Remember when “rise and grind” was the mood? Yeah... not anymore.

In 2025, there’s a quiet shift happening in the way we work, and it’s called soft work. It’s not about being lazy. It’s about working differently: slower, with intention, and without glorifying burnout.

I’ll admit, I was a productivity junkie. Back-to-back calls, color-coded planners, 5 a.m. alarms, the whole package. But I hit a wall. The harder I worked, the more drained I felt. That’s when I stumbled into the soft work movement.

What Is Soft Work?

Soft work is the opposite of hustle culture. It’s about:

Prioritizing deep focus over multitasking

Choosing quality over quantity

Setting flexible, realistic goals

Taking actual breaks, guilt-free

Respecting your own energy cycles

It’s the kind of work that’s sustainable, not fueled by caffeine and pressure.

My Soft Work Week Looked Like This

I stopped scheduling back-to-back meetings.

I started each day by asking: What are the 2 most important things to do today?

I gave myself permission to rest without “earning it.”

I worked in 90-minute focused sprints, then fully stepped away (no fake scrolling breaks).

I even started enjoying work again. Imagine that.

The Results?

I was shocked. I got more done, felt more creative, and stopped ending every day in survival mode.

Turns out, slowing down doesn’t mean falling behind, it means working smarter. And in 2025, with AI doing more of the grunt work, soft work is the natural evolution.

Why It Matters