Why Lack of Focus Isn’t Acceptable

In this busy, multi-tasking, ADD (attention deficit disorder) world, true focus comes at a premium. In past emails/blog posts, I’ve talked about things we can do to gain more focus, mostly for reading. But WHY is focus so important for everything? Because there are serious implications for a lack of focus. It can sabotage your life in ways that you may not suspect.

Here are five common ways that lack of focus can sabotage your life:

1. Depression– Lack of focus can make you extremely unhappy in both your personal and professional life. You aren’t living in the moment or focusing on what you’re currently involved in and spend hours on mindless activities.
2. Fatigue– Lack of focus and flitting from one thing to another with no end in sight can cause severe fatigue. You may begin sleeping more than you should or have bouts of sleeping less so that you wake up tired. It may come to the point that it’s difficult to function normally.
3. Ill Health– You may be affected physically by lack of focus. Decreased energy levels may make it difficult for you to get enough exercise, stick to a healthy diet and make you more susceptible to various illnesses – both long and short term.
4. Inability to Cope– When you suffer from lack of focus, you may feel mentally exhausted and unable to cope with even the simplest aspects of daily life. Mental exhaustion can also keep you from achieving deadlines at work or concentrating on a difficult task.
5. Procrastination– An inability to focus may put you at risk for procrastinating about things on your ‘to-do’ list. This, in turn, causes high anxiety and more stress. It can become a vicious circle that’s difficult to break.

For some, lack of focus can become a habit that’s difficult to overcome. But, there are ways to fight back and regain your concentration powers. Here’s a refresher from a previous post: https://revitupreading.com/remember-one-thing-at-a-time/.

Additionally, having an organized office or workspace is another great strategy. If you’re overwhelmed with paper and electronic clutter (which may stem from spiritual and emotional clutter), I invite you to request this FREE Office Transformation Blueprint from my good friend and professional organizer Barbara Hemphill from the Productive Environment. She recommends you print out the last page and post it up somewhere in your office where you can see it as a reminder to keep information flowing, so your environment (and your mind) are free from any extra clutter.

Whatever you do, I suggest you find ways to have less stuff, do less things and focus more. I guarantee you will feel more satisfied at the end of every day.

Thanks to Andrea Anderson for her contributions to this post. Andrea is President of Productive Environment Institute, the premier training institute for Business Organizers & Productivity Consultants around the world. You can connect with her at www.productiveenvironment.com.