Saying “Goodbye” to Grind Culture in 2021
By: Lion S Story
Tags: Work, Culture, Work Life Balance, Resolutions, Race

Grind culture is the idea that status is achieved by always being “on and available.” No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you’re hustling. You’re reachable. The first thing you do when you wake up is check and respond to email. You are the first at the office and the last to leave. You have a never-ending to-do list and it’s a badge of honor when you work well into the late night and/or sacrifice your weekend to finish a project.

And it seems as if the badge of honor is contagious.

In a recent student thesis from Arianna Balkeran at the City University of New York’s Baruch College, Ms. Balkeran writes,

“Approximately 45 percent of the workforce post about their ‘toil glamour’ on social media as signals of being a dedicated and committed employee (Robinson, 2019). However, some employees may not be equipped with the physical or emotional bandwidth to sustain the pressures resulting from a hustle culture, which then leads to employee burnout.”

But for Black and Brown people, grind culture has deeper and more hurtful meaning, and is rooted in systemic racism.

“I’m leaving behind intentional behavior and participation in #grindculture,” writes Erica Snowden, Lion’s Story village member and course trainer, when asked what she would be leaving behind in 2020.

“Grind culture,” Snowden says, “perpetuates white supremacy and does not aid me in liberation and resistance. It also doesn’t add to or decrease my self worth. Participating in grind culture has not allowed me to rest and replenish. And rest is a form of resistance. Rest is akin to taking breaths and it allows me to heal physically in order to also have soul healing.”

Being Present

“I think what I’m looking to leave behind is the sensation of always waiting for the other shoe to drop,” writes Lisa Nelson-Haynes, another Lion’s Story trainer. “Always anticipating something negative is about to happen doesn’t allow you to live in the present.”

Another symptom of grind culture is the inability to be in the present moment, and is driven, likely, from external pressures and fear.

Ms. Balkeran from the paper cited above writes, “At its core, the incentive to hustle is a defense mechanism to make ends meet and exceed high expectations. Hustle culture is prevalent because of many factors. One factor is the destruction of work-life boundaries due to digital distractions.”

She goes on to point out a 2016 study that found, on average, people check their phones 46 times a day, spending approximately five hours of their day on mobile devices. This connectivity, they posit, fuels competition and favor for employees who make themselves available on off-work hours — and it also prohibits the permission to set aside the distraction in order to fully be present in other areas of life.

“Not living in the moment has prohibited my ability to really dream big, both personally and professionally,” said Nelson-Haynes. “All we have is today and thinking about the ‘what-ifs’ is simply a waste of time and doesn’t provide the space to be grateful and proactive in what’s happening now.”

How They’ll Heal

To break free from the grasp of grind culture in the new year, both Snowden and Nelson-Haynes will turn to yoga to help them recenter.

In addition, Snowden plans to listen to music that rejuvenates and heals her and pick up My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem, which aims to examine how racism affects the central nervous system and offers a process for healing.

Nelson-Haynes plans to journal daily, listen to Brene Brown podcasts and spend time compiling playlists for her yoga practice.

The Grind Goes On

While being able to take a breath and slow down is important, it also may not be possible for everyone in our present-day society.

“People are hustling, working hard and not even being able to stay afloat. Forget about moving up,” says Marcela Escobari, an economist at the Brookings Institution in this NPR article. “They need to complement [their job] with a second or third job.”

Black and Brown people tend to be more disproportionately represented in low-wage jobs that require them to keep grinding — and it’s a cycle that won’t stop until the current systems are reconstructed to be more equitable.To do this work, however, requires a racially literate society where all people understand and can communicate their own racial stories.

If we all work to increase our racial literacy in 2021 and beyond, we can all take a collective breath, fully heal and realize the best version of ourselves and our communities — and leave behind the need to grind.