Does this sound familiar? You get settled in at work and start to tackle the mountain of projects on your plate, but you find yourself struggling. Despite the coffee you drank half an hour ago, you can't focus at work. If you have an autoimmune disease or chronic illness, brain fog could be further hampering your ability to focus. Not being able to focus can impact your performance, which in turn causes more stress, leading to even less focus. It's a vicious cycle.
Most of us have experienced this at some point in our careers. There are many factors that can lead to lack of focus and, if you have a chronic illness like me, you might be well aware that your health status has plenty to do with it. Fortunately, there are some strategies you can adopt to help minimize issues that are contributing to your lack of focus.
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What To Do When You Can't Focus At Work
Rest
For many people, the root of their issues is lack of sleep. More than 60% of the US population has reported getting inadequate sleep during the week. Research shows that sleep is critical to cognitive function. That's because sleep allows your body to recover and repair from the day's stresses. Getting a full night's rest will allow your body to flush out the toxins from your brain and restore it.
Nutrition
Caffeine is a staple in most office kitchens. Coffee gives you that morning jolt of wakefulness that gets you going. Alone, it's not a problem. However, when paired with the donuts a co-worker brought in, those carbs and sugar may work against you. And unless you bring your own lunch to work, your mid-day meal of fast food probably will too. And how often do you choose a sugary snack in the afternoon to keep your flagging energy up? Food choices like these may be sabotaging your ability to focus.
Additionally, many autoimmune sufferers may have unknown allergies or sensitivities to certain types of foods. Gluten and dairy are two of the biggest culprits. Learning how foods affect you and avoiding those that can aggravate your condition can go a long way towards helping your cognitive function improve and reducing symptoms like brain fog.
Remove Distractions
Today, we have more distractions than ever at work, whether you work from home or in an office. Social media, chat programs like Slack, email, video conferencing, and more, can distract you to the point you can't focus at work. There are some strategies to minimize the interruptions.
Block out time on your schedule for communications like email and spend an hour just focusing on answering and sending those communications. Also block out time for deep, undistracted work where you minimize distractions. Turn your cellphone off and put it in your desk. Do not open social media on your work computer. Keep chat and email programs closed except when you need them to get questions answered.
Not all of these strategies will be appropriate or feasible for everyone, but some of them should be able to help you minimize distractions.
Stress Reduction Strategies
Stress can be a big factor in preventing you from focusing properly on the job at hand. Exercise has been proven to relieve stress. It increases endorphins, your brain's feel-good transmitters. It helps your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems and protects your body from the harmful effects of stress. And most importantly, exercise helps improve your mood.
In addition to exercise, meditation is also a great strategy to reduce stress. If you include it as part of your daily routine, it can help you build up a resilience to stress. If you find yourself feeling a little out of control, meditation can help you find your focus again and relax. This article won't go into detail on just how to meditate, but there are plenty of resources online, including videos on YouTube, that will be of help if you can't focus at work.
Take Breaks
It's extremely difficult to hold your focus for long hours. Taking strategic and intentional breaks will help you de-stress and regain your focus when you go back to work. You should take a break at least once an hour, more often if you find you can't focus at work.
Try to take your breaks outdoors if possible. Fresh air and sunlight can help increase your productivity and help you sleep better at night. If you can't get out in nature, bring nature to you. Surrounding yourself with natural elements (plants, lights, sounds, etc) can also be beneficial.
It's also beneficial to just sit at your desk and let your mind wander for a bit. Although, they do say sitting is the new smoking, so make sure you stand and stretch your legs often too.
Divide Larger Tasks Into Smaller Ones
Attempting to tackle a large task can be overwhelming and cause you to easily lose focus. Whenever possible, break larger tasks down into smaller ones and focus on one individual task at a time. You'll feel accomplished as you cross the tasks off your to-do list. Having a list of smaller tasks will allow you to take breaks in-between tasks and help you more easily pick up where you left off, compared to dealing with one large task. Breaking larger tasks into a list of smaller tasks is something you should probably make a habit of and fit into your morning routine.
Don't Try To Multi-task
Studies have shown that multi-tasking is a myth. Humans cannot do two tasks at once. Multi-tasking is essential just task switching. It just divides focus, takes longer, and keeps you from getting more things done. It's better for your ability to focus if you just pick one task and work it to completion. Then, move on to the next task.
Keeping focused on the task at hand can be challenging, especially if you have an autoimmune disease and fight brain fog on a daily basis. I hope the tips above have helped you improve your ability to focus and stay on task. If this article has helped you or you feel it can help others you know, please share the link with others.
