How to Write an Essay When You Can’t Focus

If you need to write a text but are unable to concentrate, you should first determine why.Sometimes you just need to change your environment, whether you need more light to work or it’s simply too noisy.

You should focus your attention before writing by using a simple breathing technique. Make a plan for what writing goals you want to achieve right now and set a time limit for your writing activities. You should also provide a distraction-free environment!

Improve Your Concentration Right Before You Start Writing!

A lack of concentration is frequently caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. This can happen after a heavy meal, for example, because our bodies require a lot of oxygen for digestion.

Our brains suffer as a result of receiving less oxygen at that time. This is also why we often feel tired and listless after a heavy meal. The more filling the meal, the more tired you will feel because more oxygen is required for digestion.

Concentration issues can arise in a workplace with “bad” air because the oxygen content is low. Another major factor influencing our ability to concentrate is stress. When someone is under a lot of stress, they can quickly feel tired and unrested, and they may have trouble focusing.

We’ll show you how some breathing exercises can improve your concentration.

Choose the right environment
Choose the right environment

Breathe Alternately.

Alternate breathing is a technique from “pranayama,” which refers to yoga’s breathing exercises. It is particularly beneficial in yoga teachings because it has a positive effect on the entire body. Alternate breathing, on the other hand, increases lung capacity, regulates breathing rhythm, and strengthens the cardiovascular and immune systems. It also reduces stress and improves performance and concentration.

Close your eyes and sit up straight for the exercise. Raise your right hand and make a fist with your index and middle fingers. The rest of the fingers are spread. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and place your right ring finger loosely on the left nostril. Inhale for four seconds through the open left nostril and hold the breath for sixteen seconds.

Then, exhale for eight seconds through the right nostril and close the left with your ring finger. Inhale for four seconds through the right nostril and hold the breath for sixteen seconds. Then, counting to eight, exhale through the left nostril. After the first round, you can repeat the alternating breathing until you feel more calm and in the moment.

Also, make sure that your writing space is well ventilated.

Use alternate breathing to focus!
Use alternate breathing to focus!

Distractions Are the End of Concentration.

Noises are the most annoying thing to us. We can’t concentrate when it’s noisy. Anyone who has ever worked in an office with a construction site outside their window understands this. However, it does not take a jackhammer to create a level of noise that prevents us from concentrating. Normal office noise is sufficient.

In a Cardiff University study, 99 percent of participants reported that environmental noise interfered with their ability to concentrate. And it’s sufficient if the noises are at a normal conversation volume. More importantly, no habituation effect exists.

Of course, some of us are less sensitive to noise than others, and we may be able to zone out more easily-but our brains are still engaged with the sounds. According to research on productivity in open-plan offices, noise makes you uncreative and unproductive.

So, what can you do in this situation to return to more focused work?

Turn off your phones!

Turn off your phone if you want to write with focus. It’s pointless if you don’t answer the phone when it rings right in front of you.

Reduce the ring volume of all the phones around you. Most phones will notify you of missed calls. So, if you have time, you can call back.

The smartphone also interferes with concentration. Our thoughts are no longer on our text after one Whatsapp message. We either look it up right away or, if we don’t, we spend the entire time wondering who wrote to us. So, when you write, be disciplined: Turn off your smartphone’s sound or put it in flight mode.

E-Mails Require Silence as Well.

The same is true for e-mails: disable all acoustic and visual notifications. Your world will not come crashing down if you don’t respond to your emails for an hour or two. Remember, there was a time when the mailman only came by once a day to bring the letters.

Naturally, our expectations have shifted. Today, we believe that everything must occur immediately. Remind your colleagues and customers that getting an answer can take time. You’ll see how you can relieve your own stress. And nothing will be thrown away.

You could even implement set e-mail reading times. Once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the afternoon. Make it clear to your coworkers that you do not respond quickly when they call or stand in the doorway. If you do this on a regular basis, your colleagues will soon follow suit.

Writing Style is also important!
Writing Style is also important!

Work on your writing style.

  • On a sheet of paper, list your tasks for writing your paper one after the other.
  • Set aside 45 minutes for the most important task and set your timer for it.
  • Concentrate solely on this one task for 45 minutes!
  • After the timer goes off, take a ten-minute break. You can get up and walk around a little, drink a glass of water, and so on.
  • If you still can’t concentrate, try the breathing technique again. Then, for the next 45 minutes, work on your writing task before taking another ten-minute break.

If you frequently find yourself unable to concentrate while writing, consider why! Perhaps you are overly stressed, lack balance in your activities, or your working environment is simply unsuitable. With a little thought, you can easily find and get rid of some of these annoying things.