Quietly Quitting

“Quiet quitting” is a phrase embraced by many millennials/others in the working world who are tired of poor work conditions, low wages, and unfulfilling work situations that don’t seem to have much hope of being resolved. It’s not that you actually quit, or stop doing your job, it’s that you don’t pour yourself into it the way you once did—doing enough to do it efficiently, and no more than that.

As someone who’s always been “on” for work—detailed out-of-office replies, letting people know that I was away, but still would be checking email/answering messages after hours—this was hard at first. For a very long time, my self-worth and personal value felt intrinsically tied to my paycheck and job title. How could I prove to the world that I was successful if I wasn’t advancing up the ladder with a new fancy job title at a company that seemed impressive?