27 Easy Ways to Start Quiet-Quitting Your Home

By now, you’ve probably heard of quiet-quitting, a term that’s generally applied to work and jobs. It originated on TikTok, and essentially means only doing the work you’re paid to do, and nothing more. If it sounds underachieving, that’s kind of the point: it reinforces boundaries that ensure a better work-life balance and mean you’re still getting your work done without getting burned out — and doing things beyond your pay grade. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

As I sat and looked around my studio apartment one day, I wondered if the same concept couldn’t be applied to my home. There are things I absolutely need to do as a person with a roof over their head: pay my bills, do the dishes, wipe up messes. But what if, after getting the must-do tasks done, I just… stopped?

Anyone who’s experienced depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder, has ADHD, or simply has too much going on to be bothered with alphabetizing their books knows that it’s really, really easy to experience burnout at home. Sometimes, it feels like it’s not enough to have a decorated home; it also needs to be cohesive, reflect your personality, and oh yeah, always be tidy and clean. It’s too much! Do less! The weight of it all can be oppressing, and that’s where quiet-quitting your home comes in.

Just kinda doing less will allow you to enjoy your home more, take the pressure off yourself, focus on your mental and family, or whatever your priority is. Instead of thinking of it as doing the bare minimum, reframe it in the same way quiet-quitting at work is used: you’re setting a boundary and reclaiming your time. Here are some ways you can start (and if some of these seem to negate advice you’ve seen on Apartment Therapy, that’s the point! It’s your home; you can pick and choose what feels right to you).

1. Don’t fold your laundry before you put it away if you don’t need to, or don’t have the time or energy. If it’s clean, that is more than good enough.
2. Ignore any organization tips and hacks that feel overwhelming stick to “your method” of putting stuff away, even if it’s “inefficient” or “ugly.”
3. Only do the dishes you absolutely need right now. If you only need forks and plates for dinner, the rest can wait.
4. Don’t make your bed!
5. Don’t fully clean before people come over. As long as there is room for people and enough things are put away, you’re fine.
6. And just generally, do the bare minimum with hosting if you need to host something. People will be more than happy with some pretzels and a deck of cards.
7. Or just don’t host at all! Ever (if you can help it)!
8. Use Dawn Dish Soap for most of your stain-removal needs.
9. Don’t bother learning how to fold a fitted sheet.
10.  When you don’t feel like cleaning something, just close the door (closet door, bedroom door, bathroom door, etc.). Out of sight, out of mind is perfectly acceptable if you have too much else going on.
11. Don’t bother putting away your kid’s toys at the end of the night. They’ll probably just take them out again as soon as they wake up.
12. Within reason, just wash everything in the dishwasher instead of hand-washing. If the option is between having something not be washed and having it go in the dishwasher but potentially not last as long, one wash cycle likely won’t do too much harm.
13. The same goes for the washing machine.
14. Just buy an oven liner instead of cleaning it.
15. Don’t succumb to pressure to upgrade your furniture or decor just because you’re an “adult.” If you still love your posters from college, then keep them hung up.
16. Don’t get stressed about committing to a trendy book styling method, like putting your titles in rainbow order. If your system works for you, stick with it.
17. Resist the urge to feel like you need a hobby. Watching TV counts as a hobby.
18. Keep using Zoom backgrounds if you can’t be bothered to clean the area behind your workspace.
19. Stop buying pajamas for your kids.
20. Give away plants that are just too high maintenance for you or that don’t love your home.
21. Or just don’t have plants (or real ones) at all. It’s OK to not be a plant person.
22. Or a morning person!
23. Your IKEA pieces are perfectly fine un-hacked if you like them that way or just don’t have the time or energy to spiff them up.
24. Instead of going through the task of hanging your art, just lean it — it’ll still look chic.
25. You don’t need to renovate your home! Promise.
26. Most times, just call in a pro if you have something that needs to be fixed (if you have the money for it).
27. And finally, you don’t need to unpack right after you get home from a trip.

What would you add to this list? Share in the comments!