How I’m building a deep work retreat in Zanzibar for founders who are tired of half‑shipped projects
I’m a digital nomad currently based in Zanzibar, and over the last years I kept seeing the same pattern in myself and everyone around me: endless ideas, half‑shipped projects, and a to‑do list that never really gets ‘done’. So I decided to build something I couldn’t find anywhere else: a 2‑week deep work retreat on the beach in Zanzibar for founders, freelancers and makers who are ready to actually finish something.
Instead of another coworking trip where everyone secretly keeps procrastinating, goldenweeks is built like a focused container: every participant commits to one clear goal before arriving, we design our days around deep work blocks, daily check‑ins and honest accountability, and we keep the group intentionally small so people can really support each other.
The first groups showed me something I didn’t expect: it’s less about ‘more time to work’ and more about having the right environment and people around you. Once you remove decision fatigue (where to work, when to go for lunch, what to do after) and add gentle social pressure, shipping becomes the default.
Right now I’m preparing the next retreat in Zanzibar for November 2026 and I’m looking for people who:
– are sitting on a project they’ve been postponing for months
– want a mix of focused work, ocean swims and real connection
– are curious about living/working from East Africa, even if just for a few weeks
If that’s you, I’d love to hear:
What is the one project you would commit to finishing in 2 weeks if you had full focus, accountability and no distractions?
Happy to share more behind-the-scenes about pricing, logistics, or how I’m filling the retreat while bootstrapping everything.”
What stood out to me wasn't the accountability piece.
It was that the first groups changed your understanding of what people were actually buying.
That's one of those moments I'd be hesitant to gloss over because it can quietly change who the retreat is really for, what gets emphasized, and which future feedback deserves the most weight.
The challenge isn't that the original idea was wrong.
It's figuring out which part of the experience is actually doing the heavy lifting.
Wow, this is such a sharp reflection – thank you for pointing that out. You’re right, what surprised me most was realizing that people weren’t just buying ‘more time to work’, but the environment, structure and social container around it. I like your framing of ‘figuring out which part is doing the heavy lifting’ – that’s exactly what I’m currently refining for the next retreat.
What makes that tricky is that several parts of the experience can look important at the same time.
That's why I'd be hesitant to rush the conclusion.
The difficult part isn't identifying what participants enjoyed.
It's figuring out which part actually deserves the credit before future decisions start getting built around it.
I wouldn't try to unpack that properly in a thread.
If you're curious, drop your email and I'll send over the tighter version.