Finding Focus: Reflections on Running a Writing Retreat

Posted on: 3 November 2025 by Dr Selina Johnson (Number of words: 513; Read time: 4 minutes) in Blog posts

Selina is a clinical researcher and pain physiotherapist working within ILCAMS. Her research is focused on supporting people living with chronic pain. In this blog, she shares shares reflections on organising a writing retreat — and how it helped boost focus, productivity, and connection.

Like many researchers, I often juggle multiple competing demands – meetings, emails, clinical work, and project deadlines. Writing is central to all of this, but it can be a struggle to feel productive and effective when writing. I often feel I haven’t achieved as much as I would like in the time I have. Recently, I had the opportunity to run a writing retreat as a member of the Research Staff Association, and the experience has reshaped how I think about making time to write. 

What struck me most was the value of protected time. The retreat created a space where writing was the sole focus. Phones were tucked away, emails ignored, and the expectation was simply to show up and write. Having this structure removed distractions and gave permission to focus. I found that in this environment, my productivity increased noticeably – not because I was writing faster, but because I was writing with greater concentration and consistency. 

The format of the retreat was deliberately structured. We worked in focused writing blocks, broken up with scheduled, short, planned breaks. This rhythm of intense concentration followed by time to step away was surprisingly effective. The breaks provided opportunity to step back and reflect, so that each following writing block was approached with new focus. It reminded me that the focus required for writing can't be achieved from continuous forced effort but requires a paced approach to sustain focus. Our minds need breaks!

Another powerful aspect of the retreat was doing this alongside others, fitting with the University’s ‘Collaborative’ Value. Writing can feel like an isolating task, but in the retreat setting, it became a shared experience. We began each session by setting individual goals and sharing them with the group. At the end of each block, we reflected briefly on what we had achieved. This simple act of speaking goals out loud created a sense of accountability. It was no longer just about my personal discipline – I felt encouraged by knowing that others were also working towards their own targets. Sharing experiences about what helped us focus, or the challenges we encountered, normalised the ups and downs of academic writing and provided perspective.  

For me, the key learning is that writing productivity can be increased when given structure, focus, and shared accountability. A retreat provides all three in a concentrated format, but these principles can also be adapted into everyday working life. Protecting time, breaking it into manageable chunks, setting clear goals, and finding ways to share progress with others are small but powerful steps that can make writing more productive and less daunting. 

Running the retreat was both rewarding and eye-opening. It reminded me that writing is not simply an individual endeavour but can be strengthened by community and sharing experiences. Moving forward, I plan to apply these simple lessons to my own work and have already used the same structure to work with colleagues on qualitative coding.  I would encourage others to consider attending or holding their own mini-writing retreats – whether alone or with colleagues.