I think that the grind has been a synonym for work for as long as I've been alive but I've noticed it taking on a certain connotation in the age of the gig economy and always on call culture. Grind as a concept is increasingly used to refer to jobs where there are no set hours. This means that anytime you aren't working you're effectively losing money. Peoples' relations to this circumstance will vary with their feelings about money and work. On one hand a grind is a chance to trade time for more money which can appeal to financially needy or motivated people. On the other hand those prone to guilt and worry are likely to get caught in anxious notions that they could be working. Either way, grinding and the fixation on it have combined with social media to create hustle culture. Hustle culture is probably best understood as the horrible sequel to self help where social media addiction provides constant encouragement to keep at and pursue your dreams. Unsurprisingly, this is rarely effective.
While grinding isn't fun it is sometimes useful. For people who need or want flexible schedules or just want to make some money on the side options like Uber are huge. Same with freelance writing and the hundred other choices to try to make a buck. Of course the problem with being your own boss is the same as its main advantage: you decide when and how much you work. Structure can be confining or it can be grounding depending on the person and the circumstance. The evolution of formal employment over the course of the past two centuries has seen several transitions such as default forty hour work weeks and insurance packages. Digitally mediated transactions are able to replace a lot of overhead and grant more choices to the people on the ground but it's yet to be seen whether or not the grind is the future of work or just one more option for making ends meet.
IRON NODER XVI: MORE STUBBORN-HARD THAN HAMMER'D IRON