Technology Overload: 6 Ways You Can Overcome This Challenge

Digital technology is meant to make our work lives easier. But does it?

Emails, texts, social media posts, and endless notifications vie for our attention from the minute we wake up. Being out of office doesn’t matter – we can use our cell phones to work anywhere, anytime.?

Some people live for this grindset, but many find it exhausting (??).?

In the remote workplace, SaaS app sprawl contributes to that feeling of digital information overload. And it’s no wonder employees are overwhelmed – studies show that the average company uses 371 SaaS apps . That’s a lot to keep track of.

The good news? You can help your employees feel empowered, not overwhelmed, by digital knowledge. This article covers the basics of technology overload: examples, symptoms and indicators, and actionable solutions to reduce it.

Examples of technology overload in the workplace

Technology overload crops up in everyday situations. These examples demonstrate how too much tech can prevent people from doing their best work.

1. Never-ending emails – Clearing your inbox can feel like a Sisyphean task. Unread emails take hours to process, only for more work messages, marketing newsletters, and app notifications to flood your inbox.?

And because email follows us everywhere on our digital devices, it’s easy to feel a sense of urgency to respond immediately. No wonder 30% of remote workers cite work communications, like email and chat apps, as their biggest distraction.

1. Back-to-back virtual meetings – Endless Zoom calls contribute to digital overload. Without breaks in between, employees don’t have time to recharge and prepare for the next meeting.?

1. High volumes of data – Employees are constantly producing data, but they often don’t have good ways to organize and process that data. As a result, it can feel impossible to draw clear insights and make informed decisions.
2. Confusing tech jargon – You hear “sprint” and “scrum” and think of rugby, but your DevOps team is talking about Jira. Overusing this jargon creates technological language barriers that hinder remote team communication between departments.

Technology overload symptoms and indicators

Digital overload occurs when employees start to feel like they’ll never catch up with their remote tasks, in part due to the overabundance of digital tools.?

And when only 47% of SaaS licenses are actively used, most employees aren’t effectively engaging with the tools your company pays for.??

Here are some common signs of tech overload:

• Decreased focus and productivity problems
• Increased stress and burnout
• Impaired decision-making and critical thinking
• Reduced creativity and innovation

6 tactics to overcome technology overload

?? Organize that digital data

Clear organization streamlines all aspects of work. It reduces employees’ burden to find information and understand resources’ purpose, which powers faster and more effective work.

• Set clear goals and priorities for your knowledge systems to align information output.
• Use filters and labels on project management tools for easy sorting and prioritization.
• Unplug from irrelevant comms channels. Mute Slack channels you never use, unsubscribe from email newsletters, and turn off notifications for low-priority apps.

?? Work on communication?

Good communication is the cornerstone of effective teams. Too much information leads to digital overload, and too little limits employees’ work. Find the right balance through these tips.

• Encourage concise communication so employees express their ideas clearly and succinctly. Brevity is the sole of wit – and workplace efficiency.
• Limit meetings to collaborative, purposeful calls and protect employees’ “focus time.”
• Leverage internal comms tools for async collaboration.

?? Promote information literacy

This involves knowing how to find, evaluate, and effectively use information at the right time. In the workplace, that means understanding company-wide knowledge.

• Use a knowledge management tool like GoLinks to access relevant information.
• Fact-check your knowledge sources to promote strong decision-making.
• Train employees on how to organize new information and navigate your SaaS stack.

?? Encourage knowledge sharing

Effective knowledge sharing connects people to the information they need, without overwhelming them with digital tools.??

• Implement a knowledge management system to make information accessible.
• Encourage cross-departmental collaboration to share knowledge between teams.
• Create mentor programs where tenured employees can advise new staff on essential digital tools – or steer them away from apps that aren’t worth their time.

?? Say hello to this SaaS app for organization

Bear with me here – introducing the right SaaS app can actually help you avoid digital overload. It can connect your digital tools to reduce overload, streamline information access, and simplify remote work. Here’s how to use GoLinks for easy organization:?

• Access any resource with memorable shortcuts like go/benefits or go/q1-goals.
• Switch contexts seamlessly with simple redirects you type right into your browser bar.??

Share information visually and verbally with short, intuitive go links that reach all your SaaS apps – no clunky URLs needed.

?? Don’t forget about Gen AI

Gen AI can simplify your relationship with tech by automating tasks and boosting productivity. Here’s how to use it.

• Use AI to take notes and generate meeting transcripts with software like Fireflies
• Organize your inbox with email-scanning AI like SaneBox
• Surface information you can’t find manually with AI tools like GoLinks + ChatGPT

Prevent technology overload with GoLinks

Help employees make sense of your company’s digital tools with a simple, AI-powered solution: GoLinks. This one tool connects people to resources they need and makes SaaS sprawl less intimidating. Jumping from Notion to WordPress is as simple as typing go/blog.

Ready to reduce digital overload and empower knowledge sharing? Try GoLinks today.