How to Overcome Digital Overload: 4 Tips to Support Your Team

In today’s fast-paced digital workplace, managing Zoom meetings, emails, Slack messages, and daily projects can feel overwhelming. While technology has made work more efficient, it’s also blurred boundaries, leaving many employees feeling exhausted and overstimulated.

Larry Rosen and Alexandra Samuel wrote in Harvard Business Review that digital overload is one of the defining challenges of the modern workplace — a problem that has only intensified as remote and hybrid work environments become the norm.

Even though we spend much of our working lives online, it’s important to look critically at how we approach digital work. This guide will help you foster healthy habits and support your team with their digital well-being.

Reinvent Your Commute

For many professionals, the traditional daily commute is a thing of the past. However, reclaiming that time for personal rituals can help establish a clear boundary between work and personal life.

Consider encouraging your team to create a commute replacement. This could be a morning walk, a short bike ride, or a moment of mindfulness to prepare for the day. Whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour, the goal is to establish a routine that signals the start and end of the workday.

In addition to this practice, support your team in taking regular breaks: stepping away from screens, enjoying lunch offline, or spending a few moments outdoors. These small but intentional habits can make a big difference in energy and focus.

You might also explore “Digital Detox” days, such as company-wide no-meeting days or encouraging employees to unplug from non-essential tech on a designated day each month. These intentional breaks reduce stress and help teams recharge.

Audit Your Communication Tools

A proliferation of communication platforms can overwhelm your team rather than empower them. Take time to solicit feedback on the tools your team uses — Slack, Teams, email, video conferencing — and identify which ones add value versus create noise. Find solutions that work best for your team. 

Once you’ve streamlined the tools you use, create best practices for using each platform. For instance, when is it appropriate to send an email versus a Slack message? Should meetings be video by default, or is audio sufficient? By establishing clear guidelines, you can minimize interruptions and promote more intentional communication.

Include training on digital tools as part of your team’s onboarding or development plans. This could cover managing notifications, leveraging focus modes, or using project management tools effectively. Empowering employees with these skills can reduce digital overwhelm and improve productivity.

For hybrid teams, ensure communication tools work equally well for remote and in-office employees. Consider investing in tools that support asynchronous collaboration, like shared project boards or recorded meeting summaries, to level the playing field.

Refresh Your Digital Policies

Digital communication policies need regular updates to stay relevant. If it’s been a while since your last review, now is the perfect time to recalibrate.

Research by Gloria Mark, a professor at UC Irvine, shows that the average attention span in the workplace has dropped dramatically — from 2.5 minutes to just 47 seconds before switching tasks. This alarming trend leads to lower productivity and more mistakes.

Additionally, studies on multitasking indicate that the brain struggles to handle several tasks simultaneously, with error rates increasing by as much as 40%. These findings underscore the importance of reducing unnecessary interruptions and fostering focused work time.

Here are three actionable tips The Conversation offers to manage digital overload:

1. Switch between tasks less often – The guide says multitasking is a myth. For work that requires deep focus, it’s important to have uninterrupted time blocks. Reassess what necessitates a meeting for your workplace. Then, determine what can be covered in an email or Slack message instead. Support your team in blocking off meeting-free work periods. 
2. Schedule set times for regular tasks – Instead of expecting team members to check their email and instant messages incessantly, encourage them to work in time blocks that limit distractions and bolster concentration. For example, team members can respond to emails at three designated times throughout the day (morning, midday, and end of the day). This will free them from feeling compelled to respond immediately to every message.
3. Limit unnecessary communication – Be judicious about what information you share with your team. Open, transparent communication is important, but you don’t want to bog them down with unnecessary details. Try to send updates in regular batches instead of separate messages. You can summarize the most important information your team needs to know and encourage them to do the same.

Incorporate feedback from employees when updating policies. Some team members might thrive with structured communication schedules, while others may prefer more flexibility. By recognizing these differences, you create an inclusive environment that supports everyone.

Model Healthy Communications Boundaries

As a leader, your habits set the tone for your team. One of the most effective ways to combat digital overload is by modeling healthy boundaries yourself. Avoid sending emails or messages after hours, during weekends, or while on vacation unless absolutely necessary.

By setting an example, you signal to your team that it’s okay — and encouraged — to unplug and recharge. Building a culture that respects downtime leads to greater overall productivity and job satisfaction.

Empathetic leadership is also key. Regular check-ins — not just about productivity but also mental health and workload — demonstrate that you care about your employees’ well-being. Actively listening to their challenges and adjusting your approach fosters trust and loyalty.

In addition to modeling boundaries, provide resources that address physical health. Ergonomic tools, such as standing desks and guidelines to reduce screen strain, like the 20-20-20 rule (looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes), can reduce the physical toll of digital work.

These small but impactful changes can foster a more focused and less stressful digital environment for your team.