You may have heard of 'quiet quitting', but what about 'career minimalism'?

By Anna Chisholm

ABC Lifestyle

Topic:Careers

Grace McClelland says she found herself feeling burnt out and "just not loving life". (Supplied: Grace McClelland)

"My full-time job gives me a stable income. It's very low-stress. I have a good working environment," Grace McClelland says.

The 34-year-old works as a receptionist and office manager and does online content creating "on the side", on Gadigal land in Sydney.

You may have come across terms like "career minimalism", "job minimalism", "decentring work" and "soft life" in your social media algorithm.

These terms are often used to describe prioritising work-life balance or factors such as stability, identity, mental health and happiness above career progression or ambition.

"I wasn't aware of it until I sort of started posting about it," Grace says.

A 'non-linear career'

Grace says she's had a "non-linear career history".

During university, she moved from a degree in disability care to one in fashion and says after graduating, she wasn't ready to chase a job in such a competitive industry and "fell" into retail instead.

"I started as a sales associate and then over the course of four or five years, I was managing a flagship store."

But Grace says she quickly felt burnt out and had no energy left for anything creative or social.

"I stayed there for a lot longer than I wanted to because it was difficult to walk away from the money."

Eventually she took a pay cut for what she had assumed would be a temporary job.

That was two years ago and she is still in the role.

"I'm really happy with the way things are going now and I still have aspirations, I'd love to one day be a full-time creative and do content full-time, but I'm also enjoying where I am."

Who is minimising their careers?

Initially Grace says she "felt quite isolated" and "ashamed that [she] didn't have a very impressive job".

But about a year ago she posted a TikTok video dubbed "my failed career in fashion", which centred around realising her job title doesn't define her.

"That sort of opened up for me that a lot of people were posting about a similar thing," Grace says.

"I was really surprised when I started getting hundreds of messages and comments from people saying that they felt exactly the same as me and they were in the same situation."

Grace McClelland says she is in "no rush" to change her current lifestyle. (Supplied: Grace McClelland)

Terms such as "quiet quitting", "career minimalism" and "soft life" are "part of the same", according to professor of organisational psychology Paula Brough.

Professor Brough is also the director of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing in the Business School at Griffith University in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Professor Brough says since COVID-19, there has been "a greater focus on work-life balance".

"That's happened across the board because obviously COVID made everyone realise there's more to life than just work."

And while she says there is not a distinct split in how different generations prioritise work-life balance, there might be a less dramatic shift underway.

"There's a little bit of research coming out now saying that … the younger workers have seen the difficult balancing acts that generation X and above have led and don't necessarily want that hard work of juggling everything constantly," she says.

Have you made career choices to prioritise work-life balance? We'd love to hear from you.

Pros and cons of prioritising work-life balance

Organisational psychologist Rachel Hannam, who has a special interest in career development and burnout and practices in Meanjn/Brisbane, says there are benefits to prioritising life balance over career progression. But, there can also be downsides.

"The benefit is to rest our brains," Dr Hannam says. "We really do need to rest our brains and give our body downtime."

Experiencing chronic stress at work can have lots of detrimental impacts, she says, and taking a break from that can result in cognitive rest and allow you to refocus on connecting with friends and family and other meaningful things.

She adds that professional identity can also be "something we hide behind", and stepping away from that "allows us to decompress and be more open, be more curious, explore the world in different ways".

On the flip side, she points out that shifting roles or industries can be a big adjustment for someone feeling burnt out.

"It's a painful choice either way. I sometimes say, 'choose your pain. choose your pain of staying the same [or] choose the pain of change,'" she says.

Dr Hannam says leaving a job for one with less pay and status but a better environment is a "gamble".

It has paid off for some of her clients, but she says others have "found themselves in major financial stress" after starting a business or moving into a creative industry.

Paula Brough says work-from-home arrangements have also allowed people to balance their jobs with other commitments. (Supplied: Paula Brough)

Professor Brough says taking a pay cut might mean drawing on savings, looking for another income stream or downsizing your commitments.

If you plan to return to the industry you've left, staying up to date in the interim can be tricky and you may also be asked to explain your resume gap, she says.

"But there's nothing wrong with saying I was having a break … and there's nothing wrong with saying that's what I did and I've come back more committed than ever."

Dr Hannam says stepping away from the industry you ultimately want to work in for a lifestyle break will have different consequences depending on the career stage.

"There are very different things that happen at different stages of your career. In the first stage, it probably doesn't make sense to step out."

There are other things you can do if you can't afford or don't feel able to leave, and career coaching is something that may help with this, Dr Hannam says.

This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.

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