If, for example, you find yourself worrying yourself sick over something while you’re driving 65 mph on the highway with a car full of kids, you’re putting yourself and others in real danger. Does it make you anxious when you can’t recall information when you need it – perhaps during a job interview, a high-stakes presentation, or an important client meeting? Do you feel tense and dazed when you’re racking your brain trying to find just the right words for an important email? These can be clues that you’re more stressed than you may realize, and that your inability to concentrate is causing even more stress. By paying attention to the patterns that lead to your lack of focus, you can begin to develop your ability to dismiss distractions and stay with your original point of attention. According to clinical psychologist Michael Lipson, you can learn to sharpen your focus, by understanding how exactly your concentration strays in the first place.
For the stressors in the latter category, you will need to figure out how to change your attitude toward them. You might categorize items into things you have the ability to change and things you don’t. Write down each thing in your life and at work that’s causing you anxiety. As simple as it may sound, it can be helpful to make a list of the sources of your stress. Before you can deal with stress, you need to know what’s causing it. Start by using your self-awareness to help you notice several things: You can use these same competencies, in particular self-awareness and self-management, to improve your focus. I’ve found in my research that one of the reasons why some people get burned out and others don’t is because they use their emotional intelligence (EI) to manage their stress. When mental and emotional exhaustion sets in, it further drains our ability to focus, concentrate, and recall information.įortunately, there are things we can do to break the cycle. Unfortunately, most of us don’t notice our focus declining until we become completely overwhelmed. When we can’t focus at work because of distractions, it may lead us to feel stressed about not being productive, which then causes us to focus less, further feeding the cycle. Scientists also suspect that high levels of cortisol over a long period of time are a key contributor to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Long-term stress, however, can lead to prolonged increases in cortisol and can be toxic to the brain.
The findings are consistent – short-term stress raises cortisol levels (the so-called stress hormone) for short periods and can jump-start our adrenalin and motivate us to perform more efficiently in response to impending deadlines.
Researchers have studied the negative effects of stress on focus, memory, and other cognitive functions for decades. I just can’t seem to focus.”Ĭonstant distractions and a lack of time certainly interrupt our focus, but stress also plays a major role.Ĭhronic stress floods our nervous system with cortisol and adrenaline that short-circuits important cognitive functions. “I’m mentally exhausted from the pressure and constant distractions in my office.“My workload is insane, and there’s never enough time to get things done when I’m in meetings and dealing with urgent issues all day long.”.In my coaching work with executives, these are the kinds of statements I most often hear when they’ve lost their focus (I may have uttered a few of them myself): Whether it’s focusing inward and attuning ourselves to our intuitions and values or outward and navigating the world around us, honing our attention is a valuable asset.Īll too often though, our focus and attention get hijacked, leaving us feeling frazzled, forgetful, and unable to concentrate.