Why can't I focus in class? Multi-tasking could be the problem.

The answer to the question, “How can I improve my focus?” may be in this phrase:

Attending matters — Paying attention and “being there” helps your focus

The local public schools have a slogan of “attend today, achieve tomorrow”. The obvious idea is to get students to attend school every school day; if they do, they are more likely to be academically successful. Even if students are attending online classes, they should make a habit of checking into the classroom system at least five days a week. It is difficult for most people to focus on their tasks if they do not focus on them consistently. Attending to the task at random moments does not help.

Attend can also mean something slightly different, as in “…to apply oneself, to pay attention to” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/attend the task you are doing. The meaning of the slogan would remain the same.

Many students complain that they read the assignments and do not remember what they read. One of the first things I might ask is “What were you thinking about?” If students are honest with themselves, many students will acknowledge that their minds were not on the reading. They were distracted. You may not be a student now, but I would bet that you have been there. Do you find yourself distracted when you are trying to focus on something? Have you wanted to improve your ability to focus on important tasks? Keep reading!

To get the most out of any activity, especially reading for success, you must focus on the assignment and not other things. This is not easy to do, and I know it, but you can improve your ability to focus with some knowledge and practice. I will discuss some of these ideas in future blogs.

Multi-tasking does not help anyone improve their focus

How can I improve my focus? — Have you been here? Multitasking can be an overload and you cannot focus.

We do not “think” like computers so we do not focus as they do.

Some people think a computer can do many things at one time. This is not true. Any computer can, however, do one thing very, very, VERY fast. A computer will complete one task, finish that task, and then move to the next task. The computer does not get distracted. It keeps working on its assigned tasks. We are not computers. Your brain is powerful, but you get distracted.

You can multi-task, but you are usually successful at multi-tasking *IF* the tasks they are doing are routine and simple. The more complicated a task, especially if it is a new task, the more you, or anyone for that matter, need to focus on the task. Most people can walk and chew gum because the two tasks are practiced and routine. You can generally respond to your child’s questions without really focusing on the question, but how many times have you promised, or agreed to, something that you really did not know you promised?

Have you ever lost points on an assignment because you forgot to do something?

My assignment checklist can help you remember the details.

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When a task is new, you need to focus on the task. If you get distracted, your attention shifts and your brain starts thinking about something else. As you shift your attention, your mind needs a second to “shift gears”. When doing two activities, say watching television and reading an assignment, your mind will shift between the activities but a second or so of concentration will be lost in the process.

Obviously, concentrating on one task, as often as you can, will improve your focus on that task. Granted, this is not always possible. As much as possible, if you need to focus on one task, try to have your other tasks be those that you can do in your sleep.

When your attention shifts, even briefly, that does not positively impact your focus.

If reading, you will have to find the last read word on the page, and perhaps even have to reread the last sentence or three for the mind to find its “last place in the reading”. The continuity, however, has been broken.

If you think about this as the graphic below shows, you start thinking about activity A, then shift to activity B, then back to activity A, etc., etc.

Activity A

\ / \ / \ /

Activity B

Each time you switch from one activity to the next, you lose a little bit of information. Imagine what this graphic would look like if you were switching between three or more activities. That graph would probably be, at best, messy, right? Why do you think your thought process would be any clearer than the graph?

As much as possible, be “computer-like” and concentrate your focus on one activity, A or B, rather than shift between the two. You may be surprised to learn that if you focus on one task, then focus on the next task, that you will accomplish both tasks in less time than it took you to switch back and forth. When you learn to focus on one task, you actually improve your ability to accomplish more. Try this for yourself and see how it works.

Seconds count. Pay attention.

You probably do not think a second or two is a lot of time, but how many times has something happened as the dog gets out the door, your child gets into trouble, something falls, or some other mishap occurred because you were distracted “only for a second”?? Accidents happen because a lot of people get distracted only for a second. Those seconds, however, are critical.

When it comes to studying something, especially reading, including reading instructions, how many times did you believe you read everything only to reread the material later and realize that you missed something important?

What many “authorities” will tell you is that students need to study in quiet places without distractions. Yeah, right. You and I know that is not going to happen, at least most of the time. I suspect most of those “authorities” are thinking about students who live in dormitories and can close doors or go to the library to get some quiet time. That is not usually an option for you, is it?

Some distractions are out of our control

How do I improve my focus when I have distractions? — There will almost always be distractions and you will lose your focus.

I remember chatting with a student who mentioned that the community was having a holiday parade on his street. His “front-row seat” meant that he heard every band and noisemaker that was in that parade. Most of us will not have holiday parades outside our house, but we have children or pets or significant others or the phone or any number of things that will cause moments of distraction. You cannot stop them.

The best you can do, I believe, is to recognize that these distractions will happen and to consider ways to compensate. Maybe you will need more time to do the reading. For some people, playing instrumental music quietly in the background helps block other distractions. For some people, wearing noise-blocking headphones works.

Quiet music may help, but usually, music with lyrics you know does NOT help you focus.

Improve your focus by eliminating potential distractions — To maintain your focus, eliminate as many potential distractions as you can.

Do not play your favorite songs. Sooner or later, you will be singing the song and not reading. Since the mind cannot focus on multiple things at once, it can find instrumental music initially distracting, but then will “ignore it” since it is a constant issue.

There will be no singular, simple solution to this issue since there will be no singular distraction. The key here is to learn what works for you. Learn what allows you to block out distractions. Make a list. Try different “tricks”. Chat with me or others who will support your academic goals. Seek ideas of what you can do. An hour or so of research can save many hours of rereading.

Here is a recent article that presents some pros and cons to listening to music to improve your concentration and study skills.

Once you are aware of what is happening, you can find ways to solve the problem. First, however, you need to be attentive to what is happening, so you can have a better idea of what you need to do to manage the issue.

Does this make sense?

Suggestions to help you focus on whatever you are studying.

This article has several ways to help you focus and improve your concentration. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-to-improve-concentration

I also have a few study suggestions that might be useful.

Other ideas to help you study can be found here.

Have you any questions? Please feel free to ask me questions. I really am here to help you succeed in school.

If you found this helpful, please share it with someone you think would also find it useful. I would appreciate it. Your friend might appreciate it too.

Have you ever lost points on an assignment because you forgot to do something?

My assignment checklist can help you remember the details.

Check it out! It is FREE!!!!

If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a note.

Valerie

updated 9 February 2025