Why you can't focus (and why it's not your fault)

If you’ve ever sat down to work and found yourself three hours deep in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about medieval siege weapons, you’re not alone.

That crushing “why can’t I just focus?!” feeling? Yeah, we know it well.

You tell yourself you should be able to push through.

That if you were more disciplined, more motivated, more something, you’d be crushing your to-do list, not refreshing Instagram for the fifteenth time.

Turns out, the whole ‘just try harder’ approach is setting you up to lose.

You’re fighting an impossible battle and the science backs it up.

The willpower myth that's sabotaging your focus

We’ve been sold a lie about focus. That productivity is all about willpower and that successful people just have more of it. More discipline, more motivation, more internal strength.

But here's what researchers have been quietly documenting for years: effortful restraint (pure willpower) is overrated as a strategy for long-term success.

Ever wonder how some people "never" seem to procrastinate? Those people who seem to have superhuman self-control?

They're not exerting more willpower than you.

Instead of relying on sheer will, they create systems that make good choices easier and bad ones harder.

They work in environments that support focus. They’ve built routines and accountability that reduce the need for constant decision-making. They don’t “resist” distractions, they’ve just designed lives where those distractions come up less often.

As Harvard Business School researchers explain, we already have better tools than willpower to break habits and stay consistent. We just don’t use them, because we’ve been conditioned to see structure as weakness.

The truth? Designing your environment and habits to reduce friction is one of the smartest things you can do.

Willpower might help in the short term. But if you want to focus consistently, structure will win every time.

How successful people actually stay focused

When researchers studied people who consistently hit their goals, they didn’t find ironclad self-discipline or superhuman motivation. What they found was structure.

These “disciplined” types weren’t relying on willpower. They were using external supports, or what psychologists call commitment devices, to make focus easier and more automatic.

Here's what that looks like in real life:

They change their environment: Working in spaces designed for focus, removing distractions before they start, surrounding themselves with visual cues that support their goals.

They create accountability: Regular check-ins with partners, public commitments, systems that make it harder to quit than to continue.

They build routines: Exercising at the same time each day, having designated work hours, creating rituals that signal "focus time" to their brain.

They work alongside others: This is where it gets really interesting. Even the most independent achievers rarely work in complete isolation. They join coworking spaces, study groups or simply work in cafes where other people are being productive.

Why? Because there’s real science behind it. When we’re around others who are working, our brains naturally start to mirror that behaviour. It’s called social facilitation. The presence of others, even virtually, can boost performance on routine tasks. 

(Sound familiar? It's exactly why we do virtual coworking at Cool Wow.)

Enter body doubling: The focus tool you didn’t know you needed

One of the most effective (and underrated) ways to improve focus is surprisingly simple… Just work alongside someone else.

It’s called body doubling.

Here’s how it works:

You sit down to work. So does someone else. You don’t have to chat, collaborate or even talk at all. Their presence alone, whether it’s in the room or on a Zoom call, helps you stay on task.

Body doubling was first popularised in ADHD communities as a way to reduce procrastination. But it’s not just for neurodivergent brains. Research suggests that working in the presence of others can improve focus, reduce stress and increase task follow-through, even when you're not interacting with them directly.

Why does it work?

The audience effect: Just knowing someone else is around (even virtually) can increase attention and task performance, especially for routine or repetitive work.

Attention anchoring: Their presence acts as a kind of mental anchor, gently reminding your brain to stay present.

Gentle accountability: You’re less likely to pick up your phone or wander off when someone else is nearby doing their thing too.

Co-regulation: Sharing space with calm, focused people can help settle your nervous system and make focus feel less effortful.

The effect of being observed, even by a virtual avatar, has been shown to improve task performance. In one study, participants completed simple tasks more quickly when a digital figure was present on screen compared to working alone. Psychologists call this the audience effect or social facilitation, and it’s a big part of why body doubling works. Our brains respond to the presence of others, even if we’re not interacting

Pretty compelling stuff, right?

The science is clear: structure beats struggle

The research is overwhelming: external structure is more effective than internal willpower for maintaining focus and achieving goals.

When we stop trying to muscle through with sheer determination and start designing supportive systems, everything becomes easier.

This isn't about being weak or lacking discipline. It's about being smart enough to work with your brain instead of against it.

Your brain wasn't designed to focus for eight hours straight in a distracting environment. It wasn't built to resist the dopamine hit of notifications while sitting alone with your thoughts. It evolved to pay attention to social cues, to work collaboratively, to thrive in structured environments with clear expectations.

Makes sense when you think about it that way, doesn't it?

What this means for you

If you've been struggling to focus, the solution isn't to try harder. It's to try differently.

• Instead of berating yourself for getting distracted, ask: "How can I design my environment to make focus easier?"

• Instead of relying on motivation, ask: "What structures can I put in place to support consistency?"

• Instead of working alone and hoping for the best, ask: "Who can I work alongside to tap into this whole social thing?"

The answers to these questions might just change everything about how you approach your work and how you feel about your ability to get things done.

In our next blog, we’ll dive into the science behind body doubling and explain why simply working alongside someone (even on Zoom) can have such a powerful effect on your focus, stress levels and motivation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rach runs Cool Wow Collective, a community for solo business owners who want focus, structure and connection without the hustle. She’s also the founder of Assembld, a content and copywriting studio working with tourism and events brands across regional Australia.