Why You Can't Focus on Your Creative Work (And How to Fix It)
If you've been finding it harder to focus on your creative work lately, you're not alone. Distraction feels inevitable in our current world—but what if I told you that distraction is often just procrastination in disguise? And procrastination is your nervous system's freeze response, not a character flaw.
Sometimes, Distraction Isn't What You Think
We like to blame technology, social media, or our packed schedules for why we can't focus. And yes, those things are real. But distraction can also be your body's way of protecting you from something it perceives as threatening—like finishing your creative work and putting it out into the world.
When you understand that your inability to focus might be a stress response rather than a personal failure, things can begin to shift.
Permission to Focus: What It Looks Like
I was recently doing Fascial Flossing work (a movement practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine), and my teacher asked us: "How can we utilize the energy of the liver to hone in on where we desire to get unstuck?"
The phrase "Permission to Focus" popped into my head, and I felt it resonate in my whole body.
So I'm sharing it with you: What if you gave yourself permission to focus this week?
What Would Have to Shift?
Ask yourself:
What habits, routines, or behaviors have been causing you to be distracted?
If you gave yourself a Permission Slip to Focus, what would that look like?
What boundaries would need to be in place?
For me, my phone became a bigger distraction than I liked. I now use an app that makes it annoying to open certain apps beyond a set number of times during specific hours.
I also have the boundary of The Everyday Artist Community's weekly 90-minute Creative Corners where we use EFT Tapping to regulate our nervous systems and virtual body doubling to support our focus. We can cash in on that permission slip to follow our creative impulses—whether it's for an hour or 5 minutes—to work on projects, explore hobbies and ideas, or simply daydream.
Your Life is One Big Creation
This Permission Slip can go beyond your creativity and into the rest of your life. Although I'd argue your life is inherently just one big creation anyway.
If you need support getting out of the distraction/procrastination cycle, try this free EFT Tapping sequence for When Your Brain Says 'Nope'.
Looking forward to hearing how this all lands with you, feel free to post below in the comments!
Sending a lot of care,
Bianca