If you wonder “why can’t I focus?”, you’re not alone.
The rise of the digital world has come with a side-effect: noise. And lots of it. More notifications, more urgent requests, and more distractions.
We all got busier but not much more productive.
But this is not the only reason you might be unable to focus. Instead, there are a couple of different reasons for a lack of focus and concentration.
In this article, you’ll learn the main reasons why people can’t focus. And hopefully, you will also be able to answer the question: “Why can’t I focus?”
So let’s dive in!
Reason 1: Multitasking
When you have a lot to do and want to become more productive, it might be tempting to multitask. Doing two tasks at the same time at work for example. Or doing a task while you’re part of an online meeting.
But did you know that humans can’t multitask?
Instead, you always do one thing at a time – much like a computer.
It might surprise you that a computer doesn’t multitask. After all, you can run a movie on Netflix, a video on YouTube, and Spotify all at the same time.
So what happens?
Computers seem to multitask because they switch quickly between tasks. The thing is that computers can do this at a rapid phase, making it look like it’s running everything at once.
Your brain works like that too – except it’s much slower to hop between tasks. Switching between tasks also costs a lot of mental energy. Especially when these tasks are more complex.
So do you multitask a lot and wonder why you feel tired and are unable to focus?
Then multitasking is probably the reason why.
Try to mix it up to improve your productivity. For the next week, only allow yourself to do one task at a time. And make sure to finish the task before moving on to the next.
Reason 2: Distractions
The number of distractions has skyrocketed since the beginning of the digital age. Think about email, calendar reminders, and social media notifications. Not to speak about advertisements and other unsolicited forms of communication.
There is too much stuff trying to catch your attention.
So unsurprisingly, many people struggle with a lack of focus.
The solution is a simple one – theoretically. Research shows that if you limit all of the distractions, you will find it easier to stay focused.
In practice, it might be a little harder. But try some of the following ideas:
- Social distractions: find a place where you can work alone.
- Environmental distractions: find a place where you can work without interruptions by any environmental factors, like construction work for example.
- Phone notifications: why not put it on airplane mode for the moment?
- Online distractions: if you work online, you might not want to put your device on airplane mode. Fortunately, there are many online tools to reduce online distractions.
Reason 3: Stress
Stress has been an important ingredient for the survival of our species. But when it comes down to focus, you might have experienced that stress doesn’t help you at all.
Unfortunately, the start of the pandemic has increased the amount of stress in our lives. In other words, there is a high chance that your lack of focus could be the result of stress.
So how does stress affect you?
Anxiety lowers the brain’s working memory, which is what makes the brain so powerful. And reduced working memory capacity negatively impacts your ability to focus.
So what to do about it?
The answer depends on what causes you the most stress. Sometimes, you need to deal with the issue that you’ve been trying to avoid. Or perhaps what you need is a break from the news and social media.
First, self-reflect to understand if stress is the reason you have difficulty focusing. Then figure out what causes you the most stress with some self-awareness techniques. Then, address these problems.
Reason 4: Lack of Sleep
It’s not too long ago that sleeping only 4 hours a night was glamorized for success. People took the idea of time equals money a little too far.
Fortunately, the trend is reversing.
Many successful people sleep more than 7 hours a night. And I think that most people would agree that poor sleep is not a great long-term strategy for success.
A lack of sleep reduces your ability to concentrate. And when you can’t focus well, it means that every task takes much longer to complete.
In other words: sleeping enough increases productivity.
So how much should you sleep?
That depends on the person and age. In general, the recommendation for adults is to sleep anywhere between 7 and 9 hours.
So anywhere around 8 hours is a good starting point. Can’t sleep that long due to other factors? No problem. Naps throughout the day can help you to combat your inability to focus too.
Reason 5: Poor Nutrition
You have probably heard the saying before: You are what you eat.
And it’s true. After all, what you consume is used as energy and it’s also used to recover the cells in your body.
Unsurprisingly, that makes some foods better to consume than others.
Sugar is a good example of a food that has harmful effects on your performance. In fact, a single event of elevated glucose already negatively impacts your attention span.
So if you are wondering: “Why can’t I focus?”, then your food intake in the past hours or days may give you the answer.
Reason 6: Vagueness
A lack of focus could also be caused by vague goals and objectives. Most tasks that you have to do become much easier when you know why you do them.
For example, say you get a bunch of work to finish by the end of the day. But your boss doesn’t tell you why. In addition, you feel like the work is unimportant and don’t understand the urgency behind it.
Guess what’s going to happen?
You’ll find it much more difficult to focus on the task.
But if you were given a reason it becomes much easier to focus. You no longer have to wonder why you do it. Instead, you have clarity.
According to Simon Sinek, starting with the reason why is the secret to success. And I’ve experienced that understanding why I do something has improved my productivity.
This also works for your goals.
Do you understand exactly what the objective is with your own goals? And more importantly, do you understand why you do it?
If not, that’s a reason why you can’t focus.
Reason 7: The Busyness Trap
Though we have the tools to be super productive, are we also more productive? Or have we merely become busier?
Too often, we are just busy.
The problem is that most people believe that busyness is necessary for productivity. If the boss doesn’t see that you are busy all the time, your raise might be in danger.
How does this behavior affect your focus?
Well, it might not affect your focus. You may be laser-focused all the time. The problem is that you’re focusing on the wrong stuff. It’s a different lack of focus.
Simply being busy is a problem.
So ask yourself the next time that you lack focus: “Am I focusing on what matters?”
Conclusion
If you’re wondering “Why can’t I focus?”, I hope the reasons above gave you some insights.
As you have noticed, there are a variety of different reasons why you might lack focus. From physical reasons like feeling tired to being unprepared or just busy. And in some cases, multiple of those could affect you at the same time.
So what can you do about it?
For starters, read the definitive guide on how to focus or check out the best planners for productivity.
And if you like to read more self-improvement tips for personal success, make sure to join the email newsletter below!