We’ve all struggled to focus at one point or another—we’re only human, after all. But, sometimes having trouble concentrating might be because of something bigger than just our incessant phone notifications or a poor night's sleep.
If you’re struggling with longer periods of brain-fog, it’s important to understand the why. Why are you having trouble focusing? And how can we work with our minds to feel more present and productive?
Let’s explore some of the top things that get in our way, and how we can create lasting habits for boosted focus and overall mental fitness.
Reason #1: You’re trying to do the impossible—multitasking
Many of us have claimed to be masters of juggling multiple tasks at once. Well, what if we told you that what you’re actually doing is called “task switching”, and it is having major effects on your attention span.
Task switching is the act of shifting focus from one task to another, quickly and often. And, every time you do it, you’re actually falling victim to the “switch cost effect”. This effect suggests that every time you switch tasks, you're losing a lot of mental energy (and time) shifting and re-shifting your focus back and forth.
Further research shows that the time it takes to refocus due to small, temporary task shifts, can cause you to lose up to 40% of your day’s productive work time.
So, what can you do to minimise it and improve concentration?
Carve out communication windows
Keeping up with a growing influx of emails, WhatsApps, and social media notifications can feel like a full-time job in itself - whether you’re a parent navigating school group chats or at work juggling incessant Slacks and emails, these frequent interruptions may be doing more harm than good.
Research shows that the average worker can spend up to 28% of their work week checking emails alone, and studies also show that regularly checking for messages increases stress levels and heart rate. Add in the cognitive load of constant notifications, and it’s no wonder many of us feel mentally drained. That’s a lot of task switching and lost focus. To combat this, try setting aside dedicated blocks of time to check your emails and WhatsApps, and focus on this single task completely.
Put “do not disturb” times in your diary
Although they seem harmless, quick “pop-in” chats and requests can add up, and quietly chip away at your energy and focus.
If you’re finding a lot of your day is broken up by too many “quick” questions or unexpected tasks, it may be worth incorporating “do not disturb” times into your day.
At work, this might look like:
- Changing your active status on your organisation’s communication platform (e.g. Teams, Slack, etc.)
- Blocking out your availability on your calendar
- Displaying some form of ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign or symbol on your desk or door.
At home, protecting your recharge space can mean:
- Putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” during dinner or bedtime routines
- Creating a short “reset” window before school pick-up
- Letting your family know you’re taking 10 minutes to recharge
Reason #2: You're avoiding something
No job or family is perfect 100% of the time. We all have at least one difficult task that we don’t like to do. For some, however, this dislike can grow into dread, and lead to severe procrastination.
According to the Cognitive Load Theory, when we avoid tough situations at work, it’s often because we have a fear of failure or inadequacy tied to that task. This is because we can’t draw from our long term memory and easily “autopilot” through the work. Instead, we have to rely on our much smaller, short-term working memory, which requires more cognitive effort and can cause discomfort and frustration.
This frustration can lead to ‘procrastinatory cognitions’— thoughts that lead us to try and minimise our experience of these negative feelings by avoiding the task that’s triggering them (AKA procrastination). The temporary relief we receive from procrastinating, however, can grow into anxiety over the unfinished task, leading to more overall workplace stress.
At home, it can feel like our to-do list is equally endless, making it tempting to avoid things like addressing tricky behaviour, having a difficult conversation, or keeping the house in order.
So, how can we break this negative feedback loop?
Tackle the tasks you hate most, first
Don’t let the dread of doing certain tasks fester throughout your week. Draw on your time management skills and tackle these tasks first to free up mental space. This way, you'll have the ability to concentrate on the more enjoyable parts of your life, guilt-free.
Reward Yourself
Although procrastinating offers you some relief, this reward is short-lived and can quickly morph into anxiety. Be mindful of the shortfalls of this temporary sense of reward, and instead, aim to create longer-term positive associations to these tasks.
A great way to do this is to give yourself a more substantial reward after accomplishing tasks you dislike. This way, you can condition yourself to prioritise finishing these tasks, to “earn” these more satisfying rewards.
Reason #3: You feel like you're lacking purpose
Research shows that purpose drives engagement, motivation, and wellbeing. We can all fall into autopilot-mode sometimes, and if you don’t understand why what you’re doing matters, you may be experiencing a sense of detachment to your work, resulting in a lack of focus.
According to a study conducted by BetterUp, 9 in 10 workers would take a pay cut in exchange for participating in more purposeful work. Across the board, job satisfaction research shows that having a sense of meaning at work translates into higher levels of engagement.
If you don’t understand why what you're doing is important, you may be experiencing a sense of detachment, resulting in a lack of focus.
Try asking yourself:
- What’s the primary goal of my work, social relationships or my role as a parent?
- What part of my work, community or social routines or family routine brings the most meaning?
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Where could I contribute more, or differently, to feel more engaged?
If you’re reviewing your role at work, consider:
- What is it about my current role that I like/dislike?
- Is there another role or aspect within the business that has caught my interest?
- Where are my current skills and where would I like them to grow?
Finding your purpose doesn’t need to be overwhelming, and can be thought of as a long-term goal that’s supported by tapping into our values and strengths. It’s also one of the core mental fitness skills we can build, making it feel easier to meaningfully contribute to our communities and the world around us.
Reason #4: You’re more than "just tired"
We’ve all had days where we feel tired and disengaged. For some of us, this can be remedied by a few nights of more sleep. For others, this feeling of exhaustion runs a lot deeper, and it’s called burnout.
Burnout is the consequence of long-term, unmanaged stress. This can take a significant toll on your performance, along with your mental health and physical wellbeing too. Some ways you can begin to beat burnout include:
Prioritise quality sleep (emphasis on the quality)
Sleep deprivation goes hand-in-hand with burnout. Long-term lack of sleep can lead to a drop in brain cells and a “thinning out” of our brain’s grey matter—the stuff in our brain that allows us to critically think and make decisions.
If you're finding it increasingly hard to “switch off”, you may be having low quality sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, we should be aiming for 7-9 quality hours of sleep per night. To help make this possible, you can:
- Avoid all stimulants (energy drinks, coffee, alcohol, etc.) 4-6 hours before bed
- Put an end to screen time 2 hours before bed
- Establish a night-time routine that helps you wind down and signal to your body it’s time to rest
- Go to bed and wake up at similar times every day
Set boundaries to boost your focus
Whether we’re stretched too thin professionally, overcome with the increased mental load of parenting, or suffering from burnout, we can all be susceptible to burnout if we don’t reach out for support or set boundaries when we need to. Talking to a partner, manager, or even with your child about your challenges can be a great first step towards feeling more supported.
At work, this might mean having an open conversation with your manager about your workload, or exploring delegation options with your wider team to come to a more reasonable workload to find a more sustainable balance of expectations and output.
At home, remember you don’t need to carry everything on your own. Sometimes even a small redistribution of responsibilities with your partner, older children, or other caregivers can make a big difference. Even small adjustments like getting help with a school drop-off or two, sharing meal prep, or asking for help with homework routines can create space to recharge.
Make time to strictly “do you”
Having dedicated time to switch off isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s essential to reducing stress and recharging your energy. Without this time, you’ll always feel like you're working with only half a tank of motivation.
Depending on whether you’re a morning or evening person, try and do one small thing each day that allows you to invest your attention into something completely unrelated to your job or parenting. From cooking your favourite meal to going for a walk with your friend, nothing is “too” insignificant to make a difference.
Sometimes, to improve focus all we need is the discipline to turn the phone over. However, occasionally, it’s something more. In these cases, it’s important to lean on your support network or explore mental health services to help identify and work through the issue, before it becomes a bigger beast.
Evidence shows there are a range of skills that underpin mental wellbeing. And, just like we train different muscles to build physical fitness, we can practise a range of skills to build mental fitness and support our ability to thrive.
Build skills for increased awareness in the “Focus Toolkit” in the free Smiling Mind App, with bite-sized activities to support attention, improve creativity and bring you into the present moment.
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