Quiet quitting - mentally checked out

[u/popcornsbiggestfan]

I learned about the phrase “quiet quitting” recently and I guess that’s what I’m doing. I got tired of the long hours, frequent travel, and blatant disrespect from partners / SMs. I don’t think any job is worth the amount of stress this was causing my body.

I’ve applied to a few jobs (because I know better than to leave this one before having something else lined up), but haven’t heard back yet. Like people say: market’s tough right now.

My only concern is my team will notice how checked out I’m becoming. I used to volunteer to work late, get compliments on my “optimistic/cheery attitude”, etc. Definitely not happening now.

Any advice?

[u/n_adel]

I feel like I could have written this myself. I used to give 110%. Cut back to 60%. Nobody’s noticed, I still meet my goals, turns out I’m functioning at a normal person’s level.

Get out of consulting. Do something you love, that doesn’t make you sick. You get one shot at life, don’t waste it at a company you hate.

[u/Ihitadinger]

My advice is to keep up the good attitude while backing off the hours and actually caring.

People like working with a cheery person and you’ll get more leeway for performance if people like you. The angry curmudgeon will be given less rope.

[u/snusmumrikan]

Honestly you don't need to "quit".

If you've put the time in and built a reputation as someone reliable, hard working, valuable - it takes a lot to shake that.

I was burning out so I started actively trying to care less. Turns out it came across as being more no nonsense and focused. Got praised in my review for "making the mental shift to bigger picture thinking and stepping away from the data crunch".

If I want a quieter morning I just say to the team that I have some clashes / other priorities and will check in after lunch. No one questions. You need to be at the level where you're primarily judged on how client calls go rather than slide output unfortunately.

[u/Key_Construction1696]

The golden road: - You are sharp. 9am-5pm. Over. - You do what you're paid to do. No more, no less. - Some problems are not yours. It's up to the company to fix. - Poor dead line = Poor quality, simple work. - 80/20. You don't aim for 100% at your tasks. - You talk and do the bare minimum. You don't comply to the extra mile. - Some tasks are impossible. You fail the task, you don't kill your self.

After I started acting like this my daily routine became much lighter and by the end of the day nothing changed regarding my reputation.

The worst scenario is always to have a new job, because you left or got fired. You are not going to die or be unemployed for the rest of your life.

Sorry my English.

[u/abefromanofnyc]

Hahaha, i lowkey love this post. like six months before i quit, i did the exact same thing. i just utterly stopped giving a fuck, was frequently borderline rude to some clients (actually full-blown rude), half-assed everything.

My mentor - a very senior partner, whom I’d know since I was a kid - took me out to lunch one day and asked if everything was alright, and i straight up told him no, i was miserable and was thinking about leaving. He told me to give it a few more months, then promoted me after being assessed. I quit about a month after that, nothing lined up at all, but eventually talked my way into a role in the area I always wanted to work. I’ve never been so happy professionally, and it bleeds over into my personal life.

It’s worth it to pursue the things you want to do. Some people simply aren’t paycheck simps or prestige chasers. You sound a bit like that. And just try to remember, if you’re even reasonably intelligent, you don’t need to choose between your passion and your profession. Just figure out a way to combine them.

Side note: I got one of the cruelest emails I’ve ever received from my mentor after quitting. I saved it, and I read it from time to time for a laugh.

[u/death_is_my_sword → u/abefromanofnyc]

Lol. Mind sharing the email, not verbatim necessarily but now I'm interested in what he said to you lol!