We all battle distraction, and lack focus, even the most driven among us. You might zone out mid-conversation or sit down to complete an important task, only to end up scrolling endlessly through social media.

In Stolen Focus, author Johann Hari calls this an “attention crisis.” He highlights a sharp decline in our ability to focus, from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8.25 seconds by 2015. Even more worrying, once you get distracted, it can take up to half an hour to get back on track.

Why Are We Losing Focus?

Our digital world plays a central role. Devices, apps, games and endless notifications constantly compete for our attention. These tools aren’t neutral, they’re designed to keep us hooked. Features like the infinite scroll exploit our psychological vulnerabilities, encouraging compulsive use through mechanisms like negativity bias. Social media platforms in particular thrive on keeping us outraged, overstimulated and scrolling.

In other words, these distractions are engineered to steal your attention, and your productivity.

The Hidden Cost of Distraction

Let’s be honest, how do you feel when you finish a task while juggling ten others?

Calm? Accomplished? Satisfied?
Probably not.

More likely: You feel anxious, frustrated and like you haven’t done anything particularly well.

When your mind isn’t present, the quality of your work suffers, and you miss out on the sense of satisfaction that comes from genuine focus. At work, this plays out in distracted, disengaged and unproductive employees. And it’s not about laziness or lack of willpower, it’s about systems that hijack our brains.

Take the infinite scroll. Aza Raskin, the designer who created it in 2006, now campaigns against manipulative tech practices. He rarely uses social media himself. Before posting, he asks:

“Who am I being right now? Am I acting from a place of compassion or compulsion?”

When he realised he didn’t like the answer most of the time, he stopped posting.

How to Reclaim Your Attention (and Your Flow)

You can reclaim your attention. The key lies in awareness and small, deliberate actions.

Here are three practical steps to get started:

1. Identify Your Personal Distractions

Reflect on what pulls your attention away. What distracted you today? Are you reading this with multiple tabs open? Are you half-listening to someone else while planning dinner or tomorrow’s meetings?

2. Stop Multitasking

Multitasking splits your attention and lowers the quality of everything you do. When your focus is divided, you dilute your impact.

3. Embrace Monotasking

Give one task your full energy and attention. Finish it before moving on. This “monotasking” approach boosts both your effectiveness and your enjoyment.

Ready to help your team find their flow?

At Understood, we help organisations create more focused, emotionally intelligent and productive teams. Whether you’re looking to boost concentration, improve communication or elevate the customer experience, our expert-led communication training and customer service programmes are designed to support real, sustainable change.

Talk to us, explore our website, read our blog, and follow us on LinkedIn to learn more and discover ways to grow a more successful business.