Can't Concentrate? Look to These Culprits!
By Genevieve Cunningham
The feeling of being unable to concentrate is one of the worst feelings, especially when you have a mile-long list of things to get done. While it can be normal to sometimes lose your focus, losing your focus too often can impair your ability to be successful and productive. And while it's easy to blame your lack of focus on outside influences -- the office is too loud or too cold -- the truth is that we may be causing our own concentration problems. If you need a little help finding focus, take a look at these hidden culprits that may be draining your concentration.
Lack of Sleep
Sleep is crucial for every aspect of life. For concentration, a lack of sleep literally drains your mind of energy. It can't function properly because it didn't get adequate rest. If you're not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, simply correcting this one aspect of your life may be enough to completely turn your concentration around.
Your Phone
Yes, your phone is fun. Yes, it allows access to people and information at a moment's notice. But it also constantly stimulates the brain. Over time, this can actually impair your ability to focus and stay on task. Your brain wants that stimulation. It wants to mindlessly scroll. If your focus is off, take a look at your own phone habits. If you're never without yours, give it a rest and your focus may improve.
A Busy Schedule
We can only focus on so many things at once. If we have too much going on, we won't be able to focus on any of them for any significant amount of time. We'll struggle with paying attention because we'll always have another task on the horizon. Try cutting back on your to-do list. It doesn't do anyone any good for you to be stressed to the max. Keep it simple, and it's possible that your focus will slowly return.
It's OK if you have an occasional off day. It's OK to occasionally lose your focus and struggle to stay on task. But if this happens all the time, it's time to reassess. Check your own lifestyle and habits to see if any of these situations are present. If they are, make the adjustments necessary, and get your concentration back on track in no time at all.
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