HBR's curated Management Tips focus on increasing joy and revitalizing team dynamics in a busy work environment. The tips include making time for social connection, choosing active pursuits, prioritizing activities that energize you, diversifying leisure, and protecting free time. The article also provides advice on how to relaunch a team that has lost its spark.
Each weekday, in our Management Tip of the Day newsletter, HBR offers tips to help you better manage your team—and yourself. Here is a curated selection of our favorite Management Tips on finding meaning and happiness at work.
Make Time for Joy in Your Busy Life When life is packed with work and family demands, joy often falls to the bottom of the priority list. In fact, many professionals spend most of their time on achievement and meaning, leaving little space for happiness. But no matter how busy you are, you can still create more joy in the time you have. Here’s how. Spend time with others. Joy is amplified by connection. Shared activities with family or friends feel more rewarding than solitary ones—even for introverts. While planning social time can take effort, the emotional payoff outweighs the cost. Choose active over passive pursuits. It’s tempting to unwind with TV or social media, but these passive activities yield less happiness than active ones like exercising, pursuing hobbies, or volunteering. Prioritize activities that energize you. Follow your genuine interests. Don’t default to what others label “worthwhile.” Whether it’s organizing, gardening, or gaming, focus on what you find intrinsically enjoyable. Authentic passions offer a stronger boost to well-being. Diversify your leisure. Variety prevents monotony. Too much time spent on a single pursuit can reduce its joy. Mix different activities to keep experiences fresh and engaging. Protect your free time. Work tends to creep into leisure time. Set boundaries and schedule non-work activities deliberately. Even a small amount of well-used downtime can improve your resilience and performance in all areas of your life. This tip is adapted from “How the Busiest People Find Joy,” by Leslie A. Perlow et al. . . . How to Relaunch a Team That’s Lost Its Spark Team dynamics are rarely stable. A new hire, a departure, a strategy shift—each change reshapes how your team functions. Yet most leaders push forward without resetting, which can lead to misalignment and burnout. If your team’s energy is off, it may be time for a full relaunch. Here’s how. Start with diagnosis. Don’t leap into action before understanding the root causes. Assess alignment on goals, trust levels, engagement, and external pressures. Use one-on-ones, anonymous surveys, or facilitated discussions to surface what’s unspoken. Rebuild psychological safety. After disruption, trust suffers. Create space for vulnerability with team check-ins and retrospectives. Model openness and invite feedback through structured, inclusive conversations. Reestablish direction. Reground the team in its core purpose. Clarify goals, reaffirm your value to the organization, and set a forward-looking tone that motivates and aligns. Reset ways of working. Define roles, decision rights, and team norms. Be explicit about expectations—especially when working across time zones or functions. Streamline meetings to ensure time is well spent. Build momentum with quick wins. Reinforce positive behavior by making successes visible. Celebrate progress, reflect on lessons, and renew team rituals to keep energy high. Stay flexible. Relaunches aren’t one-time events. Reassess the state of your team regularly and course-correct as needed to maintain momentum. This tip is adapted from “6 Steps to Reset a Demotivated Team,” by Alyson Meister and Ina Toegel. . . . Be Intentional About How You Spend Your Time For the sake of your happiness and productivity, it’s tempting to try to squeeze every second of distraction and leisure out of your days. But a better approach is to manage your time in accordance with your priorities by distinguishing between the activities you actually like and those you don’t—and then ridding yourself of the latter. Here are two ways to get started. Schedule your downtime. Time blocking doesn’t have to be limited to your work calendar. Block everything, including hobbies, leisure, and even daydreaming. For example, you might write “Goof off” on your planner from 1:30 to 2 PM tomorrow. Since goofing off is no longer an uninvited guest in your schedule, it doesn’t throw off your rhythm, and your odds of being back to work at 2 PM rise dramatically. Put a price on your bad habits. Think of your income in terms of an hourly wage, and assign a corresponding monetary value to the time you spend on other activities. If you consume the average amount of social media in the U.S. and earn the average hourly wage , you’re effectively “spending” about $71 worth of time per day on this activity. When you feel the cost of your bad habits, you’re less likely to waste your time. Thie tip is adapted from The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, by Arthur C. Brooks. . . . Translate Strategy into Meaning and Action When big strategic changes are announced from the top, they often feel abstract or irrelevant to the people doing the day-to-day work. As a leader, your job is to translate strategy into meaning and action. Here’s how. Gauge your team’s mindset. Don’t assume everyone shares your enthusiasm. Consider what motivates them and what they might resist. Talk to well-connected employees to understand how the change is likely to land. Equip your frontline managers. They’re the ones employees trust most. Make sure they understand the change, believe in it, and are ready to communicate clearly and consistently. Give them tools and space to talk through concerns. Translate the change into real terms. Don’t just explain the “why”—show the “how.” Break it down into timelines, tasks, and outcomes. Help people connect the change to their own roles and goals. Stay grounded in empathy. Change creates uncertainty. Acknowledge people’s fears without rushing them. Share progress as it happens and spotlight early adopters to make success tangible. Escalate valid concerns. Not all pushback is resistance—some of it signals a better way forward. Surface those insights to senior leadership. This tip is adapted from “Building Employee Buy-In for Strategic Change,” by Rebecca Knight. . . . 4 Ways to Break the Cycle of Digital Exhaustion If your workday feels like a blur of nonstop meetings, unread messages, and screen hopping, you might be dealing with digital exhaustion. Instead of letting digital tools fragment your focus and drain your energy, use these strategies to reset. Stop using half your tools. Too many apps force your brain into constant modality shifts. Audit every digital tool you use. Remove duplicates, eliminate low-value platforms, and limit others to scheduled use. Even simple steps like disabling push notifications can cut daily context switching and reclaim hours of focus. Match the message to the medium. Not all communication channels are created equal. Use video calls for complex, emotional, or nuanced conversations. Stick to email or text for straightforward, routine tasks. Set clear norms with your team so everyone knows when to escalate from written to live conversation. Balance batching with streaming. Batching emails by setting aside defined times to process messages in bulk saves time but can create anxiety about the backlog. Streaming by responding to messages as they arrive reduces the backlog but fragments your attention. So combine both approaches. Reserve specific windows for batch processing and set rules for real-time replies, like responding only to a small list of VIPs. Use “time tiers” for replies. Not everything needs an instant response. Adopt a one-hour, one-day, one-week framework: Reply quickly to simple asks, give space for thoughtful answers, and delay big-picture items. Set expectations with colleagues early, acknowledge receipt, and share your timeline. This tip is adapted from “8 Simple Rules for Beating Digital Exhaustion,” by Paul Leonardi. . . . Combat Loneliness on Your Team As a manager, you have the power to shape your team’s social environment, reducing loneliness and fostering connection. Addressing this issue isn’t just good for morale—it’s essential for a healthy, productive workplace. Here are some steps you can take to help your team feel more connected. Measure loneliness. Start by assessing the prevalence of loneliness on your team. Collect data anonymously to ensure you get honest responses and a clearer picture of social dynamics. Design slack into workflows. Allow room in schedules for casual, informal interactions, and make sure people’s workloads don’t prevent them from connecting with each other. Create a culture of connection. To cultivate a supportive environment, encourage small, everyday actions—like checking in with colleagues or expressing appreciation—and model these behaviors yourself to foster an inclusive environment. Build socializing into the work rhythm. Regularly offer social activities like team lunches or brief chitchat in meetings. Embed these into daily routines to facilitate natural interactions. Keep it simple. No need for elaborate events; free lunches, happy hours, or casual check-ins are highly effective and easy to implement. Leverage work modes. Incorporate remote and in-person options, like virtual games or offsite retreats, to connect employees regardless of where and how they work. Actively recruit participants. Encourage engagement by personally inviting employees to social activities. A little persistence can help even the most reluctant team members feel included. This tip is adapted from “We’re Still Lonely at Work,” by Constance Noonan Hadley and Sarah L. Wright. . . . Rediscover Your Spark as a Leader Research shows that chronic workplace stress impacts our emotional well-being and can lead to physical health issues and cognitive impairments. It can also hurt a team’s work and strain relationships. But by proactively addressing what’s getting in the way of your team’s satisfaction, connection, and purpose, you can transform your workplace into a space brimming with optimism. Here’s how to rediscover that spark. Find your “why.” Reconnect with what drives you. Reflect on what brings you joy at work—and aligns with your values. This clarity will reignite your passion and purpose. Embrace a beginner’s mindset. Approach challenges with curiosity. Let go of preconceived notions and explore new possibilities with fresh eyes. Sprinkle gratitude like confetti. Celebrate small wins and express gratitude often. These simple gestures can uplift spirits and strengthen team bonds. Fuel your joy. Create a “happy folder” filled with positive feedback and memories. It’s a reminder of your value during tough times. This tip is adapted from “Finding Joy as a Manager—Even on Bad Days,” by Daisy Auger-Domínguez. . . . How to Take Better Breaks Most people feel pressure to push through fatigue, but skipping breaks leads to burnout, poor focus, and lower productivity. Recognize that recovery isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a strategy for long-term success. By taking intentional breaks, you can recharge your mind, boost creativity, and improve overall performance. Here’s how to make your breaks more effective. Time them wisely. Short, well-placed breaks—especially in the morning or right after demanding tasks—help you sustain energy and focus throughout the day. Get moving. Walking, stretching, or any light physical activity reenergizes your body and clears mental fog. Relax your mind. Deep breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation resets cognitive function and reduces stress. Prioritize social connection. Casual, positive conversations with colleagues boost mood and foster collaboration. Do something creative. Breaks don’t have to be idle—brainstorming, mentoring, or reflecting can be refreshing and productive. Take control of your time. Choose break activities that work for you, whether it’s alone time, a walk, or a quick personal task. Handle personal errands. Running small errands or taking care of family needs can reduce mental load and help you refocus. This tip is adapted from “A Guide to Taking Better Breaks at Work,” by Kira Schabram and Christopher M. Barnes. . . . Regain Control of Your Calendar According to user data from Reclaim.ai, a calendar-app company, the average full-time white-collar professional in the U.S. spends 17.8 hours a week in meetings. If you want to be happier at work , you should fight against the scourge of time-consuming, unproductive meetings at every opportunity. Here are some steps you can take to regain control of the calendar. Ruthlessly avoid and cancel meetings. In many cases, as a leader, you can skip very large gatherings without consequence. If you’re the convener, cancel all meetings that don’t have a clear agenda or purpose. Build in workdays without meetings. If possible, create a policy of guaranteeing entire meeting-free workdays on your team. For example, in a hybrid format, a good policy might be to hold all meetings on the days when people come to the office. Keep meetings to half an hour or less. Make meetings more efficient by having a tight focus and getting right to the point—and committing to finishing within a short window. Don’t invite everybody. As the size of a group increases, members’ individual efforts tend to fall. Keep the group as small as possible by only including the minimum number of people necessary to accomplish the task at hand. This tip is adapted from The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, by Arthur C. Brooks. . . . The Power of Volunteering If you’re searching for deeper fulfillment beyond your career, volunteering is a powerful way to find it. The impact you make doesn’t have to be grand—starting small can create meaningful change. Here’s how to get started. Don’t let doubt hold you back. It’s easy to feel like one person’s efforts won’t matter, but focusing on what you can influence—whether in your neighborhood, community, or a cause close to your heart—makes a real difference. Start small—and start now. Many people wait until they’re more accomplished or financially secure before giving back. But if you keep waiting for the right time to take action, you could be waiting forever. Find an organization or initiative that aligns with your values, and begin in a way that fits your current capacity. You might even ask what organizations your friends and colleagues are involved in. Even small contributions add up over time. Stay open to where volunteering might lead. You may start with a few hours a month, only to realize your passion for a cause shapes your long-term path in unexpected ways. As your values evolve, you may even find a cause worth pursuing professionally—leading to a career that aligns with your purpose. This tip is adapted from “Looking for a Sense of Purpose? Volunteer.” by Harry Kraemer.
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