10 Causes of Distraction at Work

“Every time something or someone distracts you, it takes an average of 11 minutes to regain your focus.” – according to British entrepreneur, speaker, and author Shaa Wasmund.

And Brigid Schulte – a Washington Post reporter and Director of The Better Life Lab at the New America Foundation – concluded: “No one can do two things at the same time with 100% focus.”

So how can you avoid losing focus at work? According to experts, you need to identify the causes of your distraction, then create strategies to eliminate them to regain your ability to concentrate.

1. Victim Mentality

Complaining is a common “ailment” for most people, with thoughts like: Poor me, I’m always overloaded; My life is so stressful… These negative thoughts will only worsen the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Perceiving that the body is in danger means producing cortisol, and this is what causes us to spin our wheels in a state of inefficient work amidst a tangled mess.

Keep a time log to see what you spend your time on and if there’s any way to free up more, because at the end of the day, no matter how you choose to live your life, we sometimes feel tired and stressed. The important thing is to know the downside of your choices and recognize the positive aspects of your life.

Make a list of things you’re grateful for each day, listing at least 3 good things that happened. Then you will know how to have more of them.

2. Overpromising

It’s reckless to say “yes” to everything. You might worry that if you don’t agree, you’ll never be asked again (also known as the fear of missing out), or that people will think you’re lazy, or that people won’t like you.

Taking on more work than your ability and time allow will create a domino effect: high stress levels, which means loss of focus; when you can’t complete or do a good job, you might drag others into the trouble.

Time management expert Mark Forster says: “Today, you shouldn’t ask ‘What will I take on?’ but rather ‘What will I not take on?’. So ask yourself if you can do a good job if you accept the task. If not, you are destroying your own work and that of others… Do the work you can guarantee is your best.”

Say “no” from the beginning.

3. Deceiving Yourself

When we are stressed, hurt, or overwhelmed, it’s easy to imagine unrealistic stories in our heads. This is just our way of trying to make sense of things. Those stories are often untrue and can destroy our ability to focus.

Laura Vanderkam – an author and speaker on the topics of time, finance, and work performance – said that when writing the book *I Know How She Does It*, she interviewed hundreds of women and asked them about their schedules. She also listened to the stories they told about their lives. What she realized was that they often weren’t telling the truth.

“I met a woman who worked full-time in a demanding job and felt guilty about the amount of time she spent with her children. She told me she never took care of her kids, but her schedule showed she spent 35 hours a week with them. If you spent 35 hours at the office, you wouldn’t say you never go to work. These stories show that we can destroy our own self-esteem and fail,” Vanderkam explained.

Psychologists call this “Confirmation Bias.” For example, I think I never take care of my children, which means my children are suffering.

Be careful with the stories you tell yourself.

Vanderkam advises: “If you are looking for evidence to prove your hypothesis, make sure that hypothesis is a positive one.”

4. Perfectionism

We all want to have high standards, but if you have a tendency to make everything perfect, it can steal your focus and prevent you from doing the work that really matters. Then you start to procrastinate. If this sounds familiar to you, it might be that high standards are forcing you to become overwhelmed.

You find yourself unable to keep up with the demands of life. But who is setting the demands? Maybe you live in a spotlessly clean house, but you never sit down to rest and relax. Is someone demanding this of you, or is it just you?

Review your standards – do they really need to be that high?

5. Trying to handle everything yourself

It’s tempting to proudly think, “Things only get done if I do them myself.” But that’s another form of overpromising and a factor that leads to a loss of focus.

Know yourself, your strengths, and use your time for tasks that only you can do. If you spread yourself too thin, you risk not being able to do the one thing you were hired to do.

Do the work that only you can do well and leave the rest to those who can do it better.

6. Not taking breaks

Don’t assume that working more will bring better results, because in reality, it doesn’t.

Scientific research proves that we work much more effectively and with greater focus when we are rested. It’s very simple: When we work with our minds, sugar is burned, and if we don’t have a chance to refuel, we will get exhausted quickly. Ultimately, the brain is like any other part of the body. If we keep using it, it becomes tired, exhausted, and needs a break to recover and return to its best condition.

Try to take a break after every 90 minutes of continuous work.

7. Not scheduling important tasks

If you don’t have firm commitments to do something, it will likely never happen. This doesn’t just apply to work.

If you promised to have lunch with someone and it hasn’t happened yet, call them today and don’t give up until you’ve set a date.

8. Confusing being busy with being productive

It’s very easy to be busy, to work constantly. But it’s very difficult to be productive. We often use up all our time on unimportant things and get overwhelmed, because achieving real accomplishments requires a lot of effort. If you’ve ever decided to clean out a kitchen drawer while ignoring an upcoming presentation deadline, you know what happens.

Don’t fall into the trap of being busy just to do more but achieve less. Whenever you do something, try to achieve a result, no matter how small.

Choose one important thing for you to accomplish today, and don’t do other tasks until this one is finished.

9. People-pleasing

Often, the reason we don’t spend time with the people who truly matter is that we’re too busy pleasing those who don’t. You go for coffee with someone because you think you “should,” or you promise to help someone find a job when they offer nothing in return.

Experts suggest applying the 20/80 principle: decide who is in the 20% of people who influence your life, and schedule meetings with them. This doesn’t mean you never meet with the other 80%, but simply prioritize the important 20% first.

Prioritize those who are important and learn to say no.

10. Being unrealistic

This issue is about expectations: If you are unrealistic about what you can do and your capabilities, yet expect too much of yourself, you are setting yourself up for failure. Doubt will creep in, and you will lose your ability to focus.

An expert advises: “If you want to grow a plant, you must remove the bad seeds to make the most of the nutrients in the soil and get the best results. Life is the same. If you have a gym membership that you never use, stop going. Instead, start jogging with your children as they bike to school.”

Additionally, evaluate and analyze the issues that are going off track. If you feel you are consistently failing to complete daily tasks or goals, ask yourself if you are trying to do too much, or if you are setting unrealistic limits.

Be kind to yourself before you can be more generous with others.

Consider what brings you the most valuable rewards and discard the rest. Try to make your expectations realistic.

The list of distractions mentioned above may not be exhaustive. There are many habits, distractions, and attitudes that cause us to lose focus, and these are just the most common ones. Similarly, not all examples will be relevant to you. If you try to apply all of them, you might start to feel overwhelmed.

True focus is like a child’s first steps—a small start moving towards a larger goal.