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Unravel The Tangled Thoughts **November 4, 2020**

**FOCUS** it seems so easy to think but difficult to do. I recently had a hard time focusing on my tasks. There are times that I don't have an appetite to finish my tasks or my head is on fire and crowded with different thoughts that make me distracted. I spend some time tapping my phone looking for some answers to questions bugging in my mind, followed by falling into a playlist of Youtube's black hole, then read some interesting articles on this platform. I was hoping to see some reasons to venture even the shortest time I have. But to no avail, I still ended up being tangled on the spot I had settled, hooked by the broken clock hanged on the wall, and hypnotized by its tickling sounds which don't even seem to move forward - obviously, it's broken. What is wrong with me? Why can't I focus? The human mind is indeed complex being the most advanced brains among all species. I wished I am like a bird, free to soar up high, and capable to reach their chosen destination. Or a robot that can do any tasks programmed in its hippocampus, but wait, does it even have a hippocampus? Ahm maybe? A robot version? Indeed my brain is stuck in the traffic, seems like it doesn't want to speed up. Why am I even thinking about birds and robots if I am a human, a human that is part of the intelligent group of species in this world? I hope I am. Maybe I wouldn't think like this if I am. **Let me dig into this topic. What exactly makes our mind unfocused or distracted?** As I have mentioned above, I spent some time wandering off into online platforms. Digital distractions truly take place at any time. Our phone is just one grab away and tapping on it is somewhat entertaining. However, you are unaware that it is robbing your thoughts and your time. It is easy to blame digital distractions or lack of discipline if we are unfocused, BUT, it is not the real CULPRIT. While navigating the dreary waters of distractions, you will start to understand your own behavior habits that might have gone disregarded for years. **Identifying the issue is the only key to bring back focus. What trouble focusing is really all about?** It is certainly frustrating when I try to seek some generic advice or answers to my complicated questions, but it is not working for some situations. **I know certainly what things to do, but I can not bring myself to execute it.** This is the feeling when I open my Note app to write an article and stared at the screen for a long time. I don't have that appetite to start it. But when I finally manage to perform it, everything seems to be a misery. I just found myself wandering off on my social media account, or trying to look for an inspirational song on Spotify because my mind is traveling everywhere and can not find its way back. **I know my objectives, but I can not gather my strengths on how to get there.** There are so many things to do written on my to-do-list, but so little time to accomplish all. Shifting from one task to another, trying to finish as many think about as I can, it certainly doesn't help at all. Even how hardworking I am, I can not seem to cut through the murky haze of thinking about what to finish first, and not knowing what to do next. **Let's see what other causes of an unfocused mind**. **1. Physically and Mentally Exhausted - Killing Off Brain Cells**

That feeling of bleary-eyed, frequently yawning, hazy, or like tramping through cement. Some people are even debating the third cup of coffee, well not for me, I am into tea. Those are the signs that we are ***overtired***. It hampers our ability to concentrate. ***Sleep deprivation*** is another thing here why we easily get exhausted and unfocused. Research says that a direct correlation between lack of sleep, impaired cognitive function, as well as working memory, are other aspects that truly affects our brain. And the concerning thing here is, the continuous sleep deprivation may destroy our brain cells. When our brain cells continuously blasting without enough rest, they became damaged and will eventually destroy. In my part, I usually sleep at 11, 11:30, or even midnight because I need to make an article for readcash, and wake up at 6:30 in the morning and start my work after breakfast. So, basically, I am lacking sleep and it may damage my brain cells. No wonder it is so difficult to focus when I did not get enough night’s rest. What to do? According to research, ***exposing ourselves to daylight can enhance our attention***, that will stimulate our blood circulation. It will not only expose us to natural light but will also boost our work performance. And instead of debating for a cup of coffee, grab a big glass of water instead. Sleepiness is also one kind of symptom of dehydration. So, swallowing some water might be the thing we need to perk up again. https://www.thieme-connect.com/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0029-1237117 http://iicbe.org/upload/4635AE0416104.pdf **2. Piling too many things on the table**

I am a firm believer that **multitasking** can help accomplish our tasks easily and save up more free time. It is our common outgrowth of feeling overwhelmed. I am a multitasker myself, but I admit that sometimes, it is difficult to stay concentrated to finish one task because I am worried about my to-do-list might turn into the next merry-go-round with no available chair to settle down. The tendency is to, shifting from task to back and forth working on other things on the list, and trying to create some articles for this platform. I, or maybe we, always thought that a zippy of activity is akin to productivity. However, when our ***focus feels drained, that only means that we are piling too many things on the table. While we are working fast in the condition that we are constantly distracted, we actually accomplish lesser tasks***. And our brain significantly feels a higher level of stress and frustration. So do not wonder why we are out of focus. What to do? Multitasking is an ingrained habit of us, that is because our brain is adaptable. It also means that "we can dictate our brain to be unfocused." It may sound simple to tell ourselves to focus on a certain task at a time. However, if we really wanted to do that, we will realize that it is actually challenging. Maybe we can ***start doing the top priority on the list, followed by smaller tasks at hand. Start to create a room that is helpful for highly-focused work.*** **3. Demotivated**

Once we left a pile of unfinished tasks on the table, a ***lack of motivation can strike at any moment resulting in procrastination***. There are moments that we feel unsatisfied with the rewards we are getting from working too hard. So every time we are looking at our pile of chores, we sometimes ask ourselves, "***Am I really receiving enough from the fruit of my labor?"*** Our brain seems to always strive for rewards within the current moment. And sometimes, a ***lack of acknowledgment forces us to think about our own improvement, making it that much harder to stay focus***. However, that kind of thinking won’t earn immediate rewards from your work. What to do? One of the reasons for being unmotivated is a lack of feedback. With the pile of accomplished tasks, you will wonder how much progress you have made. A good remedy for this is to ***track your result.*** It can be the number of words you have written in your article, the pile of dishes you have washed in the kitchen, or the loads of clothes you have washed and arranged in the cabinet. There are many ***positive reasons to stay motivated***. Just think about your family, your loved ones, your ambitions, and your goal. **4. Procrastination**

**Procrastination** is a common culprit that robs our time and misleads our focus. We know that we need to do something, we need to finish a task, but, we put it off, we delay, and do other things instead, which are usually less important. Even though I know that I need to accomplish my tasks, I visited ReadCash instead (that is my only positive vice as of the moment). However, I should set my full-time job as more priority than my side-job. But people should know that procrastination is not only an issue of time management, self-discipline, and only lazy people deal with. We are unaware that it affects us all at one time or another. What to do? ***Procrastination is an emotional problem***. Yes, it is. It is not just about time management and priority setting, but the main navigator behind procrastination is emotional. To resist procrastination, we need to overcome our negative emotions first and consider the positive emotions we have when we start to work on more important tasks. By ***considering our positive emotions, we will feel productive, lively, and we will realize that we are actually doing meaningful work.*** Put on more self-confidence, and feel better about the headway we are making on our most important tasks.  **5. DISTRACTIONS**

**DISTRACTION** is not a lack of focus. It is actually allowing yourself to become focused on other things than the task at hand. When it often happens, it performs the same switching rates as multitasking. Your brain is continuously rushing to reorient itself. The ***news outside work is also a distraction.*** When unexpected things are happening outside, whether they are good or bad, it becomes difficult to set them aside and focus on your work. That is because your emotional state is directly attached to your focus. What to do? The importance of focus is cutting off everything that is not important. We live in a society where distractions are everywhere. It is important to eradicate the things that are not necessary. Know your priorities, it will warn you every time distraction is dragging you off course. Avoid digital distractions. As much as possible, while you are at work, turn off your data or set aside your phone if it is not really necessary at work. And lastly, keep your own emotions and thoughts in check. Although it is quite challenging, but ignoring those distracting news can help accomplish your tasks on a day. Seeking to focus is a frustrating problem that impacts everyone at some point. Whether you are striving to find the motivation, or distracted with unexpected things outside, or having difficulty prioritizing the tasks at hand – the chances of being unfocused are leading to something more difficult beneath the ground. We can start to tackle our problem with concentration so that we can give our attention and focus on the more important things. Instead of acknowledging the distractions, you can focus more on something important - take a break, take a deep breath, and unravel those tangled thoughts in your mind. **Written by: @Jane**

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