When a new task is assigned to you, it’s better to stay focused for better learning. But what if maintaining focus for a long duration becomes a herculean task?
This problem might seem insignificant in the first place to you; however, when looked into, it turns out to be an exceptionally serious one. For that cause, having a deep understanding of the reasons for lack of focus is a must for you.
Most people can retain their focus for a quite long period of time; on the other hand, there are people who face difficulty in maintaining focus for even a short period of time. That is for even four to five minutes. People who are able to maintain their focus for a long period of time are generally able to fetch it back if it wanders off. But a vast majority of people find it hard to control their ship of thoughts in the sea of distractions (the world nowadays).
Symptoms of a less focused brain
- Problem in staying focused for even a short span of time.
- Facing problems when reading something, sometimes it feels even impossible to stay focused while reading something.
- Finding it hard to focus during conversations. When in a group or even with a single person.
- Finding it hard while trying to stay focused on one task.
- Even a small diversion takes you away from work.
- Feeling mentally exhausted for most of the time.
Reasons for lack of Focus
Reasons for such behavior could be the lifestyle you are living in, any medical condition, or some sort of psychological condition. People, who suffer from any psychological condition tend to take more time in completing a task as compared with their classmates, colleagues, etc.
For that person, while learning new concepts and things, he needs to show much effort to be totally present in that moment, and it also becomes harder to remember what was taught in class. Eventually this leads to feelings of frustration, self-guilt, low self-esteem, and inferiority complexes. Hence, it is very important to get out of this ASAP.
1. Everyday habits
a) Constant phone checking habit
There is a bigger science that works behind the phone addiction, and due to less knowledge, you fell for it.
This neuroscience works on dopamine hormone. It is a feel-good hormone, which is secreted every time when your body or mind experiences pleasure.
Every time you see your phone; you see something new; your brain gets a small dopamine hit; you feel momentary excitement.
Repeatedly checking your phone conditions your brain to expect and seek a reward with every interruption.
Over time, your brain starts seeking distraction automatically — even without notifications. You may notice gradually that you have started picking up your phone even without intention or while working. This decreases attention span and self-control.
In this internet era where the world is trending with shorts and swipes, this habit has become one of the main reasons for lack of focus.
b) Stimulation
Reading or studying besides listening to music, podcasts, videos, etc. divides attention. Because your brain processes rhythm, lyrics, and emotional tone—even if you think you’re ignoring it.
This again works on dopamine conditioning. As cravings for dopamine increase, you will become dependent on external inputs for finding pleasure in studies and other slow-paced chores. Silence becomes a foe.
c) Working relentlessly
Working constantly without short breaks also lead to mental fatigue, reduced creativity and lower productivity.
2. Multitasking
Four friends have planned a frequent meeting in a park or a cafe to gossip and share daily experiences. It seems they are going to have fun. Now when they are all together now, two of them are talking and sharing with full energy. Other two of them are also conversating but simultaneously and regularly checking their mobile phones also. Chances are either they are checking an email from office or scrolling down the shorts of their favorite influencers. All in all, these two are multitasking.
Multitasking is enjoyed by mostly every youngster. Same can be noticed while people are working. Preparing an excel sheet, answering a call, having coffee and checking the wall clock regularly as you have a meeting to attend goes hand in hand.
Finding yourself able to multitask initially may give you a thrill, but eventually this habit affects your brain’s capability to stay focused. People are more inclined to making errors while doing more than one work simultaneously.
3. Chronic stress
Long-term stress makes big changes in the brain’s working. A stressed brain mostly stays in fight-or-flight mode, which should be in focus mode.
Chronic stress reduces the activity in the prefrontal cortex of your brain, which is responsible for sustained attention, self-control, decision-making and much more. Your brain emphasizes threat detection over deep thinking.
4. Psychological conditions
People who have a long history of depression or anxiety might show low concentration level. Its other consequences include:
- Trouble in remembering things for even short periods.
- Sadness.
- Negative thoughts.
- Bad decision making.
ADHD can be noticed in all stages of a person’s life. People show impetuous behavior, and concentrating power reaches almost to the bottom level. Understanding the true nature of things, tasks, people, and jobs becomes almost impossible for a person with this mental condition.
OVERTHINKING could be a chief reason behind being less focused. This habit can eat up most of your time throughout the day. The extremity of overthinking can differ from low to high depending upon the time span it has been persistent. Overthinking and focus are directly proportional to each other.
Other mental health conditions like Maladaptive Daydreaming or Social Anxiety Disorder also act as reasons for lack of focus.
5. Certain Drugs
People on some sort of medication can have problems maintaining focus for a long time as one of its side effects. Drugs used to cure the following conditions:
- withdrawal symptoms (Mostly from excess alcohol use disorder)
- anxiety disorders
- depression
These drugs can affect your power to concentrate constantly on a task.
6. Other reasons
a) Insufficient sleep
A good sleep recharges the brain and body for the next day’s adventures. Imagine that you want to sleep after being dead tired, and all of a sudden, a mobile notification tone shifts your focus to a new video updated by one of your favorite YouTubers. What happens to your brain cells, which needed healing from a sound and healthy sleep? The brain’s recovery cycle gets disturbed.
Insomnia, or the inability to sleep well, can have bad consequences on the mind’s recalling power and focus level. Tired minds are not considered healthy minds. All right measures taken within time are necessary to improve the quality of sleep.
b) Lack of clear goals
If you do not have a fixed goal to work upon, you always show shallow engagements. Instead of being committed, you doubt and overthink your decisions in general.
You notice that you have been busy the whole day, but still, you are restless. Simply, your attention system gets confused about where to allocate the energy.
Remember – attention is not just about willpower; it is a guided mechanism.
c) Non active lifestyle
“A healthy brain lives in a healthy body.” Many see it as a sign of coolness, but living life in a dormant condition for a long time might make your brain cells kind of drowsy. Unhealthy lifestyles are more prone to getting sick. And the sickness could be physical and mental as well.
You might have found some resemblances in yourself with these reasons for lack of focus. If yes, let’s try to break these habits.
Treatment
Fortunately, some daily life changes can improve concentration and evade the reasons for lack of focus. But if you are having a mental health condition, stress issues, or using any kind of medication, then consulting a doctor would be better.
1. Less distraction
Switching off the notifications of different applications on a mobile phone can help on a huge level. Emails, social media, and messages should be checked at a specific time and for a specific time throughout the day, which is fixed by you.
Mobile phones are a very important part of our lives, but they should be in our hands only when it is most necessary. If it stays in our hands for most of the time, then there are chances that many other important things will slide by our hands. These could be our family, friends, eyesight, glow on face, etc.
2. Mindfulness
Practicing this art helps in gaining control over your senses, which helps in controlling your thought process simultaneously. If you always stay aware of what kind of thoughts are mostly processed by your mind, then you can choose to discontinue them or let them wander freely.
Discontinuing unnecessary thoughts that are dragging you away from the work you are physically in will shift the focus to that work.
3. Good Sleep
Having adequate sleep is a must for a person who lacks concentration power. A good sleep charges the mind for the tasks ahead.
You must have noticed a child after a long night’s sleep, how he always wakes up fresh and energetic. An exhausted mind is more prone to getting distracted easily. A tired body does not give the desired outcome.
Sleep helps revive the brain cells and removes the waste.
The amount of sleep required for different individuals can be different. A healthy slumber of seven to eight hours at night reduces mental fatigue and improves performance, creativity, and ultimately focus.
I know we love our mobile phones but try to turn off the TV and put away your mobile phone one hour before going to sleep at night.
4. Avoiding multitasking
Instead of having more than one task in hand simultaneously, it’s better to have one task completed first. If the nature of employment is purely multitasking, then try to have only two tasks in hand at one time.
5. Noticing Pattern
If you observe carefully, a pattern in thought process can be noticed. Being aware of how and when the mind often gets distracted can make it easier to bring attention back to the moment.
Consciously knowing the difference between the more important task and the less important one gives the mind a clear choice of managing them.
6. Exercise
Consistent exercise habits sharpen learning and thinking. Endorphins released while workout helps in lowering the stress levels, depression, and anxiety. Positivity increases, and negative thoughts are reduced.
Getting in shape helps in being confident about your appearance. In most cases, people with regular workout routines stay younger and live longer. Ultimately, many reasons for lack of focus in a person get treated at the same time.
7. Taking short breaks
These do not make you a lazy person if you do them on purpose and strategically. Instead, techniques like Pomodoro, the 90-minute focus cycle, the 20-20-20 rule, etc. really help in bringing attention back to the tasks.
Final thoughts
Facing defeat again and again sometimes makes people irritable and belligerent. Some people develop a safety wall around them, not letting anyone else enter their thoughts and perspectives. As time passes, these walls become indestructible.
It is better you stop those walls from growing higher with in time; otherwise, getting out of it will become very difficult.