In this special series, guest writer Dr Libby Weaver shares her health insights. This week she discusses focus.
Do you ever feel like your brain has too many tabs open? You sit down to do one thing, only to find yourself scrolling, snacking, or switching between tasks without ever finishing
The good news is a scrambled mind is not a permanent state. Focus is something we can cultivate, and often the solutions lie in addressing both the mental clutter we carry and the physical foundations of our brain health.
Start making lists
The first step is reducing mental load. Every time you keep something “in mind” – from remembering to book a doctor’s appointment to picking up veges – it takes up valuable cognitive real estate. Our working memory is not infinite. When it becomes crowded, focus suffers.
Simple strategies like writing things down, making lists or using reminders can help dramatically decrease the number of open “tabs” in your head. Offloading the small stuff on to paper or digital tools gives your brain the chance to concentrate on bigger, more meaningful tasks, while also knowing you won’t forget what you’ve captured. Batching can also make a huge difference: grouping similar tasks together, such as responding to emails at set times instead of constantly dipping in and out of your inbox. These small shifts protect your attention span from being constantly fragmented.
Draw technology ‘boundaries’
We also need to consider the impact of persistent rings and pings. Smartphones mean we are constantly accessible – a single device now holds our calendar, our work, our conversations, our entertainment. While this can be convenient, it also fragments our attention. Every notification pulls us out of the moment, forcing our brain to switch tasks and costing us precious mental energy.
How often do you pick up your phone to answer a text and before you put it down again, you’ve checked three social media apps? Maybe the weather too, just to check if it’s going to rain. Over time, this continual disruption creates a scattered, overstimulated mind that struggles to focus deeply on any one thing.
Creating intentional boundaries with technology can be powerful. Silencing non-essential notifications, keeping your phone out of reach for stretches of time, or designating “no screen” windows each day allows your brain to sink into uninterrupted thought.
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Advertise with NZME.Just as muscles need rest between sets at the gym to grow stronger, your brain needs quiet to consolidate information, restore clarity and return to focus.
Check your iron intake
While reducing mental clutter is vital, so too is addressing the physical health of your brain. One often-overlooked factor is iron. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world, and it can have a profound effect on brain function. Iron is essential for oxygen transport, energy production and the synthesis of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and GABA – all of which influence mood, focus and motivation.
Low iron doesn’t just leave you tired; it can also cause brain fog, poor memory, difficulty concentrating and restless sleep. For women, especially during the menstruation decades, perimenopause, or after years of heavy bleeding, iron deficiency is all too common and often goes unaddressed. Checking your iron status and correcting it if needed can be life-changing for mental clarity.
Be good to your gut
Another piece of the puzzle lies in the gut. It might seem odd to talk about digestion when we’re focused on the brain, but the two are deeply interconnected. The majority of serotonin – often called the “feel good” neurotransmitter – is produced in the gut. Other key brain messengers also rely on healthy gut bacteria and a well-nourished gut lining.
When the gut is inflamed or there are too many lousy microbes disrupting crucial processes, neurotransmitter production can suffer. This can lead to challenges with mood, anxiety, poor focus and even disrupted sleep. Supporting your gut with fibre-rich whole foods and reducing ultra-processed food intake – including preservatives – can go a long way in restoring both digestive comfort and mental clarity.
Supporting detoxification
And then there’s the liver, one of the most underappreciated organs when it comes to brain health. The liver is your primary detoxification hub, tasked with altering the structure of everything from alcohol and pesticides to medications and even your own hormones. When it becomes “overloaded”, your body’s finely tuned chemistry can go awry and the result often shows up in your head: brain fog, headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood disturbances.
Supporting your liver doesn’t require extremes or harsh detoxes. It’s about reducing the burden – less alcohol, fewer ultra-processed foods and avoiding unnecessary synthetic chemical exposures – and increasing nourishment. Bitter greens like rocket, kale and spinach along with cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts and liver-supportive herbs like St Mary’s thistle can help your liver keep up with its many roles.
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Advertise with NZME.Find time for some rest and relaxation
Other often-forgotten players in focus and mental clarity include sleep and stress. When you are exhausted, no amount of willpower will help you focus – sleep is the foundation of brain health. Likewise, when your stress hormones are constantly elevated, your body prioritises survival over deep thinking, making it far harder to concentrate.
Calming your nervous system through practices like slow diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, gentle exercise or simply taking time in nature helps restore the biochemical balance that allows your brain to perform at its best.
Focus is never just about “trying harder”, it’s about reducing the unnecessary noise – whether that’s too many tasks competing for your attention or too many potentially problematic substances burdening your liver. It’s about ensuring your brain has the nutrients it needs, your gut is producing the right neurotransmitters, your iron levels are robust, and your nervous system isn’t permanently stuck in fight-or-flight.
So next time you catch yourself thinking “my mind is scrambled”, pause. Ask yourself what tabs you can close, what support your body might need, and how you can give it a little more of what it thrives on – and a little less of what overwhelms it. Because focus isn’t about forcing your brain into submission. It’s about creating the conditions in which clarity can naturally emerge.
Dr Libby Weaver PhD is a nutritional biochemist, 13 times bestselling author and international keynote speaker. For more on supporting yourself inside and out visit Drlibby.com
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