Easily Distracted

What people are struggling with

Being pulled away from your intended task by any minor sight, sound, or thought.

Losing track of your original intention within minutes of starting.

Your attention feeling porous, unable to filter out background noise or internal chatter.

Time disappearing into unintended activities like scrolling or tidying.

Why this keeps repeating

Your attentional filter is weakened, often by stress, fatigue, or overload.

The brain prioritizes scanning for new stimuli over maintaining focus on a single point.

Distraction provides a micro-hit of novelty, offering temporary relief from the discomfort of sustained effort.

My personal experience

Reading the same paragraph three times without comprehension.

Going to check one thing on my phone and surfacing 20 minutes later.

The ping of a notification completely derailing my train of thought.

Where this lives in the Cosmic Mirror

Foundation Layer: Attentional control and sensory filtering.

What actually helped me

Putting my phone in another room and closing all irrelevant browser tabs before starting.

Using a single, wordless music track on repeat to absorb the "novelty-seeking" part of my brain.

Asking myself "What is my one intention right now?" and saying it aloud.

Things to try

Work facing a blank wall for 25 minutes.

Keep a notepad next to you. Jot down the distracting thought and return to work.

Use a pomodoro timer: 25 minutes of work, 5 minutes of break.

Common mistakes or traps

Believing you need perfect quiet or conditions to focus, which reinforces the habit of waiting.

Fighting distractions with willpower instead of structuring your environment to limit them.

Self-criticism mid-distraction, which further fractures attention.

Related paths to explore

Feeling scattered / can't focus

Persistent mental static

Difficulty resting even when tired