Whatever your job is, there is a good chance you can get away with doing the minimum. You can fall into a pattern of slipping on deadlines, asking for more time, and not staying on top of a project. It’s less than a regular effort; it’s the minimum.

If you add just enough value to get by, and business is good enough for whoever is hiring you to keep you around, you can still maintain a working relationship.

It would be fair for you to expect the minimum in return as well. Minimum results, minimum opportunities, and minimum value added.

If you find yourself doing the minimum, ask yourself this: Why? What’s the reason you’re doing the minimum? Not as a challenge to yourself, or as a punishment—but to genuinely inquire as to the reason.

Are you saving your time and energy for something else—and if so, what is it? 

Are you struggling to find a fit with the culture and team? 

Are you trying to do too many things and failing to deliver? 

Is it temporary, or is it a pattern?

(If you are managing someone doing the minimum, you can also modify these questions to try to see the world from their perspective.)