(Grind is an annoying business term and is just one of the 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse, and Overuse detailed in the hilarious must-have guide for every workplace: The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room. Available right now on Amazon.)

Grind

If grind was only used in business to describe one’s tedious workday, then it never would’ve made the list of the most annoying business phrases you hear today.

Unfortunately, thanks to the crop of ubermotivationalists among us who record daily inspiration from their smartphones while driving (think: a less polished, less famous, though just as annoying Gary Vaynerchuk), we’ve learned that the only way to succeed at anything is to “rise and grind” and that TGIF really means “The Grind Includes Friday” and that “I had to grind for this view.”

Moreover, if you don’t grind non-stop 24/7/365, then you can never fully enjoy your life.

This begs the question, of course: If you’re always grinding, when do you get a chance to enjoy life?

In the last century, grind was preceded by “the” and it most often referred to the struggle to get through one’s workday. “The Grind” meant “work” and had negative connotations. Today, it still means work; though, work that apparently deserves a medal, a trophy, and a cookie.

We all work, and some work can be a grind; though most of us can show up early, do our job, and give our best without telling our network about it 24/7/365.

As we already learned about with disruptors, before social media, the only people who bragged about how hard they were working were those that accomplished the least. We’re pretty sure that’s also the case with the rise and grind crowd at your job today.

Replacement phrases: No replacement phrase needed – just stop saying it; you sound absolutely foolish to the rest of us.

See also: Crushing It; Go-Getter; Hustle

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The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room is available on Amazon