#grindculture

[corsetschecklists]

you have permission to:

rest without earning it

be done for the day even though it's only 2pm

take a break before you hit the wall

sleep when you're tired instead of when it's "time"

do nothing without guilt

stop mid-task because you don't have it in you

have low-energy days without justifying them

cancel plans to protect your capacity

say "I can't do this right now" without explaining why

spend a whole day doing absolutely nothing useful

not bounce back as fast as you think you should

rest is not a reward for productivity. rest is a biological requirement.

you don't have to collapse from exhaustion before you're allowed to stop. you don't have to earn downtime by suffering first.

the grind culture lied to you. rest is productive. slowing down is strategic. doing nothing is sometimes the most important thing you can do.

what do you need permission to rest from today?

[swimming---upstream]

Rest as Resistance

Most mornings I wake up between 6-6:30am to take the puppy for a pee and let the chickens out of the coop. I’m not naturally a morning person but I’ve come to appreciate these early outings; watching the sun rise, enjoying the glimmer of the dew on the wildflowers. But there comes a time when I calculate in my head the number of hours of sleep the previous night as I decide whether to stay awake or go back to sleep. I weigh the possibility of a quiet early morning cup of coffee and snuggle with dogs with the memory of my exhaustion level at 7pm the evening before and almost always choose sleep.

Lately, when I snuggle back into our family nest to doze, I feel a bit smug, like my sleep is in defiance of the work culture that pressures me to be ever-more productive. It feels a bit like a quiet “fuck you” to my own mental conditioning brought on my a society that tries to guilt trip me for taking care of my body and mind.

"People are waking up. People are waking up to the truth of their manipulation under toxic systems. People are waking up to heal. People are waking up to rest." - The Nap Ministry @thenapministry

It’s funny that capitalism can rob us of our bodies for so long and convince us that this is normal. My partner’s knees are shot from working as a mechanic for 10 years. My son used to fall asleep in his classroom in grade 2. I used to commute over an hour one way to a corporate job I hated. What’s worse: we now glorify this grind culture: side jobs, exhausted boss babes, endless busy-ness.

Even after a year of checking out, I still struggle with valuing the quality of my day on how productive it was. What’s worse: on how financially productive it was. My partner and I recently made the decision that I would stop taking on new clients in my freelance work so that I can focus on the boys, growing food, and our family business. I was amazed at how hard of a transition this was. Even after all this time, I still saw my paid work as more valuable than my non-paid work. And only in the last month have I made any progress in unlearning that rest is equally valuable to work, paid or un-paid.

I’m slowly discovering that my existence goes beyond the labour that my body/mind can produce. I’m also discovering that I do not need to sacrifice rest in order to be deemed worthy. For those that carry the additional burden of oppression like BIPOC and neurodivergent folks, this pressure to be productive is extra heavy and the need for rest all the more dire. It’s time that we dismantle the capitalist culture that robs us of our sleep-ins, our naps, our snuggles on the couch in the name of profitability.

[corsetschecklists]

Rest Doesn't Have to Be Earned

The Problem

You can't sit still. Even when you're exhausted, even when your body is begging you to stop, you find another task. Another thing to optimize. Another way to be useful.

Rest feels wrong. Selfish. Lazy. Like you're wasting time or letting people down. You tell yourself you'll rest when you've earned it—when the to-do list is done, when you've been productive enough, when you deserve it.

But the list is never done. You're never productive enough. And "deserving it" is a moving target that you never quite reach.

The Reframe (Permission)

You're waiting for external permission to rest that's never going to come. The culture isn't going to tell you it's okay to stop. Your to-do list isn't going to give you the all-clear. You have to give yourself permission.

Rest is not a reward for productivity. Rest is a requirement for functioning. You don't earn it. You need it. Those are not the same thing.

The Framework

Here's how to start building rest into your life as a non-negotiable:

1. Name what you believe about rest. Do you think rest is lazy? That you have to earn it? That productive people don't need as much? Write down the rule you're operating under. Then ask: who made this rule? Is it actually true, or is it just something you absorbed from hustle culture?

2. Start with 15 minutes. You don't have to overhaul your whole life. Just take 15 minutes today to do absolutely nothing useful. Set a timer. Sit. Breathe. Stare at the wall. See what happens. The world won't end. The work will still be there. You'll just be slightly less depleted when you return to it.

3. Treat rest like structure, not luxury. If you respond well to structure and accountability, apply that same energy to rest. Schedule it. Put it in your calendar like a meeting. Make it non-negotiable. You don't skip meetings because you "don't feel like it." Don't skip rest either.

4. Notice when you're performing productivity. Sometimes you're not actually working. You're just performing the appearance of working because stopping feels wrong. Notice when you're checking your email for the fifth time or reorganizing something that's already organized. That's not productivity. That's avoidance of rest disguised as work.

5. Practice saying "I'm done for today." Not "I'm done when X is finished" or "I'm done after one more thing." Just "I'm done." Out loud. To yourself. Practice making that a complete sentence that doesn't need justification.

Moving Forward

If rest feels impossible and you need external structure to make it happen, that's exactly what I build—frameworks that make rest non-negotiable instead of optional. Find me at hoo.be/corsets.

[aidymouse]

Phew! Busy day today

[irapinera]

Let's get this bread

-Aladdin

[thedirtbagdad]

Years ago, in another lifetime, when I worked in the bubble of technology start-ups, the prevailing marketing mantra was something to the effect of, “Our product helps you get more done in less time!“ At the time, something intuitively struck me as being off with this thinking. My younger contrarian and ironic self created a new phrase, “I don’t want to do more in less time… I want to do less in more time.” Decades later, this impression resonates more than ever. Increasingly, people are realizing, in light of recent global events, that red-lining it throughout a lifetime ultimately exhausts you and, unchecked, may prematurely wear out your engine. “I’ll rest when I’m dead” accomplishes the final “to-do” item (death), yet does not allow one to ever accomplish rest. When rest is made a low priority and seen as a weakness and a lacking, well… our lives have a way of manifesting that. #grindculture #triciahersey #prioritizerest #balance #wholebodyhealth @thenapministry https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnc2u-1SV_kxPgMmdHBOmd2TjltP3Xe7K8QSsI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thedirtbagdad]

The last moments of light prior to winter break. As it seems to happen, I’m again the last one in the parking lot. This not a #grindculture badge of honor… rather, I’m grateful to work in a culture where I can be the last one to leave and it’s before 5 pm. Plus, a great way to become friends with our valued custodial staff. After being sick since Thanksgiving and getting three weeks of work completed in three days, I’m ready and grateful for rest. This looks like not doing much of anything. It’s precious time. Reflective. For One Who Is Exhausted, a Blessing When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic, Time takes on the strain until it breaks; Then all the unattended stress falls in On the mind like an endless, increasing weight. The light in the mind becomes dim. Things you could take in your stride before Now become laborsome events of will. Weariness invades your spirit. Gravity begins falling inside you, Dragging down every bone. The tide you never valued has gone out. And you are marooned on unsure ground. Something within you has closed down; And you cannot push yourself back to life. You have been forced to enter empty time. The desire that drove you has relinquished. There is nothing else to do now but rest And patiently learn to receive the self You have forsaken in the race of days. At first your thinking will darken And sadness take over like listless weather. The flow of unwept tears will frighten you. You have traveled too fast over false ground; Now your soul has come to take you back. Take refuge in your senses, open up To all the small miracles you rushed through. Become inclined to watch the way of rain When it falls slow and free. Imitate the habit of twilight, Taking time to open the well of color That fostered the brightness of day. Draw alongside the silence of stone Until its calmness can claim you. Be excessively gentle with yourself. Stay clear of those vexed in spirit. Learn to linger around someone of ease Who feels they have all the time in the world. Gradually, you will return to yourself, Having learned a new respect for your heart And the joy that dwells far within slow time. (at Tongva Land) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmaD7u5P1zwirUN2tFO6NQZeUtA1JQYTTnMXNs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[christinemonk]

Let's Talk About Hustle Culture: Unlearn The Grind, Relearn The Rest

Hustle Culture can go and catch a break!Today we need to discuss why are we uneasy with the concept of rest.Modern hustle culture is toxic and extremely misleading. It has made taking a break from work look like a sin and being busy has been ticked right.Read and share among your hardworking peers.

As diabolical as it sounds, every human crisis is caused by humans for humans.

Can you think of any? I have some on my fingertips. Climate crisis. Racism. Poverty. Hunger. And the most volatile of the current time — The Great Resignation of 2021.

While we are at it, let’s talk about The Great Resignation of 2021. In simplest terms, people are leaving their jobs. They do not want to work anymore. Millennials are most affected in this Great Resignation of 2021.  According to CNET, the driving factor is burnout. The hustle culture is equating to existential dread. Hustle culture is toxic and people are questioning whether finding meaning in their job is fruitless pursuit.

For the woke and aware generation, the priority is mental well-being. Corporate millennials are not okay with hustle culture. It is losing its shine and quickly. Following the same trail of thought, let’s talk about—what is hustle culture? How can we unlearn the grind and relearn the rest?