How To Focus When Focusing Is Hard

See if any of these scenarios have become more frequent in the past few months:

• You start to work on something and find your mind wandering somewhere else in less than a minute
• You try to read a few pages of a book but can't recall anything from the pages after five minutes
• Your attempts at deep and/or strategic thinking get lost in a flurry of thoughts about everything from the pandemic to what's for dinner

As someone who celebrated their 54th birthday this month I know some of the increase in these occurrences is due to my slowly decreasing cognitive abilities. But I also know there are other factors in play. In my opinion, the biggest reason focusing is harder these days is because so much of our work and life has been taken off automatic. We have to make so many more manual choices about what we will give our attention to in the present moment. And like exercising muscles we haven't used in awhile, making all these choices can be painful at the beginning.

To find ways to improve I decided to delve deeper into the science of attention, focus, and distractions. Here are the best suggestions I've found so far to help me keep my attention on the right task at the right moment instead of getting lost in a mental fog:

Expect Less Of Yourself

I know this one infuriates you Type A personality types. But we are in the midst of a pandemic! Everything is harder right now. It takes more mental energy just to go to the grocery store because of all the decisions that have to be made. So when it comes to focusing, don't expect to be able to maintain the length or intensity of focus you did prior to the pandemic. Do a good job with short bursts of focus, celebrate your accomplishments, and then move on. Stop beating yourself up for what you're NOT able to get done like you did in the past.

Alter Your Environment

Remember that your brain is an information seeking machine. And when you try to focus in an environment that is full of information that isn't relevant to what you're trying to work on, it's harder to focus. We can even do a "focus assessment" right now. As you read (or try to) read this article, what's going on around you that is vying for your attention? What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What are you touching? Our ability to focus improves when we stop trying to fight all these potential distractions and instead look at ways to minimize or remove them from our presence.

Our ability to focus improves when we stop trying to fight all these potential distractions and instead look at ways to minimize or remove them from our presence.

Increase The Amount Of Structure In Your Day

Order calms your mind. Build some consistent routines into your day so your brain isn't always asking you, "What's next?"

Have Specific Goals For Your Focus Time

In a recent article in Time, Gordon Logan, a psychology professor at Vanderbilt University, was quoted as saying, "Instead of vaguely promising yourself you’ll “focus” or “be productive,” decide exactly what you want to do—whether it’s working on a task for 30 minutes straight, or writing a certain number of words by the end of the day." It helps keep you on track because the goal is specific and attainable.

Remember That Mental Energy Is The Key To Better Focus

If you're really serious about improving your focus, you will need to make some radical changes to your schedule. Determine when your mental energy is at its peak, and build as much of your schedule around it as possible. If that peak time is early in the morning you may need to alter your sleep patterns or better manage what's expected of you in the first part of the workday. If you tend to have bursts of mental energy in the evening, you may want to find ways to spend more quality time with your family earlier in the day so you can work on "your stuff" in the evening.

We have to make so many more manual choices about what we will give our attention to in the present moment. And like exercising muscles we haven't used in awhile, making all these choices can be painful at the beginning.

Finally, give yourself more deadlines.... and tell others what they are. It's amazing how a little dose of accountability can help us cut through the mental clutter. And if 2020 continues to be the year it has so far, we are going to need all the help we can get.. to get the right things done.

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Jones Loflin is a global keynote speaker offering innovative strategies for those struggling with too much to do. He is the author of several books, including Always Growing and the award-winning Juggling Elephants. Jones is well-known for his onsite and virtual solutions for individuals, groups and businesses dealing with leadership development, work-life satisfaction, and change. To learn more about Jones, go to www.jonesloflin.com