Man works 20 hours a day with one day off a week to chase financial freedom, asks locals, 'Is this sacrifice really worth it?'
In a Reddit post, the man shared that he has been juggling a night shift from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., followed immediately by a morning job from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. He has maintained this routine for the past three months in a bid to clear his debts, build an emergency fund, and begin investing.
According to him, this decision was not made lightly. He explained, 'I didn't see any chance of getting a job that pays S$4 to S$5k, let alone hitting the S$10k mark with just one job, so I'm working two jobs to beat that ceiling.'
The man said that while he does feel very proud every time he receives his pay cheque (or rather, pay cheques), his body feels battered and 'running on low battery.'
'When I look in the mirror, I honestly look like I have cancer, pale, exhausted, just like a zombie,' he wrote. 'I feel drained all the time. My heart is starting to show signs of palpitations and stress. I barely have a social life anymore.'
At the end of his post, the man asked other members of the Reddit community:
'Is this sacrifice really worth it? Has Singapore really become like this? Two Jobs, No Life! Is this what success feels like, or am I crazy? For those who've been through something similar, how do you cope?' he continued. 'Am I making the right choice?' 'Success amounts to nothing when your health suffers.'
Under the man's post, many expressed that they were quite alarmed by his gruelling schedule and suggested that he scale back on his hustle and just focus on one job.
Many told the man that his physical and mental health should always, always take precedence over everything else, even financial stability.
One individual commented, 'Wait, what—where's the sleep? Bro, I get the financial stress, but that's not success at all. That's just waiting for your body to fail – and fail big.
'Stretch your body like that, and whatever 'success' you earnt will be wiped out instantly through bills and a poor quality of life. It's just not worth it. Drop one job, focus on resting up, and then think about how you can earn more with one job.'
Another wrote, 'I think it's time to build some skills so that you can live off just 1 job and maybe have a side hustle if you want. Tearing down your body with no rest is a surefire way to screw up your health, which you cost you in medical bills and earning potential if it turns into something chronic.'
A third added, 'I think success amounts to nothing when your health suffers and you can't enjoy what you worked hard towards. Since you have no debt, I think focus on upskilling and increase the salary for one of the jobs. Get rest and sleep.' Is the hustle culture a bad thing?
The hustle culture isn't inherently harmful, but scientists have warned that pushing ourselves too hard for too long can have negative effects on our physical health.
An article published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health revealed that working more than 11 hours a day is linked to a threefold increase in the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and nearly a fourfold increase in the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type 2 diabetes), compared to a standard workday.
Additionally, working 60 hours or more per week is associated with almost a threefold higher risk of disability retirement.
Furthermore, short sleep durations are linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease, increased sympathetic nervous system activity, and elevated blood pressure and heart rate.
Perhaps most alarming is the combination of long working hours and inadequate sleep. The article mentioned that individuals who work 61 hours or more per week and sleep for five hours or less per night are at least twice as likely to suffer an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
Read also: 'Am I asking for too much?': Woman feels unloved as BF insists on going 50/50 for everything
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Independent Singapore
2 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Toto jackpot swells to $10 million yet again after three draws without a winner
Photo: WM Commons SINGAPORE: The Toto jackpot has grown to $10 million yet again for the next draw on Thursday (Jul 31) as no one has clinched the top prize in the past three consecutive draws. According to Singapore Pools, there were no winners in the first prize group during the draws held on Jul 21, 24, and 28. As a result, the unclaimed prize money has been rolled over and accumulated. This marks the eighth time in 2025 that the jackpot has hit the $10 million mark. Under Toto's rules, when the first prize remains unclaimed for three draws, the jackpot continues to snowball, but if it still remains unclaimed after the fourth draw, the total prize amount will not be carried forward again and will instead be distributed evenly among winners in the next prize group. If no one secures the Group 1 prize on Thursday, the entire accumulated amount will be shared among those who win Group 2. See also CNY Toto draw jackpot prize of S$5M attracts long lines of punters Earlier this month, the jackpot of more than S$12.76 million was divided equally among the 12 winning bets in the second group after no one claimed the top prize for the fourth draw in a row. Each bet received S$1.186233 million, making each Group 2 winner a millionaire overnight. Singapore Pools advises participants to play responsibly and reminds the public that official tickets should only be purchased from authorised retailers or through its website and app. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
International Business Times
4 hours ago
- International Business Times
Asian Markets Struggle as US-China Trade Talks End without Breakthrough
Asian stock markets saw little movement on Wednesday, as trade talks between the United States and China concluded without significant breakthroughs. Early advances in MSCI's Asia-Pacific index outside Japan faded, and it was flat by the afternoon. Japan's Nikkei index dropped 0.1%, and Australia's ASX 200 index added 0.7%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped by 1.3%. Freepik European markets started on a cautious note. Futures for the region gained 0.15% in early trade, and the German DAX futures added 0.31%. The FTSE futures in Britain showed no major change. In currency markets, the euro edged up 0.1% to $1.1555, bouncing back from a one-month low. The surge followed a positive market reaction to a new EU trade agreement with the USA. Investors Eye the U.S. Federal Reserve Now all eyes are on the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision later on Wednesday. For the time being, experts anticipate, the Fed is likely to keep interest rates steady. Yet some officials could advocate for a rate cut if tariffs hurt inflation to worse-than-expected levels. "The U.S. job market is strong, so most Fed members want to wait and see how tariffs are impacting prices," said Tom Kenny, an economist at ANZ in Sydney. He thinks the Fed could lower rates at its next meeting in September if inflation pressures continue to rise. U.S. government bonds rose ahead of the Fed's decision. That forced the 10-year Treasury yield down to 4.328%, the lowest since July 3. The two-year yield stayed around 3.873%—an indication that rates might not move for now. Trade Tensions Remain Unresolved The latest round of trade talks between the United States and China yielded no results, although both sides agreed to discuss extending their 90-day tariff truce. There is no decision on whether to extend the truce, which expires on Aug. 12, or let tariffs increase significantly; President Trump has not yet made a decision. India is also sparring for a possible U.S. tariff hike of up to 25% on certain exports, as it holds back on making new trade offers. In another development, three prime South Korean ministers held talks with the U.S. Commerce Secretary in one last bid to strike a deal. The Bank of Japan is scheduled to hold its policy meeting on Thursday and is expected to maintain its current stance, although investors will look closely at any hints about future rate hikes. Earnings Update and Oil Prices The price of oil rose slightly due to concerns about supply. Brent crude rose 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $72.40 a barrel. This came after President Trump gave Russia a shorter deadline to act on ending the Ukraine war, raising fears of supply disruptions. Corporate earnings were mixed. UBS reported profits above expectations, though HSBC's results undershot amid widening losses in China. The German brand Adidas warned that U.S. tariffs could drag down its profits in the next few quarters. Markets in the U.S. ended lower on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped by less than 0.5%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were also down, falling roughly a third of a % apiece. Now investors are awaiting important earnings from tech giants Microsoft and Meta on Wednesday, which are likely to set the tone for the rest of the week in the market.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
China says childcare subsidies to 'add new impetus' to economy
BEIJING: China said on Wednesday (Jul 30) that recently announced subsidies to support families with young children will provide a much-needed economic boost, as Beijing seeks to promote spending and avert a demographic crisis. Authorities in the world's second-largest economy on Monday declared the new nationwide policy, which offers parents the equivalent of around US$500 per child under the age of three per year. "The childcare subsidy system can directly increase people's cash income," Guo Yanhong, vice minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. The measure "will better protect and improve people's livelihoods", Guo said. "At the same time, it will help promote a virtuous cycle of improving people's livelihoods and economic development, adding new impetus to the sustained and healthy development of the economy," she added. Chinese leaders have in recent years struggled to breathe life into the economy, beset by a yearslong property crisis that has spooked would-be homebuyers and dissuaded many people from having children. Beijing has since late last year introduced a series of aggressive pro-consumption policy measures - including key rate cuts and cancellations of certain restrictions on homebuying - but results have been limited. The slump comes as worrying demographic trends have become more pronounced. China's population declined by 1.39 million last year, and marriage rates now sit at record lows. At Wednesday's press conference in Beijing, NHC official Wang Haidong acknowledged that the country has "gradually shifted from a phase of population growth to a phase of population decline". "To adapt to this new demographic landscape, the country is accelerating the improvement of its fertility support policy system, continuously reducing burdens on families of childbirth, raising children and educating them," said Wang. This, added Wang, would help in "promoting the construction of a fertility-friendly society". Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, told AFP this week that the sum of US$500 per child was too small to have a "near-term impact on the birth rate or consumption", but the policy could lay the groundwork for further child subsidies in the future. A finance ministry official said 90 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion) had been set aside as a preliminary budget for the new scheme this year. Also on Wednesday, China's top leaders gathered for a meeting on the economy chaired by President Xi Jinping, state media reported.
