I can't focus on anything lately. Why am I so easily distracted and how do I fix it?
We've all been there. You sit down to check your embarrassingly full inbox and, within seconds, you get distracted. Your coworker sends you a funny TikTok, which turns into you scrolling for five (OK, 30) minutes. You finally get back to your inbox, only to remember the doctor's appointment you have in less than 24 hours—and what better time than the present to fill out that pre-visit paperwork? Another half hour goes by before you remember what you were supposed to be doing.
You might have trouble focusing for lots of different reasons. The obvious ones are external distractions, like constant phone notifications or your neighbor's loud music, and internal distractions such as stress spirals that can make it hard to concentrate, says psychologist Jessica Stern, PhD. And having certain mental health conditions like anxiety or ADHD can make it even harder to ignore distracting sounds, smells, and thoughts, says psychologist Abigail Levrini, PhD.
When it comes to ADHD, people with this diagnosis usually have issues with executive functioning skills—staying organized, time management, and decision-making, Dr. Levrini explains. "Think of an ADHD brain as a really sleepy CEO who can barely keep her eyes open to do the work," she says. This can make it difficult to focus.
And with anxiety disorders (and anxiety in general), you're all up in your head. It's hard to pay attention to a work project or tune in to a convo when you're ruminating about the past or catastrophizing about the future, explains Dr. Stern. Your worries might be distracting you, or you may not be able to focus because you're too tired from worrying, she adds.
You can also get easily distracted if you have other mental health conditions like depression or bipolar disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR).
Diagnoses aside, you can just get distracted because there are a million things fighting for your attention at any given time. And, sometimes, we get in our own way. We distract ourselves when we feel overwhelmed, stressed, or bored, finding other things to do or think about to avoid uncomfortable emotions, says Dr. Stern. Taking on too much at once and not sleeping enough can hurt our focus too, says psychologist Carey Heller, PsyD.
Keep reading for 12 expert tips on lessening distraction.
