Do you ever have a hard time getting focused? Maybe you’ve got projects that you start and don’t finish, or books you start reading but never complete. For some reason, you get easily distracted and never finish. This can actually be detrimental.

Why? Because those who can’t get things finished will fall way behind in the race against those who do have the ability to focus. According to Ramit Sethi, creator of GrowthLab, when you lack focus on something, other things don’t get finished either. Your to-do list compounds creating a bunch of overwhelm in your life. Ramit goes on to say that actually “focus” is the super power of our time. If you have the ability to sit down and work through something complex without getting distracted, you have a very rare skill.

Why It’s Hard To Focus

There are many reasons as to why it’s hard to focus these days:

  • Maybe growing up, you weren’t raised to have to “see things through”.
  • Maybe you have “shiny object syndrome” where every time something new pops up, you follow it.
  • Maybe there are millions of things pulling at your attention ( Facebook, text messages, emails)

So, how can you fix this problem?

There are a few ways to fix this. There are apps and meditation techniques you can try. But there is no quick fix. Focus is a skill that you have to hone and practice.

Ramit suggests you figure out the “why” behind why you can’t focus.

  • Are you afraid of failing?
  • Are you afraid of letting someone down?
  • Are you confused on the next steps to take?
  • Does it not align with your true desires?

Whatever the truth is, be honest with yourself. Once you’re honest with yourself, you’ll be better equipped to complete tasks.

READ MORE: The Surprising Reason It’s So Hard To Focus