The busiest people aren't the ones missing joy
Hi friends,
I recently read an article in Harvard Business Review called “How the Busiest People Find Joy” by Leslie Perlow, Sari Mentser, and Salvatore Affinito.
And honestly? It felt incredibly relevant to the burnout conversation so many of us are living right now.
The article shares something I see constantly with clients:
High achievers already have achievements. Many have meaning, too.
But joy? That’s the missing piece.
Somewhere along the way, joy became something we told ourselves we’d get to later:
after the launch
after the promotion
after the kids are older
after things “slow down”
Hi friends,
I recently read an article in Harvard Business Review called “How the Busiest People Find Joy” by Leslie Perlow, Sari Mentser, and Salvatore Affinito.
And honestly? It felt incredibly relevant to the burnout conversation so many of us are living right now.
The article shares something I see constantly with clients:
High achievers already have achievements. Many have meaning, too.
But joy? That’s the missing piece.
Somewhere along the way, joy became something we told ourselves we’d get to later:
after the launch
after the promotion
after the kids are older
after things “slow down”
But the research suggests something important: Joy doesn’t come from having unlimited free time. It comes from being intentional with the little time we do have.
The researchers found that people who experienced more joy tended to:
engage in active experiences instead of passive numbing
spend time with people they care about
make room for activities that personally light them up
diversify their lives beyond work
protect their free time instead of constantly sacrificing it
This matters because burnout isn’t just exhaustion. Burnout is often the slow disappearance of:
delight
play
curiosity
presence
connection to yourself
And no amount of productivity hacks can replace those things.
One of the questions I’ve been sitting with lately is:
What brings me alive that has nothing to do with achievement?
Not useful. Not productive. Not optimized.
Just… joyful.
Maybe that’s the real work for many of us right now.