I need to vent/see if anyone else is in the same boat.
Standard SG corporate story: spent my entire 20s and early 30s burning the midnight oil in digital marketing. We are talking 60-hour weeks, running endless data analytics, managing angry client accounts at 2 AM, and sacrificing weekends to pitch for new business—all for the sake of “career progression.” I thought hitting the Senior Director tier and chasing the corporate dream would bring peace of mind. Instead, it just brought chronic burnout, major anxiety, and zero time to actually enjoy life.
A few months ago, something just snapped. I realized the company won’t cry if I drop dead; they’ll just post my job opening on LinkedIn before my funeral is even over.
So, I’ve officially entered my Quiet Resignation era. I am completely dialing back the hustle.
Don’t get me wrong, I still do my job and ensure the regional campaign numbers hit their baseline targets. But the moment it hits 6:00 PM? Laptop closed. Teams and Slack notifications muted. I no longer reply to “urgent” WhatsApp pings from stakeholders on Saturday mornings. If a campaign launch timeline is completely unrealistic, I don’t pull all-nighters anymore; I just professionally state the resource constraints and let upper management deal with the fallout.
My performance review might drop from “Exceeds Expectations” to “Meets Expectations,” and honestly? Bo chap. I’ll take the average bonus if it means keeping my sanity. I’ve started using my evenings to actually go for runs, have proper dinners, and just disconnect without worrying about client KPIs.
It feels like half of Singapore’s top talent is secretly doing this now. The cost of living is insane anyway, so why kill ourselves working ridiculous hours when a promotion just means more stress and higher tax brackets?
Are you guys still chionging for the top, or have you also quietly stepped off the hamster wheel? Let’s honest chat.