Reasons You Probably Don't Know Why You Lack Focus

It's just another ordinary day.

You take a seat at your desk, start your computer, and place your smartphone close by.

You launch Chrome and check social media to start the day.

You peruse your News Feed and take a look at your most recent notifications. You start working on the first item on your to-do list after about thirty minutes.

Just as you start to focus, your smartphone starts vibrating. You quickly reach for it and open your new notification without giving it a second thought.

You recently posted a picture on Instagram, and a friend just left a comment on it.

You respond to him, put your phone away, and make an effort to concentrate on your task.

You suddenly remember that you haven't checked your emails since yesterday after five minutes have passed. What would happen if you got a crucial email? Go to Gmail in a new tab if you're unsure.

3 new emails will then appear in your inbox. You instinctively open them and reply to them.

You try to refocus on your task after giving them at least 10 minutes to process before you do. But you decide to make yourself a cup of coffee first before returning to it. You assure yourself that it will increase your energy.

You have five new notifications on your phone when you get back to work, coffee mug in hand. You're aware that you must work. You desire a job. However, you can't help but stare at them.

It seems like your immediate desires and your goals are constantly at odds with one another.

You are not alone in this situation, rest assured.

We are led to believe that we have lost our ability to focus as a result of the emergence of new technologies and social networks. In truth, we are constantly distracted because of the way our brains are wired.

We've struggled to focus and ignore distractions for as long as we can remember.

Even during Seneca's time, around -4 BC, the Stoics were already discussing it. They were discussing how challenging it was to remain concentrated and ignore distractions.

Buddhists have asserted for thousands of years that our minds are inherently disorganised. Even a term for it exists: "monkey mind."

The tendency of our minds to jump from thought to thought like a monkey does when jumping from branch to branch is known as the "monkey mind." He is unable to focus on anything for extended periods of time without training.

There is a scientific explanation for this, too.

The reason why our brains have such a difficult time maintaining focus is explained by a study from Princeton and California University that was published in the journal Neuron.2

Scientists have discovered that our minds constantly "zoom in" and "zoom out" after studying our brains and those of monkeys. To put it another way, it focuses while pausing several times per second to determine if anything else is crucial that requires its attention.

When reading these lines, for instance, you might think you are fully focused, but your brain actually zooms in and out at a rate of almost four times per second.

For thousands of years, our innate "zoom in/out" reflex has allowed us to stay aware of our surroundings and any potential threats.

This explains why, in the days of the hunter-gatherers, we could build a fire while making sure that no beast approached us, and why, in modern times, we are unable to avoid checking our smartphones for notifications while attempting to focus on our work.

Whether or not there are distractions, our brain is constantly scanning the environment for information. It's an inherited survival instinct.

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