Quiet Quitting on Wikipedia is defined as “an application of work-to-rule, in which employees work within defined work hours and engage in work-related activities solely within those hours. Despite the name, the philosophy of quiet quitting is not connected to quitting a job outright, but rather doing precisely what the job requires.”
Quiet quitting is a concept that misleads. Doing your job does not mean you are not working or slowly but surely quitting.
Why does suddenly doing something just as it was told have a negative connotation?
We are often expected to do “a bit more” and run the extra mile, not just do what the job description says. Usually goes hand-in-hand with a sense of motivation and purpose in your job or yourself. And the last is strongly influenced by the culture of the place.
With purpose, we thrive; without it, we get lost.
Why QQ happens? It could be several reasons, but most likely is unbalanced. We usually juggle between burnout and no drive at all.
Unclear purpose, lack of structure (roles not well defined), not aligned with company culture, wrong hiring, the best – or only – option available at the time, the paycheck.
How to recover the balance?
Identify the important and the urgent. What is pressing? What can wait until tomorrow?
Shamelessly say no. If you do not have room to take on new projects after organizing your to-do list between urgent and important, do not be shy and say no. Same with that meeting where your participation has little-to-no impact on you or others. Do not underestimate the importance of having extra time for the imponderable.
Work and life balance are sacred. It is critical that you respect your leisure time to do other things if you want to keep being effective at work and not burn out. Learn something, exercise, socialize, or do nothing but respect the balance. From 9-5, you work; from 5-9, you do whatever else you want to do.
What if life from 9-5 is miserable? What if you cannot rediscover the motivation or the purpose?
Take a breath and think about what your next step should be. Maybe it is time to find a job that fits more with your values and interests.
And remember, any situation can be used to your advantage.