Question 1: Which of the following options are characteristic of a burnt-out college student?
A. Sleeping two hours a day to attend all campus events.
B. Consuming an average of three Red Bulls before 9 am.
C. Getting carpal tunnel syndrome from Anki.
D. Eating protein bars for breakfast, lunch & dinner for maximum productivity.
E. All of the above.
Correct Answer: E
All people, college students or not, will experience burnout at one point in their lives. However, it’s pathognomonic for college students. I would say that it’s somewhat of a rite of passage. Can you truly be a college student if you haven’t bragged about how many energy drinks you’ve consumed? Or compete with someone on how little sleep you’ve gotten? What we should take as red flags are instead proudly displayed as badges of honour.
The concept of ‘Grind Culture’ originated in the 1990s-2000s, dominated largely by business bros marching down Wall Street yelling into their flip phones. Since then, grind culture has evolved and adapted to various aesthetic styles. From influencers to college students, we see that grind culture leaves no one behind. Let’s look at some examples :
1. My 5-9 am before my 9-5 am.
This is an influencer classic, in which an influencer shares their routine, starting from 5 a.m. until they arrive at work at 9. They usually begin by juicing a mixture of green vegetables in an industrial-sized mixer. Then, they’re up at the gym, before stopping by for a quick session of Pilates. Somehow, they’ve managed to fit in a quick 20 K run while simultaneously doing meal prep for the next two weeks. You probably will see their reels on a Sunday morning in bed, watch the whole thing, and then stare at your ceiling for a good five minutes revising all your life choices.
2. The college student
Ah, yes! The classic tale of the poor unsuspecting college student, who spends their entire college life chasing after every event and opportunity possible, so their curriculum vitae is at least a few paragraphs longer than their college dormmate’s. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out here. Resources are scarce and guarded as if they are to disappear at any second. No, I won’t send you my notes- It’s not my fault you got pneumonia. Or another Hall of Famer; we all have the same 24 hours in a day.
3. The OGs :
Let’s bring it back to those who started it all – the OGs, the blueprints. Yes, I’m talking about business bros, who probably have ‘early bird gets the worm’ set as their Instagram bio. Banking, investment, or technology – that’s the three pillars of their lives. They are passionate and loud, and will not stop saying, ‘the grind never stops.’ They will do whatever it takes to climb to the top of the corporate ladder as quickly as possible.
All these examples share a common theme: the glorification of over-productivity and exhaustion. This is the idea that every person must have a productive day to be considered an acceptable member of society. We wield exhaustion proudly as armour, equating exhaustion with productivity. But what does productivity mean? Why is productivity a societal standard rather than an individual one? What is the financial, physical and mental toll of productivity? I think these are essential questions we need to consider before falling into the trap of ‘grind culture.’
There is a financial, physical, and mental toll associated with overproductivity. Not everyone can afford to engage in what society deems as productive activities. It can also critically impact your physical and psychological health. People often associate productivity with self-worth. Once their perception of their productivity declines, so does their self-image. And then it becomes linked with guilt, where not achieving anything in a day makes you feel sick to your stomach. Those feelings can rapidly spiral into depression, debilitating anxiety and chronic stress, which in turn affects your physical health and creates this iron-clad cycle of despair.
I suppose ‘grind culture’ could have started with innocent intentions. Perhaps to encourage people to be more active and in charge of their own lives. However, somehow along the way, it has been twisted into unrealistic standards that not everyone can afford to maintain. I believe that having ambition or a goal to work towards is essential. But what happens when other people’s ambitions start to influence mine? When I’m suddenly no longer working on my own aspirations, but instead focusing on achieving other people’s goals? When I get overwhelmed by someone’s LinkedIn profile and then panic, I apply to every opportunity possible. What started as a way to better oneself has evolved into a capitalistic phenomenon that churns out a dozen burnt-out individuals, taking advantage of societal pressures to achieve.
Many of us live life as participants in the burnt-out Olympics. Where the torch is passed by trembling hands to those who will soon be casualties of the system, their exhaustion is celebrated as victories—an Olympics where the extent of suffering determines the degree of success. As college students just starting to establish ourselves, we are particularly susceptible to falling for this agenda. Like baby giraffes, we stumble on our feet trying to follow the footsteps of those before us. Yet the question lingers: who does this idea of productivity benefit? Are we being used as pawns on a chessboard? Perhaps, we are being treated as cogs in a machine which only serves its capitalistic masters.