Do you find yourself scrolling social media rather than working every time you know your boss is in a meeting? Or maybe you’re working from home and realise at midday that you’ve put the dishwasher on and sorted your laundry but haven’t completed the presentation that you’re due to deliver later?

If you’re reading this and thinking That’s me, you could be suffering from fragmented attention: an inability to focus on a sole task due to so many other distractions. 

Fragmented attention is commonplace in working life. One study found that 75% of us find workplace distractions to be a major barrier to our productivity, with social media accounting for 44% of all workplace distractions.

So, why is fragmented attention affecting so many of us at work – and what can we do to fix it and enjoy greater productivity and satisfaction in our careers? Stylist spoke to three psychology experts to find out.

“Fragmented attention occurs when someone’s focus spreads across multiple tasks or is constantly interrupted,” explains Dr Rebekah Wanic, a psychologist and lecturer. “This state can result in many negative consequences at work, including reduced efficiency and productivity, reduced problem-solving and creativity, increased risk of errors, and the experience of cognitive fatigue, stress or disengagement.”

For many, this can result in spending time doing things that aren’t work-related, like scrolling on your phone for hours on end. However, it can also occur from distractions within our work, too. Psychologist and psychotherapist Nova Cobban points to how, during office hours, we’re often asked to complete an array of tasks that require us to be endlessly versatile in our mentality and strengths, known as ‘context switching’. “We are often asked at work to transition from one task to another, even when one requires a totally different skill set, and we have to do this instantly,” she says. “Think about times when you have gone from a difficult client call into a creative meeting, for example. Each calls for a different mentality, and yet our minds cannot process one before beginning the next. It is incredibly hard to focus when we are context switching all the time; it drains our cognitive resources and reduces our productivity and resilience.”

As you might expect, a tell-tale sign of fragmented attention is an inability to focus on a single task for a period of time without becoming distracted. This largely comes down to how our brains prioritise things. “We tend to prioritise what we actually want to spend our time doing, not what we think we ought to do,” explains Ali Ross, a psychotherapist and spokesperson for the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). “In other words, the things we’re scared, daunted, bored or uninspired by will be deprioritised over ‘easy wins’ or quickly satisfying things, unless we have the awareness and energy reserves to address this imbalance directly. Worst of all, in fragmented attention we can get caught between what’s hard and what’s easy, so we end up attending to neither, enjoying neither and achieving neither. All the while, work and life commitments fall by the wayside.”

Ross also adds you can spot when you’re distracted by looking at the technology around you, too. Ask yourself: “Have you got your phone out and how relevant is what’s on your phone to your central task at hand? How many tabs have you got open at work? What did you set out to do today at work and how close to achieving that are you – how much has distraction got in the way of completing your task?”

Remove technology distractions

Putting your phone in another room or in your bag may sound obvious, but it’s a good first step to getting rid of what’s probably your biggest distraction. It can also help to mute any notifications that aren’t urgent. “Turn off any sounds on your phone or computer – the ‘ping’ we get as notifications come in immediately distracts us and acts as a signal to react to it without us even realising,” says Cobban. “Put your devices on silent mode and check in only when you are ready.”

Of course, if you have a job that requires you to always have your phone to hand (for example, if you need to take client calls), this approach won’t work. If you do need your phone, and don’t have a separate one for work, try disabling notifications in your settings for the apps that aren’t relevant.

Use time-blocking techniques

Create a to-do list of the tasks you have to complete and try allocating each one a specific amount of time to help you stay in control. “Time blocking is a great way to ensure your attention isn’t scattered,” says Cobban. “Look at what you need to achieve and be realistic about the amount of time required and then factor in the environment needed for this, the energy levels and the other people involved before you plan your day. If you have a big chunk of time required for a task, then plan the time you will do this and let those who need to know that you are unavailable during that block of time.”

Create the right environment

Making sure you have a working environment that caters to what you need to stay focused is an important step to managing fragmented attention. Think about what you need to help you concentrate and act accordingly. “In many cases, things like turning off notifications, scheduling deep work sessions (and communicating this to colleagues so they are less likely to interrupt you) and utilising tools to avoid distractions, like noise-cancelling headphones, can help create an environment more conducive to attentional focus,” says Wanic.

Ross adds that fragmented attention is often a sign of overstimulation, making it even more important to create a quiet and focused environment. So, it’s a good idea to turn off any music or the radio and make sure you take regular breaks, too.

Don’t punish yourself

We all get distracted by things – none of us can be 100% focused all the time. While you’re taking steps to address why your attention is lacking, it’s also important to remember not to get disheartened when things don’t go to plan. “Beating yourself up will only increase your sense of shame and add to your procrastination,” says Ross. “If nothing else, take a few deep breaths, ask yourself what an act of self-kindness would look like, give that to yourself, then try to refocus.”

Images: Getty