The Productivity Promise That Feels Like a Pile-On

Generative AI tools were sold as time-savers, yet many engineers now feel busier than ever. A June 2025 study in the International Journal of Information Management calls this “AI technostress”: faster pace, blurred boundaries and cognitive overload, even while output rises.

Why the Stress Shows Up

1. Expectations Jump Overnight

Once bots appear, managers assume every task can be done “just a bit quicker.” Upwork’s global survey found 77 % of employees using AI felt workloads actually increased, not shrank.

2. Always-On Interfaces

Slack bots and auto-generated task lists nudge you outside office hours, erasing the mental buffer that prevents burnout.

3. Cognitive Switching Costs

Juggling between prompting, reviewing and correcting the model can drain attention—exactly what the technostress researchers observed.

The Good News: Gains Are Real

MIT research shows writers with ChatGPT finished assignments faster and delivered higher-quality drafts than those working solo. Done right, AI can hand back hours every week—if you set the rules.

Three Practical Guard-Rails

1. Automate the Grunt, Not the Judgment Use AI for first-pass datasheet fills or status summaries, but keep human review for design choices that carry risk.

2. Schedule “No-Bot” Focus Blocks Block calendar time where notifications and assistants are muted, so deep engineering work stays deep.

3. Measure Outcomes, Not Hours Shift KPIs from “tasks completed” to “issues resolved” or “iterations avoided.” This reframes AI as an accelerator, not a speed-up lever.

Turning Balance into a Career Advantage

Engineers who can both wield AI and tame its side-effects become the go-to problem-solvers: they hit deadlines without burning out teams. Position yourself there.

Conclusion & CTA

AI can either lighten your load or load you up—it depends on the boundaries you set. Want weekly, hands-on tactics to keep the upside and ditch the overload? Subscribe to our newsletter here → https://www.singularityengineering.ca/general-4