Staying Focused in a Distracted World

With 24/7 access to information and constant updates, messages, and digital interruptions, how can we stay focused on what matters most? In a Harvard Business Review article from 2017, Mike Erwin suggests several solutions, including “build periods of solitude into your schedule” and “don’t be too busy to learn how to be less busy.”

Erwin’s article was focused on individuals building periods of downtime into their schedule, but how can companies institute solutions like this for all employees?

One way is to take your employees on a wilderness retreat with Mintaka. Some executives claim that their companies would suffer if they took a few days off for a company retreat—but if you’re concerned about lost productivity from a few days out of the office, think about how much productivity is lost through burnout, through employees quitting, and through lack of focus at work. If a few days out of the office could help improve productivity for the rest of the year, wouldn’t you take advantage of it?

Mintaka’s wilderness retreats focus on building skills like agile leadership, mindfulness, resilience, and emotional intelligence. We give employees a chance to disconnect from technology and connect with the vision and mission of your company, while building relationships with their coworkers and finding space for clarity and creativity.

Obviously one wilderness retreat won’t solve the problem of lack of focus at work. The ability to focus is like a muscle, built up as it’s used over time. But in conjunction with other measures, showing your employees that you care about taking time to focus and connect by going on a company wilderness retreat can go a long way in helping employees and workplaces learn how to disconnect from distractions and focus on what really matters.