts, Fairley notes that many people now "place more value on flexibility, mental health, family time, and experiences outside of work."
For real estate professionals, this means redefining what a successful career looks like. "Answering every message immediately and never taking a day off shouldn’t be the definition of a successful Realtor," Fairley continues.
Fortunately, the operational landscape of the industry is evolving concurrently. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence, alongside technological advances like digital e-signatures and virtual property viewings, has helped pave the road to new, more automated ways of handling complex transactions.
Don Kottick, president of Remax Canada, echoes this perspective, observing a distinct shift in how agents think about their daily operations. While real estate has historically been classified as an "always-on business," Kottick notes that the industry is adapting, with Realtors increasingly embracing digital tools that help them operate more efficiently. In turn, this tech adoption has the potential to carve out much-needed time for a healthier work-life balance.
"Technology can make a meaningful difference. AI can streamline day-to-day operations," Kottick observes.
A Business, Not a Job
Corbin Chivers, an agent with Stonehaus Realty in British Columbia, acknowledges the dizzying pace of technological innovation, noting that he has "never seen anything improve this fast" in his lifetime. However, he also finds that many agents have not yet learned how to integrate AI and automation into their workflows properly.
By taking a deep dive into these emerging technologies himself and actively building out a supporting team, Chivers has successfully freed up a significant amount of time in his schedule. Even so, he admits that simply working less is not his primary objective.
"Working less isn’t what excites me," he says. "Building more is."
Different approaches suit different people, and while Chivers is deeply impressed by the revolutionary strides being made by AI and automation, he does not believe these tools are fundamentally altering real estate’s entrenched grind culture just yet.
"I don’t see hard-working agents working any less than they did 10 years ago. This is a business, not a job with set hours," Chivers explains. "At the start, you invest your time. Later the goal is to buy some of it back. That’s what I’m building for—freedom. Not a lifetime of doing every job myself."
The Grind Isn’t Dead Yet
Given these contrasting viewpoints, it appears that while agents are increasingly shifting toward more sustainable operational systems and attempting to prioritize their mental health, the broader culture of burnout is far from dead.
"I’m seeing a mix," says Juliana Vallee, a British Columbia-based Remax agent and business coach. "The conversation has changed faster than the behaviour."
Part of the underlying challenge is that the real estate industry continues to actively reward the grind through production rankings, public recognition, and awards ceremonies that primarily celebrate high sales volumes. Because of these enduring metrics, Vallee notes that newer agents understandably assume that constant, 24/7 availability is simply the mandatory price of admission for success.
Counteracting this pressure requires a conscious effort toward self-awareness. For Vallee, fostering that awareness among her coaching clients is a primary goal. "It’s about noticing when one area of your life is taking too much, and having the awareness to counter-balance," she says.
Some of the most practical changes Vallee has observed among the agents she coaches involve "time-blocking both work and personal life," alongside setting firm boundaries and clear expectations with clients right out of the gate.
At the same time, broader economic and market conditions complicate the picture, making it difficult for agents to simply step back on demand. "Nobody hands you a playbook for a market like this," Vallee says, referencing current real estate sector challenges.
Ultimately, there is no single, easy fix to the industry-wide dilemma. "I don’t think there’s one simple answer," Vallee concludes. "Almost every agent I talk to now says they want more balance, yet many are still answering texts at 10 pm and working through their kids’ sports games. They just feel guiltier about it than they used to."