Six reasons you are not concentrating enough
You are browsing through a long pending list of unanswered mails, and suddenly your mind drifts to your school visit to your daughter's school and then you feel tired because of not getting enough sleep the night before… the list goes on. If you are not able to focus on one aspect and find yourself not managing various aspects of your professional and personal life effectively, you are perhaps not concentrating enough and your attention is being divided between various tasks. Maybe it's time you first track what's killing your concentration and find if it's among the common six.
Fatigue
Fatigue is a big concentration killer. Many studies have shown that inadequate sleep and rest can lead to short-term memory, lack of concentration and impairs attention. It is very important to get at least 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep for you to be able to function well throughout the day. And remember your brain functions differently at different times of the day. Pay attention to your body clock and work on important tasks when your brain functions the best.
A lot on the mind
A deadline at work, an EMI you might not honor, missing you hypertension pill, one bad meeting that did not go as you wanted it to… When you have too many things on mind it's very hard to focus on one important task. And then you tend to have too many of them at once. The distractions have a lot of negative effect on our performance.
Do not hesitate to seek support from a loved one, a family member or a friend. A sympathetic listener might be all that you need sometimes. If you are staying away from home and are yet top make new friends, blog away your problems or write a diary where you vent your frustrations. As to the nagging small tasks that keep cropping up like paying your telephone bill, just make a note of them and relegate them for attention later.
Try meditating or some basic breathing exercises that help you relax and get your focus back onto the important tasks. Yoga, small desk exercises, a walk down to the coffee machine – do just about anything that takes your mind off the nagging troubles and helps you relax.
Multitasking
The ability to multi-task is an attribute that many admire and aspire to have. When people claim to multitask they feel like they are achieving more, but multi-tasking also means not focusing enough on a job that requires undivided attention. You could be listening to music, dictating notes to a secretary and reading through your time sheets, all at a time. But you cannot let your mind focus away when you are doing a high priority task like a 'go-live' at workplace.
A study published in 2001 found that people lost time when they switched between two intense activities whereas the ones who focused on one activity alone performed better and faster. Be selective about when and what to multi-task and when to focus undivided attention to a task.
Lack of interest
Boredom can be very distracting and can make you very unfocussed. When you are doing a very dull task or one that you don't particularly like doing, it can be very difficult to concentrate on that task. In such situations devise an incentive plan for yourself. When you successfully complete a specific period of time on a job that you don't enjoy doing, treat yourself to some goodies. Take short breaks between intervals of time put into the boring task like take a walk or stop for a chat with a colleague. Plug into your ipod when you are tackling a boring task.
Do something that will bring your focus back to the task. You might end up working enthusiastically on the job looking forward to the goodies or the break. Multi-tasking can be of great help here.
Gadget Intervention
If you are anxious to check your email frequently, check your phone for a text message or keep glancing at the chat window for an instant message, chances are you are addicted to the aid of electronics in your daily communication. You are often compelled to think that every email and text message has to be answered pronto. This obsession to reply instantly is what kills your concentration on the more important tasks at hand.
Make sure you allot some time daily for responding to electronic correspondence and stick to those time slots unless there is an emergency. It would also help if you kept your phones away when you are focusing on something important so as to stay away from the constant beeping and buzzing of the instrument. If you have to finish writing a document, disconnect the Internet so that you can focus completely on the job without the outlook express bothering you.
Medication and side effects
If you are on regular medication and you find you are unable to focus consistently at work or on important tasks, pay a visit to your doctor. Some medications, especially ones used for treating depression, flu, etc, can cause attention impairment.
A healthy lifestyle with enough focus on good diet, rest and exercise can be very helpful in bringing the best out of you. Check if any of the above are reasons for your loss of concentration and make required lifestyle changes.
Note: This article is just of the general information of readers.
Best Regards
Prakash Nair
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