Author: Annabel Veysey – CEO of LifeSort
Even if you’ve never heard the term ‘digital overload’, you’ve almost certainly experienced it. Every year we’re introduced to more technology that’s designed to make life easier; workplace platforms, AI assistants, school apps, online banking, booking systems, patient portals, fitness trackers and, of course, the dreaded WhatsApp groups. Each one promises convenience, yet somehow many of us end the day feeling mentally exhausted before we’ve even begun to think about everything else life throws at us.
Whether it’s work, parenting, relationships or simply remembering to renew your passport, almost every part of modern life has become digital.
Researchers describe this as information overload. The point at which the amount of information we receive exceeds our ability to process it effectively. As work and everyday life become increasingly digital, we’re no longer just actively searching for information; we’re constantly receiving it through emails, notifications, messages and multiple digital platforms. Research has consistently linked this growing information overload with increased stress, burnout, reduced job satisfaction and poorer decision-making.
This is something LifeSort founder Annabel Veysey recently explored on the A Taste of Financial Planning podcast, where she discussed why digital convenience doesn’t always translate into reduced cognitive load.
What is digital overload?
The overload comes from remembering which app holds which information, logging into yet another portal, responding to another notification before you’ve finished the last task, and checking Teams, Outlook, WhatsApp, Slack and your calendar before you’ve even had your morning coffee.
Over time, this constant cognitive demand can leave people experiencing:
- Brain fog
- Poor concentration
- Memory lapses
- Decision fatigue
- Anxiety from constant notifications
- Physical tension and headaches
If that list feels familiar, you’re certainly not alone. Digital overload doesn’t just affect how productive we are. It can influence our confidence, relationships, wellbeing and ability to think clearly. As researchers continue to explore the impact of our increasingly digital lives, there’s growing evidence that the way work is designed can either reduce or amplify these effects.
Why digital overload affects neurodivergent employees differently
Every new app, login, communication platform and notification adds another layer of cognitive effort, and for someone already managing executive functioning differences, that effort can quickly become overwhelming. It’s hardly surprising when you consider the cognitive load many neurodivergent people are already carrying before the working day has even begun.
More technology isn't always the answer
“There’s an app for school, for work, for everything. You think these systems must be designed to make life easier. They’re not. They just add pressure.”
Technology has transformed the way we work, but every new platform also asks something of us in return: learn another system, remember another password, respond on another platform and develop another habit.
Each tool may do what it was designed to do, but while it solves its own problem, barely any, if any at all account for the cumulative weight of all the others. Every new piece of technology adds another layer of mental administration, and very few organisations stop to ask whether employees actually have the capacity to absorb it.
The mental load of workplace technology
Forward-thinking organisations are beginning to recognise something equally important. Every digital system creates a cognitive demand that shows up in the form of constant notifications, multiple logins, switching between platforms, information overload and decision fatigue. All of these require mental energy before someone has even started doing the job they were employed to do.
Research increasingly suggests that tackling information overload is much more about designing work in a way that reduces unnecessary interruptions, creates space for focused thinking and recognises that attention is a finite resource, than it is simply encouraging employees to become more resilient and hoping for the best.
Technology should create space for people to think deeply, collaborate meaningfully and do their best work. Instead, many employees find themselves spending much of the day exerting excess energy just to manage the systems around the work.
Feeling digitally overwhelmed?
At LifeSort, we believe the answer isn’t always another app, another productivity tool or another system. Sometimes it’s having the right human support alongside the technology you already use.
We work with neurodivergent professionals to reduce cognitive overload through personalised, practical support that adapts to the individual. Not the other way around. Because while technology can automate tasks, only people can reduce the emotional weight of trying to hold everything together.
If you’d like to hear more about this topic, you can also listen to Annabel discussing digital overload and human-centred support on the A Taste of Financial Planning podcast.
