John Cutler · 3 min read · Productivity
TBM 412: Institutionalized Overload (Now With AI)
Read the original on cutlefish.substack.com →
The article argues that organizational overload has become normalized, with people using AI to cope with the chaos rather than reduce it. It contends that technology tends to reinforce existing power structures and defensive routines, turning performance into the ability to juggle more inputs while leaders avoid altering decision flows. This dynamic makes the overwhelm feel natural and even necessary, complicating any shift toward calmer, more focused work.
Key Takeaways
- Overload is normalized and defended, turning adaptation into a sustained default behavior.
- AI is used to navigate and amplify overload, not to reduce it or transform underlying processes.
- New tech tends to reinforce existing power structures and decision flows unless leadership actively changes them.
- External pressures become internalized, shaping competence as the ability to handle more context and interruptions.
Excerpt
(I’ll be playing a bit of TBM catchup over the next couple days. Apologies for the gap in posting.) We’ve gotten so acclimated to organizational overload, endless work in progress, and constant unplanned demands that it has become the norm. It is clearly too much for any person, but people adapt. Their defense mechanisms kick in, and over time that overloaded state just becomes what work feels like. When I look at how people are using AI, I see the same pattern. People are not really questioning whether this massive amount of cognitive overload is healthy or even appropriate for…