This urge to overachieve, even in times of global crisis, is reflective of America's always-on work culture. In a recent article for The New Republic, the journalist Nick Martin writes that "this mind-set is the natural endpoint of America's hustle culture - the idea that every nanosecond of our lives must be commodified and pointed toward profit and self-improvement." Drew Millard put it more directly in an essay for The Outline : If you are lucky enough to be employed, the only person who cares what you're doing right now is your boss.