How to stay focused when my mind feels scattered

Realizing my focus problems

Earlier this week, I realized that focus is something I really lack, and that it is part of the efficiency cycle. I mean, focus promotes both my mental and physical health, and is also supported by them. So if I improve my focus, improving my mental and physical health will be easier, and if my focus gets worse, the same happens to my mental and physical health.

Let me put it in simple, everyday language. If I focus on being efficient in life and really keep my attention on that, then “NATURALLY” I eat better. Because now my mind wants to be efficient, so it avoids unhealthy food. It becomes effortless and enjoyable, because it reminds me that I am making progress toward something I care about.

How bad is my focus?

I am terrible at focusing. I didn’t notice it until I started paying attention. My mind is like a bus terminal. Thoughts come and go, sometimes three or four at the same time, and right after some thoughts are gone, others arrive instantly. I have no control over them.

As a result, I feel overwhelmed.

I imagine my energy as a plastic bag filled with water, with hundreds of holes in it. My energy is leaking out from all those holes, and I am left with nothing to do what I actually want to do. It is so, so frustrating. I feel drained without doing anything.

My strategy to stay focused

The method that I came up with, since I realized my focus issue, is very simple. It might sound a bit weird, and that’s OK. It works for me, and I live my life for myself. So, let it be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here, I will share my method, in case it helps someone.

Have you seen the movie "Memento", where the main character has lost his short-term memory and keeps notes every day so that he can remember what happened the previous day? Well, this is pretty much my strategy.

My mind is so scattered, and it has affected my concentration big time. And what is concentration? It is holding onto the intention to get something done. But I lose that intention easily, because I get distracted and lose my objective constantly. It is insane!

Again, I wasn’t aware of this. Before I started monitoring my focus, I thought I had decent concentration! Can you imagine that! WOW!

Of course, you don’t have to agree with me 🙂 but I think everyone would benefit from evaluating their focus consciously. It might reveal some uncomfortable truths. At least then you know whether there is a problem. After that, it’s up to you to deal with it, or ignore it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Back to my solution.

I write down every small thing that needs to be done. First, I make a full list of what I need to do today. Once I finish the list, I choose one task and draw a circle around it. Every time I lose focus, I look at that circle to remind myself what I was trying to do.

Then I forget about all the other tasks. I only focus on the circled one.

If that task has smaller steps, I write them down on a separate sheet of paper. Then I go through those steps one by one.

When I finish a task, I cross out everything related to it. Then I pick another task from the list.

This way, not only do I get things done, but I also feel a strong sense of satisfaction 😏. It is very enjoyable to cross a task off that list. And seeing that I am gradually completing more and more tasks gives me a clear feeling that I am making progress 🙌😎.

Bonus note

If you would like to have a mentor who can challenge the way you think about concentration, I have a big name for you: Bruce Lee✨

I found an interview with him conducted in 1971 with Pierre Berton very insightful. He says things that I still cannot fully understand. You know how some foods require a more advanced digestion system to release their nutrients? It feels like that.

This is one of those videos that I know I need to listen to multiple times. Each time, as I improve my focus, I learn something new from it.

Even though he has passed away, he is a great mentor to me. It is a shame that he died so young. He had a lot more to offer, and I could learn tons from him. But at least we still have his videos. Maybe somewhere in his words, I can understand the kind of energy that was driving him, an energy that I want to flow in my veins too.

Well, have a great day everyone.

April 27, 2026

A hot hot sunny day in Hoi An, Vietnam

A screenshot from Bruce Lee’s 1971 interview on the Pierre Berton show