Quitter Summary

Summary of Quitter Book by Jon Acuff

Name: Quitter
Rating: 4.5 (713 reviews)
Author: Jon Acuff

4.5 . 713 reviews

Short summary

Have you ever felt caught between the tension of a day job and a dream job? That gap between what you have to do and what you'd love to do? All too often, we hear that dreaming big means you quit your day job, sell everything you own, and move to Guam. But what if there were a different way? What if you could blow up your dream without blowing up your life? What if you could go for broke without going broke? What if you could start today? What if you already have everything you need to begin? From figuring out what your dream is to quitting in a way that exponentially increases your chance of success, Quitter is full of actionable advice. It's time to close the gap between your day job and your dream job. It's time to be a Quitter.

17 min

7 key points

18 insights

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Table of content

Summary of Quitter
About the author
What is Quitter about?
Who should read Quitter
Topics in Quitter

first key point

When your day job is gone, your responsibilities suddenly become your new boss

Listen the first key point

00:00

Jon Acuff, the author, held eight jobs in eight years from 1998 when he graduated from college until 2006. These weren’t petty, part-time jobs, one summer he was a mailman, another, a carny.

The jobs he quit were 40-hour-a-week, 401(k)-offering, health-insurance-transferring, me-in-a-plain-colored-cubicle jobs. These were career jobs for most of his coworkers, and in a period of twelve years, he managed to quit six of the eight. Another he was fired from, and the other went out of business.

Jon Acuff cultivated a high quality of quitting over those years. Jon used to think he was unique, that perhaps he had a problem with staying at one job for a long time. It turns out he is extremely common. A recent survey revealed that 84% of employees plan to look for a new job. Furthermore, the average tenure at a job is dramatically changing from generation to generation.

You and many others will quit lots and lots of jobs.

Why?

We used to stay at jobs for decades. We got a gold watch for staying at a job for thirty years, and then we retired to some flat, sweaty part of Florida to eat dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon. But somewhere along the way that changed.

At some point, we stopped being stayers and formed a long line of leavers. We started seeing motion as a sign of success and transition as a sign of progress.

The golden watch has become the other end of the golden handcuffs. We now look at steady jobs as less of a goal and more of a necessary evil. They aren’t fun; they simply fund our lives. They are cash cows we need but don’t want.

When your day job is gone, all the responsibilities that were quietly and almost magically covered when you had a steady job suddenly become your new and more demanding Dons. The wonderland of freedom feels more like wanderlust. Now you have a new set of worries. Now you’ve created dozens of tiny leaks in your lifeboat.

When your day job is gone, responsibilities become your new boss.

When that day job is gone, the lines between downtime and work time are blurred. It’s all just time. And it’s all heavy laden and economically laced. Downtime is suddenly time you could be spending improving your résumé or researching new prospects.

When you quit your day job to chase your dream, you need the support of your partner. You need that person beside you every step of the way. That part of your life, the significant relationship quadrant as it were, needs to be rock solid and stable, and in such a good place, it’s not clamoring about in crisis. Your dream job is loud and noisy and needs your focus, so your relationship needs to be in order to avoid the explosions. And even then, you won’t avoid them all.

Want to throw an easy relationship into chaos? Quit your day job.

When you keep your day job, all opportunities become surplus propositions rather than deficit remedies. You only have to take the ones that suit your dream best.

Did you know? A U.S. Department of Labor study revealed that the median tenure for the 55-64-year-old category is 10 years. For the 25-34-year-old category, the average tenure is only 3 years.

second key point

How you perceive risk will determine how successful you are at overcoming them

Every dream has risks associated with it. Some might have more than others, but each dream comes wrapped in some degree of risk. If it doesn’t, it’s not really a dream.

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third key point

How to fall in like with a job you don’t love

fourth key point

Three pretty easy ways to ruin your day job and your dream job

fifth key point

If you’re going to chase your dream, you need to be careful of success

sixth key point

Eventually, Jon Acuff held an “I’m clearly quitting” meeting

seventh key point

Conclusion

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What is Quitter about?

"Quitter" by Jon Acuff is a motivational guide that offers practical advice on how to transition from a dissatisfying day job to pursuing one's dream career. Acuff shares personal anecdotes and actionable steps to help readers identify their passions, overcome fear and uncertainty, and create a plan to bridge the gap between their current job and their desired future. This book serves as a roadmap for those seeking fulfillment and success in their professional lives.

Who should read Quitter

Young professionals seeking guidance on transitioning from a day job to their dream career.
Individuals feeling stuck in their current job and yearning for a change.
Entrepreneurs looking for practical advice on balancing their day job and side hustle.

Topics in Quitter

Career Change Personal Development Entrepreneurship Self-Help Finding Your Passion Goal Setting Motivational Success Self-Discovery Self-Care Time Management Productivity Networking Confidence

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