Proper focus is a shared issue that touches every person’s life. It doesn’t matter whether you are a student who can not finish your homework on time, a worker fighting against workplace distractions, or just a person who wants to set and reach their private objectives, you have to understand the reasons that underpin the problem before you can change. One of the general misconceptions of why we lose focus is that it is due to external factors such as a crowded Instagram feed or an ever-growing to-do list. The truth is it is far from easy. Pursuing is determined by our state of mind, change of body function, and surroundings which usually cooperate to keep us out of focus. Inquiring into these causes uncovers some deeper causes of why it is so hard to focus.
Lack of Clear Goals and Direction
One of the main factors for losing focus is the uncertainty of the goals to be achieved in the first place. Without a specific intention, the brain will find it difficult to use its foul energy. The foggy purpose, therefore, causes the person to feel a lack of orientation and, consequently, the appearance of distractions results from a lack of such orientation. The well-known figure in the psychology field for his work on the “flow” state, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, argues that focusing on clear goals is only part of the whole equation; to achieve this, we also need to receive feedback on our work immediately. Without the necessary conditions, the brain quickly switches to another type of engagement.
For instance, beginning to work on a project without a proper plan can result in the project’s complexity being too overwhelming for you. Moreover, the projects usually stretch out because procrastination is very common which makes it difficult for people to commit to doing their tasks on time. But, small personal tasks’ feel like easily done’ events are, in reality, the main avoid of not/wasting time. Out of all this, we are going to form mental habits that keep us from deeply concentrating on the work.
Overstimulation in the Digital Age
In the contemporary world, people are constantly bombarded with a barrage of all sorts of information. Notifications, emails, and social media updates are in constant need of attention, thus overstimulation occurs. The consistent circulation of inputs overwhelms the brain and won’t let it maintain the continuum of concentration over a single task for a long time.
Biologically, every notification causes the brain to release a feel-good hormone called dopamine, which is the chemical that makes us feel good at the time. In the long run, the brain, however, becomes incapable of focusing properly without the part of the brain that controls the neurotransmitters getting impaired. This is why people continue scrolling on their phones even when they are aware that the more urgent tasks are waiting to be done.
Overstimulation not only lowers the ability to focus but also diminishes the brain’s ability to do deep thinking and solve creative problems. Besides that, the constant shifting of attention from one task to another, also defined as “task-switching,” is very physically draining and it usually culminates in what is known as the phenomenon of “attention residue.” That is when the remnants of the previous job remain in your thoughts and make it a little bit more difficult to concentrate 100% on the next task.
The Thirst for Instant Gratification
The calling of the Man for instant gratification is the task that nature has appointed Man and it is hard for a man to overpass this definition. Only an abridged and fun-provoking activity would be victorious over a laborious and faraway one. Instant gratification is an innate aspect of human evolution, being well implanted in human beings due to evolution, where the need for immediate food, shelter, and protection is paramount for survival.
In the present-day development of humankind, this instinct can be seen as a tendency to privilege short-term joys over long-term objectives. For example, you can desert a hard task in favor of watching a video or checking your social media updates as these things give immediate dopamine. Thus, little by little, this custom fortifies the brain’s preference for immediate rewards, which makes it more and more difficult to work on tasks of long duration.
Moreover, technology in many ways contributes to this problem making instantaneous gratification more available than ever. Any and every streaming service, online shopping, or social media platform, the contemporary digital environment is meant to capture and hold your mind in a direction of concentrating on what is important and which requires focus and self-discipline.
The Path of Least Resistance
One more crucial factor why often people cannot concentrate is the brain’s natural tendency to avoid discomfort. Things that require substantial mental overexertion, solving problems, or creative thinking might be daunting and, as a result, the brain would opt for an easier way out. This type of behavior, usually called the “path of least resistance” reveals the reason for people’s procrastination or their decision to involve in an easy activity.
Among the reasons for this are supported by research. A case in point is the research that was conducted at University College London which also involved participants using a lever to control the movement of a dot cloud on the screen. Moreover, when the resistance was applied to one side of the lever, participants automatically changed their behaviors to avoid the extra effort no matter if it was the wrong action. This seminally demonstrated how the brain is inclined to the way it makes the least effort, even when this means a significant loss of productivity.
One possibility is to rearrange the room you are in or re-paint a portion of the house if you do get the inspiration to take such a decision which can be a treat for you after work. Although engagement with something like tidying up might make you feel good temporarily, it may be a mere way of avoiding more important work. This avoidance of effort gradually gets into mental habits that stress the level of comfort above focus thus creating a mental rut.
Emotional and Psychological Factors
Emotions are pivotal in determining whether or not you will stay on task or not. Stress and anxiety are among the psychological factors that can divert your attention by stimulating the brain’s emotional areas, especially the amygdala. If the activity of these regions is too much, the brain may struggle to set the priorities right and instead dwell on worries or fears.
Boredom is another emotion that leads to distraction. A task that is lifeless and not captivating sends the brain in search of another source of stimulus. This is probably the reason for your slips into fantasy or switching to something else that is unrelated to the current work which you feel provides you with some relief but in fact, it tends to hinder rather than help you.
Also, fear of failure is a cause. Such persons are likely to be so scared of not doing a good job that they cannot even start working on a task. This tends to be procrastination, where attention is deflected to less menacing exercises that are usually easier to accomplish.
Cognitive Overload
Human memory storage runs on a limited basis when it comes to cognitive tasks. When you are faced with too many tasks simultaneously and/or attempt to learn by cramming within the same time frame, you are eliciting cognitive bridge overload. This state of complete overwhelm of the brain fastens proper thinking and continued focus.
Cognitive overload is one of the very places that are suffering from this as regards the situation of double and triple tasks. For instance, issuing e-mails while the meeting is on or shifting from one project to another throughout the day can divide concentration, leading to decreased efficiency and an abundance of errors. The continuous cognitive load experienced in these situations can, in the long term, lead to deterioration of your ability to focus on and, consequently, difficulties in concentrating on tasks, no matter how simple they are.
Unhealthy Routines and Habits
Habitual activities largely influence the function of the brain. Insufficient and irregular sleep, and unhealthy lifestyles together with a variety of stressors can interfere with cognitive functioning, hence decreasing the time that the individual is engaged. Lack of sleep, for one, deteriorates both memory and reasoning in addition to the decrease in physical activity that deprives the brain of the blood it needs for effective performance.
Unhealthy eating habits are not left on the sidelines, either. Diets high in sugar or processed foods can result in energy crashes, without which the level of essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins, may decrease in the body, thereby having negative effects on cognitive functions such as memory. In the long run, these factors get intertwined, thus promoting an environment that distracts.
The Illusion of Busyness
It is quite common for people to associate being busy with being productive, but this mode of thought is prone to cause their attention to be divided and consequently lose focus. The sense of false achievement brought about by the pretense of busyness is manifested in the manner whereby the energy is dissipated on the wrong tasks rather than on meaningful work. For example, spending the whole day answering emails can make you feel productive, but the truth is that it takes away from the meaningful and impactful time you could have spent.
This occurrence is especially detected at workplaces, where workers may for example be under pressure to seem busy to get acknowledged or appreciated. However, this very busyness hardly ever results in only one “burnout” but it also leads to a severe loss of the ability to concentrate and hence execution of tasks is compromised.
Environmental Distractions
Your workplace surroundings have the most significant effect on your focusing ability so be careful while choosing them. Loud environments, messy workspaces, and frequent intrusions are some of the things that meddle with concentration. An example of a situation is when one is at an open office where other coworkers always come to chat a little and you can find it hard to keep the workflow thing going.
Surprisingly, quite a few distractions are very capable of switching one’s attention from the task. These kinds of surroundings only contribute to the difficulties of staying concentrated and they are so serious that they become the direct cause of attraction.
Conclusion
Pointing out the reason for your focus loss is the foremost thing to do in coping with this problem that is faced by many. From the absence of clearly defined goals, up to addiction to instant gratification, several issues cause distraction. Recognizing these underlying reasons, you would realize that you are controlled by some habits and you would be capable of changing them. It is not an easy walk in the focus park in the world of today, however, through alertness and purposeful behavior, it is possible to get your attention back and direct it to the important aspects.