5 reasons why you can’t focus at work (and what to do about it)

We all have those days when we can’t focus at work. You may catch yourself repeatedly refreshing your inbox, making countless cups of coffee, or doing pointless busy work, like Inbox Zero.

The worst part is that the longer you can’t focus, the more you fall behind. Eventually, you either rush through your tasks in a panic, which results in low-quality work, or you procrastinate even further, sometimes skipping tasks altogether.

No one thinks this is a great place to be. So why do we do it to ourselves? Read on!

1. You’re stuck in a procrastination loop

There will always be parts of your job you don’t enjoy. For some people, it’s mundane admin tasks like filling out timesheets. For others, it’s the prospect of something daunting, like preparing a big report or presentation.

When faced with a task we don’t like, we have two options: one, find the motivation to focus and do it, or two, put it off.

The problem with putting it off is that procrastination increases stress. That task will keep hanging over your head as your deadline approaches.

Stress is never a good thing in the workplace because it kills performance, causes analysis paralysis, and makes it even harder to focus and learn.

The fix

Doing something you don’t enjoy is a struggle, but you can make the process less painful.

According to one study, cognitive ability peaks between 8 am and 10 am — so do your toughest tasks first thing in the morning, when your energy is high, and you’re most alert.

As Mark Twain (allegedly) once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” Once the worst of your day is behind you, the rest of your to-do list will feel easy. If the morning has come and gone, put off the job until the following morning. But be sure to swallow that frog then!

Another option is to break large tasks down into smaller chunks. Splitting them up makes the larger job seem less daunting and time-consuming. Tackle a little bit each day, and before you know it, you’ll have conquered the beast.

2. You’re exhausted

We’ve all been there: after a night of tossing and turning, we fall asleep just before our alarm goes off and drag ourselves to work red-eyed and cranky. Apart from feeling awful, lack of sleep does all kinds of bad things to our brains.

One recent study says alertness, attention span, and vigilance take a nosedive. In the workplace, you’re more likely to make mistakes and less likely to learn, participate, and come up with ideas.

Long-term, a continued lack of sleep can affect cognitive health. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that sleep deprivation permanently kills brain cells in mice — and it may well do the same in humans. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, new parents!

The fix

If you’re tired right now, there are a few things you can do to help. Rather than reaching for another coffee — which will eventually make you crash — down a large glass of water. Dehydration is a major cause of sluggishness, so rehydrating will help you feel more alert.

Next, get moving. It may sound counterproductive, but going for a walk or a short workout at the gym can also perk you up. The fresh air and improved circulation helps you feel more refreshed than if you’d taken a nap. In fact, according to the UK’s NHS, “Even a single 15-minute walk can give you an energy boost, and the benefits increase with more frequent physical activity.”

In the long term, try to adopt good sleeping habits. According to the National Sleep Foundation, you should aim for between seven and nine hours a night. Turn in early, and stop looking at screens (TVs, phones, and computers) at least half an hour before you go to bed. The light emitted by these devices restricts the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep/wake cycle, i.e., circadian rhythm. This makes it harder to fall and stay asleep.

If you find it hard to resist peeking at your phone, put it out of reach. Even better, buy an old-fashioned alarm clock and put your device in a different room altogether.

3. You’ve got brain drain

You’ve probably heard about the perils of multitasking — but it’s so much more than just trying to do two jobs at once. Multitasking can also be mental, where you’re trying to think about several things simultaneously — something that we do a lot of in the average working day.

Just picture it: you’re probably working on something on a computer at any one time. You’ve got several tabs open, and you’re half-thinking about an email you need to reply to. Your phone is next to you on your desk, with a stack of notifications filling your lock screen.

That’s before you even account for distracting team chatter and the personal thoughts flying around your head.

A 2017 study found that the presence of your phone — even if it’s switched off — “reduces available cognitive capacity” because you’re dedicating a portion of your cognitive ability to resisting it. The study’s authors call this ‘brain drain.’ The same goes for email notifications: just seeing an email in your inbox will distract you, even if you’re successfully ignoring it.

The fix

Hide your phone. Beyond that, you can put it somewhere tricky to reach — like a drawer, locker, or the most inaccessible part of your bag.

Turn off your email notifications completely. If you’re worried about being slow to reply, set up a permanent out-of-office that says something along the lines of this:

——————————————————————————————————————————-

Hi! Thanks for your message.

I’m only checking email twice a day so that I can focus on work.

This means I may take a little longer to respond, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Thanks for your patience!

——————————————————————————————————————————-

The internet itself is another huge distraction that you probably can’t avoid. If you struggle to stay off social media, the news, or any other site that doesn’t help you work, consider using a website blocker.

These harsh-but-handy apps prevent you from visiting the websites of your choice for a predefined amount of time. StayFocused is one option, but there are loads to choose from, each with its own features.

And if you’re using a team chat app, set your status to tell people you’re focusing and disable notifications for a set period. That way, people will know you shouldn’t be disturbed — and the app won’t send you notifications while trying to focus.

4. You hate what you do

Let’s be honest — if you dread your job, focusing on it will always be an uphill battle, no matter how much you try and dress things up. Maybe your role isn’t challenging, or it’s too challenging. Maybe you don’t see the point in what you’re doing, or you feel undervalued, overworked, or out of place. Perhaps it doesn’t align with your values, or worse — it actively contradicts them. Or maybe it’s just boring.

Whatever the reason, when you’re mentally checked out, your brain resists investing energy into tasks that feel meaningless or misaligned with your values.

The result? Endless scrolling, clock-watching, procrastination, and doing the bare minimum just to get through the day.

Unfortunately, the longer this goes on, the harder it gets to fake motivation. Even small tasks can feel exhausting — not because they’re difficult, but because they feel pointless. It’s not burnout (although it can lead to that). It’s boredom, disconnection, or quiet resentment. And it’s a huge reason people struggle to focus.

The fix

If you’re feeling this way regularly, the first step is to figure out why. Is it your workload, your manager, your team, the mission (or lack thereof), or something else? Once you’ve named the problem, you can start exploring ways to improve your current situation — or start planning your exit.

In the meantime, try to inject a little meaning into your day. Set mini-goals that are personally rewarding. Eat the frog first, then reward yourself. Look for moments of autonomy or creativity, even in routine work. And don’t underestimate the power of talking it through — with a mentor, or even a trusted colleague.

Sometimes, a small shift in perspective is all it takes to rediscover your spark. Other times, it’s your sign to move on.

5. Your workspace is working against you

Where you work matters — and it might be sabotaging your focus more than you think. Maybe your office is too noisy. Maybe your home setup isn’t comfortable. Maybe your desk is cluttered with junk, or you’re working under a flickering ceiling light that’s slowly driving you mad.

Even small environmental factors, like temperature and background noise, can make it harder to stay on task. Studies show that clutter raises cortisol, the stress hormone. Other studies show disorganisation drains our cognitive resources, lowering our working memory and ability to focus.

If your surroundings make you tense or uncomfortable, your brain spends more effort managing that discomfort than focusing on the task at hand.

The fix

Start with a reset. Clear your desk of anything non-essential, wipe down your surfaces, and take stock of what actually helps you focus. Add things that calm you or motivate you — a plant, a good lamp, even a decent chair can work wonders.

If noise is the problem, invest in earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones. Try a white noise app or ambient music. If you’re working from home, experiment with different spaces, like working from a quiet café or library for a change of scenery.

And if you’re stuck in an open-plan office with no control over your setup, speak up. There may be quiet zones, hot desks, or flexibility policies you haven’t tapped into yet. Maybe you can wear headphones while you work. Your environment isn’t everything — but if it’s draining your attention, it’s worth changing.

Banish distractions with tools built for focus

Before you begin work every morning, take a few moments to plan your approach, and do everything you can to stay on track throughout the day.

Project management tools can be a big help here. When your workload is scattered across emails, sticky notes, and mental to-do lists, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start. A good system brings clarity — helping you see what’s urgent, what can wait, and what’s already in motion.

With Backlog, our own tool, you can break big tasks into smaller steps, set deadlines, create easy-to-read charts, and track progress without holding it all in your head. It’s a simple way to cut through the noise, turn information-clutter into action, reduce decision fatigue, and create the kind of structure that focus thrives on. Try it for free today!

This post was originally published on March 18, 2020, and updated most recently on June 18, 2025.