How to Find Your Focus When You’re Feeling Scattered

Do you ever have those times when you find it almost impossible to foucs? Where it feels like you’re spending tens times the effort you should just to complete basic tasks? It happens to me more often than I care to admit. Today I want to help you find your focus by sharing the tips I use to help me find mine.

Reclaim your calm and find your focus

We all find ourselves feeling scattered and lost in the chaos from time to time. Life gets overwhelming, we have too many things or people that need our attention, or we’re just having a hard time focusing. There are any number of reasons why this happens but the good news is that there are things you can do to that will help you find your focus during those chaotic times.

Six Tips to Help You Find Your Focus

Before we dive in, I just wanted to mention that the tips below are things that have worked well for me both in the past and in the present. I don’t use all of the all of the time. Some days I need to use a few of them and others I only really need one. It’s a matter of find what works for you and using it when you need it.

#1 Time Out!

If you can do none of the other things on the list, do this one.  

Take a time out!

Walk away, find a quiet place, put on headphones and tune everything out.  If you can swing it, take a walk. Even if you can only take five minutes, give yourself and your brain a break!  If you meditate, now is a great time to do it.

Don’t think about anything.

Don’t do anything.

Just breathe!

Take deep breaths, and focus on your breathing.  One of the tricks I use to keep my thoughts quiet while I take a time out is to count how many seconds I breathe in for and then try to make my exhale the same time.  By focusing on my breathing I’m able to let everything else fall away for a few minutes.

By taking time away to just be, you’re allowing your brain a much needed pause.  When you’re done your time out, you’ll be better able to focus.

#2 Make a List

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by everything you have to do, or feel you have to do, sit down and make a list.  Write it all out on paper. The act of writing it down is a wonderful way to clear some of the clutter from your thoughts.  It signals the brain that action has been taken on these items, and that they will not be lost or forgotten. This way your brain can start focusing on other things

#3 Edit the List

Go through the list and pick the three most important or most urgent things.  Write them on a new list, and just focus on getting those three things done today.  If you get them finished you can pick the next most important or urgent task to tackle or you can give yourself permission to not worry about anything else because you got those three things done.  

Don’t feel overwhelmed by the list you make.  Chances are many things on that list are either really little, easy to do things, or things that don’t really need to be done right away.  

If you do find yourself feeling overwhelmed, go through the list and cross out or highlight any tasks that can be done at another time.

#4 Ask for Help

If you’re having a hard time focusing ask for some help.  Whether you ask family members to pitch in and help, call a friend to chat, or even head online to a Facebook group that you know is a safe place to talk.  Even just talking things through with someone else can help you clear your mind and more importantly it can help you feel like you’re not alone in your struggle.

#5 Make Time for Fun

Grab a book, play a game with the kiddos, work on a craft or hobby, go for a walk, go for coffee, whatever you choose make sure it’s something fun or relaxing for you.  

Forget about that to-do list.

Forget about the hundred other things you think you need to do.

Just have some fun!

Like the time out, spending some time doing something enjoyable is a great way to calm your mind and find your focus.  Often our most scattered and chaotic times are a result of stressful situations. Even if they aren’t, they themselves can be very stressful. Making time for fun is important because it helps us to decompress and reminds us that there is more to life than to-do lists and responsibilities.

#6 – Give Yourself a Time Frame and Stick To It

Pick a time of the day when you’re off.  You’re not going to worry about anything that needs doing, you’re just going to decompress after a long day.  

Just like you have an end of the day at work, give yourself an end of the day during this time. Make sure you give yourself at least an hour between your off time and bed time.  

Rest, relax, and recharge.

Zone out with Netflx, have a bath, enjoy a glass of wine, whatever you do to decompress. Be content with knowing that you accomplished a lot that day.

Making time to take care of yourself is so important. Proper rest, good food, time for unwinding, are all necessary for a happy, healthy you. Especially when we’re feeling scattered or life is chaotic. Taking time for self-care gives us a chance to step back and regroup, and put our needs first for a little while.

The next time life starts getting crazy or you’re just having a hard time focusing, I hope you’ll remember these tips and that one of them will help you find your focus again. I also hope you will remember that you are not alone in this. It happens to many of us. For some of us it’s an almost daily thing. The important thing it to be gentle with yourself and keep trying to move forward, even if you have to walk away first.

Do you have a go-to tip for helping you find your focus? Drop a line in the comments below and let us know.