Activity Calendar Boosts Morale
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A strategy for improving workplace morale by always having scheduled future events for employees to look forward to, inspired by Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning."
Core Concept
- Having something to look forward to improves morale and engagement
- Regular scheduled activities give employees positive anticipation
- Mix of competitive and collaborative events keeps things interesting
Types of Activities Implemented
Food-Based Events
- Eating contests (e.g., 12 Krispy Kreme donuts challenge)
- Blind taste tests
- Water bottle brand identification
- Grape variety guessing ($100 prize)
- Apple variety identification
Shopping Challenges
- Costco team competition
- Teams of 2 people
- $200 budget per team ($100 food, $100 non-food)
- 20-minute time limit
- Group voting on best purchases
- Encourages trying new items people wouldn't buy themselves
Monthly Budget Structure
- ~$1,000 monthly activity budget
- One person gets to choose group activity each month
- Focus on creative, fun experiences over expensive outings
- Activities that create memorable shared experiences
Key Success Factors
- Regular calendar of events
- Mix of different activity types
- Competitive elements with prizes
- Group participation and voting
- Relatively low cost for high impact
- Creates lasting memories and stories
- Gives people something to discuss during regular workday
The framework emphasizes that successful team building doesn't require large budgets - it's about creativity and giving people something to anticipate and discuss together.
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.