Insidious adrenaline and mental anguish: what prevents you from focusing on work

1. You are just tired

For example, overworked or not getting enough sleep. As a result, you yawn at the table, think poorly, and struggle to cope with your tasks.

Lack of sleep does not have the best effect on cognitive abilities: memory, understanding, concentration.

What's more, prolonged sleep deprivation destroys neurons in the macula, a region in the brain stem responsible for memory, attention, and alertness.

What to do

Stay outdoors for at least 10-15 minutes. Walking will help warm up and disperse the blood. Also, scientists have found out: when we are in daylight, our attention sharpens and, as a result, improves performance.

You can also drink a glass of water. Yes, it is water, not coffee or strong tea: lethargy can be the result of dehydration, that is, a lack of fluid.

These are all quick measures to help deal with sleepiness and lack of energy right here and now. But the main thing you need to do is get your sleep back on track. Remember, a person between the ages of 18 and 64 needs 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

2. Your own thoughts bother you

Distractions can be internal as well as external. And if you can still hide from notifications or noise, then our thoughts are always with us. It doesn't matter if they are happy or sad. For example, excitement and excitement lead to the release of adrenaline, and in increased amounts it causes psychomotor agitation and even anxiety. This phenomenon is called the Yerkes-Dodson law. This is the very state when joy is impossible to sit still and concentrate on at least something.

What to do

It will not be possible to hide from worries. The more we try to get rid of some thought, the more persistently it creeps into our head.

Instead, you can try the technique behind mindfulness meditation: admit that you are worried about something and shift your focus to watching your own breathing. To do this, you need to sit in silence for a bit, concentrating on your own inhalation and exhalation. At the same time, the thoughts themselves do not disappear anywhere, but you move into the position of an observer and allow them to rush through your head without dragging you along. This will help you relax, your adrenaline levels will return to normal, and it will be easier to focus on your work.

If that doesn't work, take a 15-minute break and write down everything that worries you in a notebook or notebook to relieve your head.

3. You are doing several things at the same time

Proven: multitasking reduces productivity, not increases it. If you grab onto everything at once, then you get tired much faster and have less time. In addition, you are under stress, which means that the adrenal glands release adrenaline into the bloodstream. It makes us feel agitated and unable to concentrate on work.

What to do

The most obvious solution is to focus on one task. But this is easier said than done. The Internet and social networks have taught us to constantly jump from one to another, so our brain is just waiting for an excuse to be distracted. So, you need to deprive him of this opportunity.

Turn off notifications, close unnecessary browser tabs, leave your phone in another room or in your bag, you can even turn off the Internet if you don't need it all the time. If you are working in a noisy environment, wear headphones.

Clearly define goals and objectives for the day so that you know what you need to do first, and not be scattered over a lot of secondary matters.

Divide the work into small blocks of 25-50 minutes - this will make it easier for you to maintain concentration.

For example, you can use the Pomodoro technique: work 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutes. Or find the intervals that are right for you.

4. You don't like your job

In this case, you will look for any opportunity to dodge it. And social networks, coffee machines and colleagues with whom you can exchange a few words will willingly come to the rescue.

It also happens that, on the whole, you are satisfied with the work, but you absolutely do not like some tasks, and you just cannot get yourself together to complete them. The problem here is not only attention deficit. The need to do something unpleasant causes us mental pain, and it is perfectly natural to avoid it.

What to do

Unfortunately, there are no magic recipes here. If you can't shy away from an unloved occupation or change jobs, you will have to grit your teeth and fulfill your duties. Willpower is a finite resource, so what comes hardest is best done first. Then the rest of the tasks will be easier to complete.