Do you space out when you are overwhelmed? (I tell you a little secret, so do I 😉 ) When we are overwhelmed by our workload we struggle with questions like:
- Why cant I concentrate
- How can I focus and be productive? I just can’t seem to at all.
- How do I stop my mind from wandering ?
- I can’t function, what now?
At least that’s what I struggle with when I am overwhelmed.
I either overthink or my mind is always somewhere else and I can’t focus.
Like at all…
Raise your hand if you’re feeling this! 
Let’s take a look at: How to focus when you feel overwhelmed. In this post we’ll cover:
- How to focus when you are overwhelmed and stressed
- Why does my brain feel fuzzy when I am overwhelmed & Why do I feel like I cant think clearly
- How to keep my mind from wandering
- Time management when you are overwhelmed
- Why do I freeze when feeling overwhelmed
- What to do when you are so overwhelmed you cannot function?
Since you probably struggle with concentration let’s jump right into the best tips to focus when you are overwhelmed 😉
7 Best “ Why cant i concentrate“ Focus Tips for when you are Overwhelmed
1. Quick Tip: Shorten your To-Do List - To feel less overwhelmed
Do you feel so overwhelmed with your daily to-do lists that you don’t accomplish anything at all? And you just can’t focus?
- Shorten your to-do list to the 3 most important tasks per day
- Re-organize your tasks. How are they connected? Which tasks aren’t that important?
- Prioritize, and throw out stuff you don’t necessarily need to do.
- Dare to do the tasks poorly (better bad than not at all)
- Set time boundaries (Got a mountain of dishes, just clean them 10 minutes, leave the rest)
- Focus on one step at a time (E.g. Write 1 sentence; put on shoes; put on pants; go to the corner store)
- Can’t finish your to-do list? Don’t beat yourself up over it.
- Learn how to not overcommit yourself. Are you overwhelmed by your responsibilities? Maybe you took on too much. We have a full post on how to stop overcommitting.
2. Get some fresh air and a little distance.
Before you come back to the list get some distance. Sometimes we need a time out.
- Take a walk through the forest.
- Drink some water.
- Sing a motivational song. (Which one is your favorite motivational song?)
- Work out (Burn all your frustrations and anxiety with a workout.)
- Sleep. (Sometimes a nap does wonders)
3. Improve your Focus
“Focus means eliminating distractions, not just from other people, but the things we do to distract ourselves.”
– Catherine Pulsifer
Can’t focus when you are overwhelmed? Here are some tips to improve your focus and attention span: (Spacing out allowed!)
- Find a quiet room (a library, study room, a coffee shop)
- Remove all distractions (Phone, Tablet, TV etc.)
- Switch between tasks if you can’t stay on one topic ( 5 Minute reading, 5 Minute writing, 5 Minute Stretching)
- Extend those periods, when your focus improves.
- Organize the order of your tasks in advance.
- Don’t stop when you are in “the flow”. (Don’t let anyone disturb you either)
- Try Grounding Techniques
Here is a post on how to force yourself to do stuff you don’t want to do and how to improve your self discipline 🙂 It might help as well.
4. Celebrate what you’ve achieved
At the end of the day write down what you’ve accomplished in a “done-list” & celebrate your tiny achievements?
5. For the long-term start a healthy lifestyle.
- Have a manageable Workload. (Here is a great post on spring cleaning your life)
- Make Focus Time a Routine
- Sleep enough
- Drink enough water.
- Meditate
- Plan your weeks ahead of time.
- Have a Self-Care Routine (Check our Self Care Morning Routine + Self Care Bedtime Routine)
- Plan enough Leisure Time
- Look at your Work Life Balance
- Check your sugar intake.
- Start a healthy diet. Here are concentration foods.
6. Practice focus
Yeah, focusing can be learned. You can train it like self-discipline:
- Practice active listening. (You can listen to audiobooks)
- Read long books (Each day a few minutes)
- Meditate
7. Find out what works for you
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Why does my brain feel fuzzy when I am overwhelmed ? & Why do I feel like I cant think clearly?
What happens if you get too overwhelmed? When our responsibilities are stacking, and our to-do lists explode we often feel like we are“in over our heads”. I lose motivation and focus when overwhelmed. We get that fuzzy brain feeling. Overworking and being overwhelmed can cause:
- Mental slowness
- Forgetfulness
- Confusion,
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulties in thinking logically
- A racing mind or an impaired ability to solve problems.
It’s normal. If you have a fuzzy brain, but you aren’t overwhelmed there might be other causes! Like a lack of sleep, too much sugar, mental problems. Check out other fuzzy brain causes here.
How to keep my mind from wandering ?
Do you have a wandering mind? Here are some step you can take when your mind is always somewhere else:
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- Observe your distractions (Is it your phone, the mail pop up, certain thoughts? Find out what distracts you.)
- Solve the problem (When I struggle with a problem, e.g. should I go to Korea or not, I start overthinking, my mind keeps wandering to the same problem over and over like a fly goes towards dung.) Solve the problem even if it’s tiny like a broken light bulb.
- Avoid your triggers. You always lose focus after watching the news? Or after talking to a certain mind boggling person. Avoid the trigger before you work.
- Take your time. At least for me impatience can cause a loss of focus.
- Focus music. I know I recommend it a lot, but it does work for me. 😉
- Accept the thought like in meditation. Recognize it. Write it down, when necessary and let it float away.
- Avoid coffee. When I drink coffee my thoughts jump, jump, jump from one topic to another. Great when you need many ideas. Not so great when I need to focus.
Time management when you are overwhelmed
Now, this step is crucial, there are a few time management techniques you can use when you are overwhelmed. Sometimes I m so stressed I cant focus. These Methods might be able to help:
- Make an overview of all your projects.
- Create a Master To-Do List. (Get the tasks out of your head)
- Prioritize. You can use the 80/20 rule or the Eisenhower Matrix
- Use the Pomodoro Technique
- Use Time Blocking and Task Batching
- Use the One-Day Rule
- Learn to Say No
- Fulfill your Needs First
Why do I freeze when feeling overwhelmed ?
Ellen Hendriksen, PhD explained, why we freeze when feeling overwhelmed as follows: “Your brain doesn’t just see a to-do list; it sees a threat. It sees the threat of scarcity: not enough time, not enough energy, not enough magical ability to fit everything into twenty-four hours. Or it sees the threat of failing, the threat of disappointing others, the threat of feeling incapable.”
What to do when you are so overwhelmed you cannot function?
What to do when you cannot function because you are overwhelmed? When you are at a point at which you can’t focus. You are anxious, close to crying, and freaking out, because you’ve got so many responsibilities. Time to take a step back:
- Disconnect, leave the scene take a deep breath.
- Hike, take a walk do some sunbathing, get out.
- Take care of yourself, plug out.
- Ask for help.
- Go out with a friend.
- See what someone else can do for you.
- Write it in your journal.
- Clean and tidy your home.
Here are our best Brain Fog Remedies when your Brain Feels fried.
Wrapping it up …
I hope you were able to get some valuable tips for when you are overwhelmed with too many things to do. And I hope we were able to answer your question: Why cant I concentrate and how to focus when you are overwhelmed. Here are our 7 best tips at one glance:
- Shorten your To-Do List
- Get some fresh air and a little distance.
- Improve your Focus & Remove Distractions
- Celebrate what you’ve achieved with a “Done-List”
- Implement Long-Term Habits
- Practice your Focus Skills
- Find what works for you
7 SimpleWays to IncreaseProductivity:
- Sometimes you need to take a step back to move two forwards (Look at the big picture if you feel lost)
- Schedule your day ahead to avoid #overcommitting (Here are #freeplannertemplates that will save your day!)
- Use a #PomodoroTimer to stay on track ( helps when you get #distracted easily or if you are a #procrastinator!)
- Turn off any shows, movies, or podcasts that are more distracting the helpful
- Switch places if you #cantFocus at your current location
- Start with a quick 5-minute task if you don’t feel like working or alternatively a hard task if you are super #motivated first in the morning
- Take care of your body, soul, and also your surroundings – A #CleanWorkspace makes everything better
- Check your #habits – (especially the bad ones!)
Want to learn more on how to increase #productivity? Then read this article on how to build your own productivity system!
Tag someone you know who NEEDS to see this! And let us know your favorite Focus Tip below. Feel free to save this post for the next time when you feel overwhelmed by your workload.
Love these tips, especially about writing a “done list” to celebrate what you’ve achieved. I’m definitely going to try that! 😊
It’s always great to see how much we’ve actually achieved in a day (looking back 1 week is even more amazing) 😀
Great tips! Bookmarking this.