Ever walk into a room and forget why you entered? Or, has completing the simplest task taken far longer than it should have?
Now that you’re older, you struggle to figure out how to focus better. The razor-sharp focus you used to have is now more like a dull blade. With all the stresses and distractions of today’s world, it’s easy to understand why.
A recent survey suggests that several factors can shorten your attention span. The problem is, if you can’t stay focused, you might develop more significant issues that may cause consternation about your cognitive health.
“It’s common for people of any age to experience problems with focus, and if anything, people seem much more susceptible these days,” says Aaron Bonner-Jackson, PhD, a Cleveland Clinic neuropsychologist. “We know that as people get older, their attention and working memory—the ability to keep their mind on something and keep a few things active in their mind at once—does decline. We think that’s what underlies some of what we consider to be the normal age-related changes in thinking.”
Concentration and Your Memory
In a 2023 study, researchers studied 262 children and adults to determine the amount of time each person maintained an ideal “in-the-zone” state of sustained attention while performing a continuous task. The average attention span was nearly 30 seconds for children, about 76 seconds for young adults and 67 seconds for older adults, the study found.
Like anyone, your ability to focus will fluctuate, based on a wide variety of factors. If you haven’t slept well, or if you’re hungry, dehydrated or stressed out, your focus may falter. Also, a variety of medications—particularly sedating antihistamines, some overactive bladder medications, certain pain medicines and drugs to prevent seizures and migraines—can affect your concentration, as can medical conditions like chronic pain, thyroid dysfunction, vision/hearing disorders and diabetes.
In a recent survey commissioned by researchers at Ohio State University, only a quarter of the 1,000 adult respondents reported having no trouble with their attention span. Among the rest, 43% attributed attention problems to stress and anxiety, 39% to lack of sleep, and 35% to smartphones and other digital devices. Other focus-draining factors included boredom/lack of interest, multitasking, physical inactivity, poor diet/dehydration and medical conditions like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to the survey.
Good attention is the foundation of memory, Dr. Bonner-Jackson says. “If you can’t stay focused and pay attention, you’re not going to be able to encode information to remember it later, so your memory could be affected,” he explains. “You’re probably not going to process the visual information around you, so your visuospatial skills could be affected. You may find that if you’re not focusing well, you have trouble finding words and expressing yourself. It’s one of the most basic cognitive functions that, if it’s out of whack, you will notice changes in a lot of areas.”
How to Focus Better
A number of strategies can help improve your attentiveness. For instance, if you’re losing your focus while trying to complete a lengthy task, take frequent breaks and go for a walk to clear your head. And, break larger tasks or pieces of information into smaller chunks so you can remember them more easily.
One of the biggest keys to help you stay focused is to avoid multitasking. “It’s really not possible to multitask,” Dr. Bonner-Jackson says. “So, doing one thing at a time and finishing it before you start the next thing is huge.”
If inattentiveness is becoming a significant problem, discuss it with your healthcare provider, and review any underlying contributors. Furthermore, consider cognitive rehabilitation therapy, administered by a speech-language pathologist, neuropsychologist or occupational therapist. This treatment can train you in techniques like visualization, verbalization and mnemonics to help you focus and boost your memory (see “11 Tips to Fix Your Focus”).
For example, “Sometimes I tell people to say their task or intention out loud while they’re doing it,” Dr. Bonner-Jackson says. “So, if you are walking into a room, say, ‘I’m going into the room for this reason.’ You can verbalize it so that you don’t lose track of it.
“People do have the capacity to focus, but there are just so many other things that are pulling us in different directions,” he continues. “So, do one thing, finish it and move on, and then eliminate the things that are competing for your attention.”
- Avoid multitasking, especially if a task requires significant concentration.
- Shut off your smartphone and other electronic devices, and remove sources of noise and other distractions.
- Visualize and verbalize whatever information or stimuli you’re receiving.
- Break large pieces of information into smaller chunks. For instance, divide a 10-digit phone number into the three-digit area code, three-digit prefix and the remaining four digits.
- Use word associations, or try to relate new information to something you already know.
- Repeat new information—such as a person’s name, instructions, or a grocery list—immediately and then again later.
- Set deadlines. Having to get something done by a certain time may help you focus better.
- Outsource the things on your mind. Use calendars, smartphone reminders and other tools to “take things out of your mind so your mind is less cluttered,” Dr. Bonner-Jackson advises.
- Report any sleep problems, mood disorders or hearing/vision problems to your physician, and take steps to correct them.
- Review your medications with your doctor to determine if any might contribute to your concentration or memory problems.
- Limit your caffeine intake. Being overcaffeinated can affect your ability to focus.
