Surprising Things That May Be Ruining Your Concentration

One of the things that working from home has brought into stark relief is how difficult it can be to concentrate. Some distractions are blatantly obvious. If there’s a lot of noise or you have kids or pets running around, concentrating can feel almost impossible. Other distractions are less obvious. Here are some things that could be ruining your concentration without you even realizing it.

Multitasking

Multitasking can often feel like the only way to get everything done in today’s fast-paced world. As counterintuitive as it might seem, multitasking actually hurts your focus. Multitasking often requires you to jump quickly between tasks, and each time you transition you have to work back up to the momentum you had before you made the transition. This can ultimately cause you to take longer to complete tasks because you are less efficient at completing them than you would be if you only did one of them at a time. Practice ways to break your multitasking habit to be more effective at completing each task you attempt.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is something most of us don’t really think twice about, unless it’s unavailable. For some unfortunate individuals, however, Wi-Fi may disrupt both sleep and concentration due to EMF sensitivity. Electromagnetic fields are emitted by a variety of sources, including routers. A headache is one of most common symptoms of EMF sensitivity. Some people also report experiencing dermatological symptoms such as tingling, burning sensations, or redness. The severity of your symptoms may make it incredibly difficult to concentrate when dealing with EMFs.

Messy Surroundings

Trying to complete multiple tasks simultaneously isn’t the only thing that could be breaking up your concentration. If you’re trying to concentrate in messy surroundings, the visual stimuli could be pulling your focus away from the task at hand even if you don’t realize it. Start with decluttering the spaces you most commonly operate in. That could mean decluttering your home office, your kitchen, or your living room area. As an added bonus, you’ll likely find that a clean, decluttered home helps reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, further boosting your ability to concentrate.

If you find yourself struggling to concentrate, you’re not alone. Sometimes it can be tough to figure out what is distracting you. Consider what you’re doing and your environment. If you have a tendency to try to multitask, have an EMF sensitivity, or messy surroundings, you may have found your culprit.

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