Losing focus is a pretty common problem. In this day and age, most people work sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen, at least for some portion of the day. There are so many factors that contribute to being unfocused, easily distracted, or becoming restless when you try to complete a focused task.
Let’s take a look at some of those factors, and how you can combat them.
Changeable Mood
One factor which many people don’t even realize is affecting them, is their changeable mood. Our mood affects pretty much every aspect of our lives, including our ability to concentrate on one thing for a long period of time.
Our mood can be affected by many different influences. One of these is our diet. If you drink coffee and/or eat a high sugar diet, this could affect how you concentrate throughout the day, based on the fact that your mood will vary dramatically as a response to these stimuli. Coffee is, as you know, caffeinated. Caffeine helps us concentrate, sharpens our focus, and boosts our heart rate. However, when your body processes this caffeine, you can experience a ‘low’ feeling, which resembles an immediate hit of tiredness and lack of motivation. This will encourage you to get yourself yet another coffee; and so the cycle continues.
Similarly, sugar can have the desired effect of boosting your mood, making you energetic, sociable, and optimistic. However, when this sugar is digested, your blood sugar will dip, causing you to ‘crash’. A low sugar diet helps you stabilize your moods and therefore maintain better focus throughout the day.
If you are struggling to concentrate, you can invest in the best focus supplements which contain ingredients such as Omega 3, which is proven to help your cognitive processes.
Distractions
Life is full of distractions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all learned pretty quickly that working in a crowded environment can be highly distracting. You might have found yourself trying to work from home, while your kids complete their lessons in the same room and your partner is on a conference call next door. Distractions are tough to overcome. So how can we combat them?
Firstly, having a workspace which is calm and tranquil will help you. Set your boundaries. If you are working, you shouldn’t be also trying to hold conversations with family, keep on your social media, and placate the kids at the same time. If you want to focus, you need to curate a focused environment.
Secondly, try putting your iPhone on airplane mode while you work. Your phone can be distracting you without you even realizing it; put it down, and get on with your day.
Anxiety
Anxiety can cause us to hyperfocus on small things while losing focus on the bigger picture. One way to combat this is through practicing meditation and exercise. Using your body to focus on your breathing and relaxation each day will help you clear your mind and be focused for longer.
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