Echoing Chrono Trigger again - you could skip all grinding, and then rely more heavily on item usage in the final battle (megaelixers and the like) or better yet, not, and it became much more fun, and either way you see and therefore expect battles, rather than them feeling like an interruption to exploration.

And if you really got bored, either on the first playthrough or a later one, there are so very many ways to mix up the teams, with new skills to "discover", or try out if you read them from a guide.

It has its downsides (gfx, length I guess if you ignore the New Game+), but damn no wonder it is widely regarded as hands-down the single best JRPG of all time.