Have you ever left an assignment until the night before it was due with intentions of staying up late at night to complete it?
In today's world, the phrase ‘rise and grind’ is very common. It is particularly popular among school and college students. This saying is one example of the teen obsession with hustle culture: the desire to work hard and gain satisfying results, often taking no account for one's well-being.
Teens often overlook the detrimental effects that hustle culture can have on one's mental health and— somewhat paradoxically— academic performance. One key component that is impacted by this mentality is sleep. Hustle culture and this ‘rise and grind’ attitude will lead to sleep deprivation, which will take a toll on mental health and overall happiness, which are crucial elements of a healthy academic and social lifestyle.
Hours and Validation
As important as academics can be, especially with social media empowering the idea of ‘academic validation’, rest and sleep remain vital. Social media is heavily to blame for this unsatisfactory culture within society, especially among young adults and teenagers. It encourages this behaviour of studying all day and all night, powered by the drive to achieve well in education.
Studying until 2 a.m. pushes all self-care and mental well-being factors down the drain. Hustle culture never leaves a student fulfilled. As a result, the student ends up drained and mentally burned out.
In school, more advanced classes typically have a large amount of grade competitiveness. Students often brag about how many hours they studied, creating an impression that hours of no sleep, replaced with studying, are a cheat code to guarantee perfection in academic performance.
Sleep deprivation among our generation has become increasingly common, the main two offenders being gaming addictions and over-studying. Sleep deprivation can lead to detrimental health effects such as trouble focusing, irritability, and depression.
As a student, energy is key to remaining positive, focused and on-task throughout lessons during the day. Waking up already feeling tired is going to put a negative spin on your morning. If you're a victim of hustle culture, then it is likely that you are pushing through this exhaustion.
Teachers and educational settings could play a role in the greater scheme of hustle culture. Schools may promote beliefs and values that constrict students’ mindsets. They idealize the straight-A student with loads of extracurricular. Education systems need to be more mindful of their attitudes, especially towards impressionable school students.
Speaking of quotes in school, I recall one quote by Benjamin Franklin that one of my teachers had printed onto our exam revision sheet:
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
This unhealthy attitude assumes that lack of preparation is a gateway to failing. Alongside this, schools prioritize having consistently high grades, failing to promote the importance of well-being, despite schools stating that one of their core values is the mental well-being of the students. Does one assembly every few months addressing points and issues with no action truly reflect the relationship between education and well-being?
So, how can we make sleep a priority without experiencing guilt?
My first suggestion is to timetable yourself. Having a schedule will allow you to keep a steady track of what you need to do and when. By timetabling you can set a time to finish and take breaks.
For example, you could set a goal to finish one page of homework in 25 minutes. This will ensure that you are taking necessary study breaks and finishing work at a reasonable time so you can achieve the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep. This tactic of timing all tasks will prevent overworking, while still leaving you feeling content.
Secondly, having realistic expectations will lessen your chance of aiming to over-achieve. Write a checklist of your goals, how long you intend to spend on each piece of work, and the date you will have it completed by. By using a checklist, there is validation of the work progress from each time you tick a task off. You'll feel ready to sleep guilt-free after a planned and productive study session.
Example of Checklist- Image Credit: Jayda-Jules Warner
Completing your work before bed will make it much easier to sleep. You'll no longer feel forced to wake up early to do schoolwork. In other words, there will be no need to ‘rise and grind.’
Conclusion
The phrase ‘rise and grind’ has strong implications. It may be a motivational saying to some, but to others, especially victims of hustle culture, it could be the phrase that drives them too far. Protecting your mental and physical well-being is just as important as maintaining good grades. Maintaining both is 100% possible if you keep in mind the tips I provided above.
Jayda-Jules Warner, aka JJ, writes until she falls asleep at her keyboard. Writing stories, articles, and poetry are her passion. Not only are words her comfort; but she also loves video games and music!
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