I feel like saying we need to all calm down a little. Let’s take the time to breathe. I have no intention of allowing myself be distracted. – Pauline Marois
Distractions are always a part of life. We all lose focus at one point or another. However, some people find it hard to focus for a significant period of time. They keep getting distracted, sidetracked, or wasting time with things that don’t really matter. And, sometimes, we are those people. Perhaps, it happens to you?
Distractions can be small obstacles that come together to make a huge problem, so it’s important not to let this issue get too far. If you often find yourself unable to truly focus on something, there are some strategies to try.
Consider your priorities
The first step to reclaim your focus is to decide on your priorities. What do you want to focus on? Consider the things that matter the most at the moment and what you truly need to take into account.
In adult life, it’s rare the time when you truly get time off everything but one thing, so you will usually have more than one priority. You might want to center your family but still have to go to work. So you can make a list of priorities that considers the key things in your life. Decide how much time, energy, and, yes, focus you will be giving each element.
Take more time to rest
This piece of advice might seem counterintuitive, however, resting more and taking more breaks can help you stay focused when working. When you are tired, you struggle to maintain focus and works tends to expand, occupying more space in your life and also exhausting you further.
You may not be focused during breaks, but short and long pauses feed your concentration. It’s especially important to sleep as well as possible at night. Make sure you are getting around 8 hours, and you will find that your focus has much improved!
Simplify
Another risk factor for distraction is having just too many things to consider or to do. When all tasks become too complex, it’s hard to get anything done. Try to consider how you can simplify your life and toss whatever you don’t need.
First, try to get rid of activities that are not useful for you, that are harmful, and that are not really important, like, perhaps, social media. Then, try to automate and simplify many different activities. For instance, do meal planning, develop a capsule wardrobe that looks good no matter how you match, set an auto-payment plan for your bills. Take time away from things that don’t need as much attention or as much time.
Your focus is sure to thrive with less to occupy it, especially when you can distinguish between useful and unimportant tasks. Try to reduce as much mental workload as you can.
Feed your brain
Your focus depends on your overall health and especially the health of the brain. You can do things to help yourself feel better and also improve your brain by giving it the nurturing it needs. On one hand, it refers to food. Some foods, like avocado or salmon, seem to favor your mind’s ability to focus, think, and solve. Fruit and vegetables are also great.
But beyond food, you also need to keep your brain fed in other ways. It requires a certain degree of stimulation: learning, exercise, work, but not overstimulation. It also thrives with a certain degree of novelty, so try to vary your routine in big and small ways to help yourself.
Seek help
A dramatic loss of focus or a lifelong inability to focus can be a sign of a deeper situation. Depression and anxiety lead to higher distractibility, for instance. People with ADD or attention deficit disorder tend to have a different way of focusing than their peers.
It’s useful to seek help when the problem doesn’t get solved no matter what we do. Medical and psychological help is sure to provide different options for improving focus while taking into account your particular needs. If focus is becoming too hard to find, getting help can be a good idea.
