WHY DO I KEEP LOSING FOCUS?

You know what it is like to be sitting at your desk with a lot of work, but for some reason, you just cannot seem to concentrate. You are distracted. Every noise that goes on around you—from the traffic outside to a notification on your phone—has the power today to pull your attention away from your work. Moreover, when you do finish the work, you have a big feeling that the quality has suffered because you were not able to focus.

This is something with which most people are familiar. The work takes twice as long and quality suffers because you are just not able to control the distractions around you. This can lead to selfdoubt. It can also be frustrating until you learn how to master your own attention. In order to help you strengthen the focus that you do have, it is important to learn why you may be losing your focus in the first place. There are usually five factors that contribute to a lack of focus: 

• Lack of interest 

• Negative emotions 

• Poor organization 

• Low energy levels 

• Lack of control Let’s break each one of these down and take a quick look at them to get a better understanding of why it is so easy to lose focus.

Lack of interest It is much easier for you to concentrate on a task that interests you. In order to focus, you need to feel engaged in some manner with the task. You need to feel stimulated somehow. 

When you have an interest in the task, you are more likely to zero in on it, and thus ignore the distractions that go on around you. It is truly remarkable what you can do if you are passionate about your work. Like Confucius said thousands of years ago; “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.” Negative emotions When you are in a negative emotional state, your ability to concentrate suffers. If you feel lonely, hostile, depressed, annoyed, or stressed, it can be next to impossible to focus on the important things, at least until you get the feeling under control. 

Your mind will be so preoccupied with these emotions that you will not have enough cognitive resources available to use to manage your attention. Poor organization When you have planned well and organized your day, you will have a better chance at concentrating and ignoring distractions. 

You will find that it is much easier to manage your attention when your day follows a consistent and familiar pattern. With good organization, you will be better able to keep chaos at bay, and it will do wonders for helping you stay focused, regardless of the task. Low levels of energy Another factor that can take away your focus is low energy, something that most people don’t consider. 

You would be surprised at how much energy you need when you have to focus on things for a long time. Your body needs fuel—regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and good food—in order to keep it going. Do not allow yourself to neglect one or more of these elements because your focus will suffer. Staying up late to get other priorities done, spending too much time on the couch rather than moving around, and not eating healthy foods all have a negative impact on your ability to focus. Your brain needs to have enough energy throughout the day so that it can function the right way and provide you with plenty of focus to get things done. 

No matter how energized or focused you are, a lack of sleep can truly affect an individual’s mental state and potential. Lack of control The way that you choose to control your time can also be a big determining factor for how well you can concentrate. If you allow others to interrupt you, you will be unable to achieve the flow state that you need and want in order to work unencumbered by distractions. If people are always distracting you, it is hard to feel immersed in the task. You must learn how to control your own time if you want a chance to develop razor-sharp focus. 

It is not always possible to avoid interruptions, nevertheless, there are steps that you can take to avoid unnecessary interruptions so you can get work done. It doesn’t matter whether the issues revolve around family members, friends, or a significant other – a lack of control can be draining and be a tremendous obstacle to obtaining real focus. 

Is the mind wandering a bad thing? 

When you start to lose focus, your mind is going to wander, however, this isn’t always a bad thing. The key is learning exactly how to make it work for you and use it to your advantage. Mind wandering can be nice because it allows the brain some time to be creative. Mind wandering can help you figure out nontraditional solutions to problems that you are having trouble resolving. 

It can allow you to view things from a different perspective or analyze events or ideas from a more creative perspective. However, this does not mean that you should let your mind wander whenever it wants, because doing so will cut into your performance and productivity. Make sure that you are focusing on the circumstances that need you to do so. The steps in this guidebook will teach you to do this. There are times—taking a walk or going to the gym—when there is nothing wrong with letting your brain wander a bit. 

You may even be pleasantly surprised by the things that your mind can come up with when you allow it to wander at the right times. 

Now that you know the five biggest factors that can make you lose concentration during the day, it is time to move on and learn some of the common obstacles that you may face when you want to stay focused.

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Jose Amoros