MENTAL HEALTH: Finding it hard to focus and get jobs done?

WE’VE made it through the million days of January. The month seemed endless, but it still sort of feels like it went past in a blur somehow?
Everyone seems to have landed head first into the new month with to do lists and projects requiring attention. What I’ve particularly noticed during this period is the struggle I’m having in focusing my attention where it needs to be. When there are a million things running through your mind, it can be so difficult to even think of where to begin. The overwhelm this can cause is real, and it can have major negative knock on effects.
Generally, your body will provide some cues as to your levels of concentration and focus. Fatigue and a lack of sleep will have a very big impact.
If you are stressed about something, it makes it an awful lot harder to get that required rest. Throughout the day you may also find that your mind is distracted; it’s drawn to worrying about that stressful situation or task, whether you’re dwelling on the cause of the stress or on how to deal with the task. At night you might toss and turn, those same thoughts buzzing about your head. And if course, when you’re lacking in zzzs you’ll find it harder to concentrate, which in turn means tasks take longer to complete. The to do list grows. Overwhelm can be inevitable.
If you’re looking to improve your concentration, these tips might be of help.

Focus on one
WHEN there are a number of things that you need to turn your attention to, try to focus on completing tasks in isolation. Instead of fiddling with a few tasks at once, it’s a good idea to work on completing one in its entirety before moving on to tackling the other things on your list. In this way, you are essentially closing off that piece in your mind for now, which will mean you are now in a position to divert that attention to the other tasks or demands.
Making a conscious effort to stay present in whatever job is at hand will help your concentration levels. When thoughts invariably start to wander off and go down a different route, it is important to identify what’s happening and bring them back to the present.

Break it down
IF there are larger jobs that you have been putting off, ask yourself whether they could be split into some smaller tasks. This may help things to feel a bit more achievable. Also, try to see if you can take some breaks between tasks, so that your mind is getting a little relief. Even better, get some fresh air or reposition your body. Movement is always good at providing a reset.
Of course in an ideal world, it would be great to exclude all distractions, but in the hustle and bustle of modern life, that’s unfortunately not something anyone can typically bank on.
They say that focus can be improved over time, so no need to panic if you think it’s something that you need to give a lot of, eh, attention to. Keep flexing that part of your mind; you may just be surprised at the lightness it will lead to over time.
And don’t worry, no one is perfect at this. I won’t bore you with everything that passed through my mind whilst writing this article. It could nearly have been a book…!

Sadhbh Dunne is a qualified life coach based in Westport. She is the founder of Ember Coaching (embercoaching.ie) and can be reached at sadhbh@embercoaching.ie.