My Go-To Habits for Regaining Focus When I’m Overwhelmed and Distracted

Have you ever stared at your screen, knowing you have things to do, but your brain just won’t cooperate? 

That’s exactly how it feels sometimes. 

It’s not often, but there are days when my brain feels like 37 browser tabs are open, and they’re all buffering. 

I sit down to answer emails, but I check my phone, forget what I was doing, scroll a bit, come back, panic because time’s flying, and I’ve got a ton of things to do. 

Sound familiar?

If you’d like to know how to improve your focus, when you feel overwhelmed or distracted, let me share what I do when I’m mentally distracted or feel like I’m being pulled in multiple directions at once. 

No fluff, no guru advice – just a few simple tools that help me personally get my head back on straight, focus, and get more done. 

Quick heads-up: a few of these might sound a little unconventional at first—but they work, so stick with me.

6 Things I Do When My Brain Feels Like It’s On Fire

1. I Step Away—On Purpose

Counterintuitive, right? 

But when I’m overwhelmed, I don’t push harder. I literally step away. 

Five minutes. Sometimes ten. 

And here’s the trick: I leave the distractions behind. Yep, no phone. 

If I’m at the office, I’ll walk out onto the sales floor and check in with my team, or I’ll go into the back admin offices to see how people are doing. 

If I’m at home, I’ll walk to the kitchen, go to the back yard, maybe stretch, or even just stare out the window at the beautiful sky.

It’s like hitting a mini reset button.

If I try to power through, I get more frustrated. 

But when I give my brain “breathing room,” it comes back online. 

Try it. 

Even if it feels silly.

2. I Do a Brain Dump

This is my go-to. 

When my head is a mess, or when I feel pulled in all directions at once, or just simply distracted, I grab a notebook or a piece of paper and write everything I’m thinking about. 

Not in any specific order. 

Not neat. 

Not structured. 

I write down all the things I have to do, any worries I have, any random thoughts, and so on. 

I get it ALL out. 

It’s like clearing the clutter off my desk. 

Once it’s on paper, I can see what I’m dealing with—and what can wait.

I then look at the list and start tackling small, simple tasks that I can easily complete to build momentum (more on this below).

3. I Pick One Small Win

Overwhelm often thrives on big, messy lists, endless thoughts, or tasks piling up. 

So I shrink the day, so to speak!

I pick one tiny, doable thing and quickly finish it. 

And I don’t do anything else until it’s done. 

Sometimes it’s clearing out my emails.

Other times, it’s making a phone call. 

It doesn’t matter what it is; it’s about picking something I know I can accomplish and focusing on it until it’s done. 

And with that, I build momentum.

That little win? 

It’s a spark, and sparks lead to fire.

Because pretty soon, I pick up the next little thing I know I can get done, and then the next, and the next, and before I know it, I’m back in the game and rolling. 

4. I Mute the Noise

Most days at work, my door’s open, my phone’s buzzing, and my computer’s full of distractions. 

So, yeah, it’s pretty easy for me to lose my focus. 

When I catch myself struggling to stay on task, feeling overwhelmed, or just scattered, the first thing I do is shut down the noise.

Notifications are my enemy when I’m already scattered. 

So I flip my phone over, and put it on silent.. 

I disable pop-ups on my computer and close any unnecessary tabs. 

I close my door and do my best to cut myself off from possible distractions, at least until I get that important task done. 

Focus is fragile in a sea of bings, dings, and noise. 

So I treat focus like something I have to protect, not something I can just summon at will.

5. I Breathe. Literally.

When I catch my thoughts bouncing all over the place or am unable to complete a task, I stop and take three deep breaths. 

Just three. 

In through the nose, out through the mouth. 

It’s simple, but I swear, it works.

It tells my body, “hey, you’re okay.” 

And once my body believes that, my brain can follow.

I return to work and complete the task at hand.

6. I Give Myself Permission to “Not Be Perfect” (Briefly)

This one didn’t come easily – it was like learning from a karate master who made me sweep floors for years before revealing the secret.

When I struggle to focus, it’s sometimes because I’m trying to be perfect. 

I write an email, then review it, then re-write it, then re-review it, and pretty soon I get distracted. 

Yes, some things have to be done right, but not everything. 

See, sometimes things just have to get done, and trying to be perfect ends up being the trap. 

So I tell myself: 

“Just show up, get it done, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

A rough draft. 

A sloppy first step. 

That’s all I need. 

Once I’m moving, I usually find my rhythm.

We all get lost in the fog sometimes. 

Focus isn’t about being superhuman—it’s about having a few solid tools you can reach for when the fog rolls in.

So next time your brain feels like static, try one of these. 

Just one. 

Don’t aim to conquer the world. 

Just clear a little space, and trust that clarity will follow.

You’re not broken. 

You’re just overwhelmed. 

And you’re not alone, and I hope that sharing my go-to focus tricks will help you get more done.

Love,