Finding Focus Through a Scavenger Hunt

By Michelle Xuan, enFocus Intern
As a Summer Intern at enFocus, one of the last things I expected to do during my first week was participate in a scavenger hunt. Yet that experience turned into an unexpected lesson about focus, productivity, and applying what I was learning in real time.

During my first few days, enFocus organized a series of speaker sessions to introduce interns to the South Bend-Elkhart region, local career opportunities, and professional development skills. Topics ranged from workplace communication and goal-setting to time management and productivity.

At the end of one session, we were challenged to visit the St. Joseph County Public Library and find a book, artwork, or exhibit that connected to something we had learned throughout the day. As I explored the library, I came across a piece covered in sticky notes that immediately reminded me of a presentation by Lauren Richardson, Content Marketing Specialist at enFocus, about the challenges of multitasking.

Lauren shared several practical strategies for staying organized and managing competing priorities. One takeaway that stood out to me was the importance of finding a task-management system that works for you. It does not need to be the most popular app or the most sophisticated tool. What matters is choosing a method that helps you stay focused and productive. For Lauren, that method includes using sticky notes, which is why the artwork immediately caught my attention.

As I studied the piece, I found it difficult to focus on any single element. The abundance of sticky notes created a sense of visual clutter, making it challenging to understand the overall message. That experience reminded me of another key lesson from Lauren's presentation: the value of monotasking.

In a world full of distractions, it is easy to believe we are accomplishing more by juggling multiple tasks at once. In reality, constantly shifting our attention can make it harder to do our best work. Looking at the artwork, I realized that the clutter itself was preventing me from focusing, much like trying to manage too many tasks at the same time.

The scavenger hunt encouraged me to connect what I was learning in the classroom-style sessions with a real-world experience. By reflecting on the artwork through the lens of Lauren's presentation, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of focus, organization, and intentional work habits.

“What started as a simple scavenger hunt became a memorable reminder that sometimes doing less at once can help us accomplish more. Experiences like this are one of the many ways enFocus encourages interns to develop skills that extend beyond a single project and into their future careers.”