Category: Creative Mode

Why Do I Feel So Busy, Yet Nothing Feels Meaningful?

Disclaimer: This article is originally meant to be published in Nexus but, being me, I was thinking about how can I use Jenni AI to “enhance” the article. This is the version with Jenni AI enhancement.

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I know a lot is happening, but I don’t know what actually matters,” or “I think I have learned a lot but it seems the more I search additional information, I don’t think I know better”? Perhaps you have days when you are constantly occupied, yet feel strangely unmotivated to engage, even though you know you should. You might tell yourself, “I don’t need more input. Just give me space to think” or notice that although you are producing more work, you think your thinking is less deep and feel less satisfying. This phenomenon, often termed “time compression,” can lead to a pervasive sense of busyness that paradoxically hinders meaningful reflection and deep cognitive engagement (Menzies & Newson, 2007).

If these thoughts sound familiar, you are not alone and it is not a sign that you are not failing or unmotivated. Rather, it reflects a prevalent experience in contemporary knowledge work where the incessant flow of information and the pressure for constant productivity can paradoxically diminish the capacity for meaningful engagement and deep thought (Müller, 2017; Pirnajmuddin et al., 2021).

Many people today experience this quiet sense of overwhelm, especially in a world saturated with social media, digital platforms, online meetings, and now generative AI. Psychologists and researchers have coined several terms for these experiences, including information overload, cognitive overload, digital fatigue, attention fragmentation, cognitive saturation, and cognitive offloading (Alimour & Alrabeei, 2025; Luzzati et al., 2022). The terms may sound technical, but it describes very ordinary, human experiences that each of us experience in our daily lives.

Although these terms are related, they are not exactly the same. The differences are not only about their causes, but also about where it originates, how it shows up in daily life, and which part of the human system is being overloaded, whether it is information input, thinking capacity, attention, the body, or meaning-making. Knowing the difference makes a lot of difference. A nuanced understanding of these distinct phenomena is crucial for developing targeted interventions, particularly as the “paradexity” which is a blend of paradox and perplexity of the digital ecosystem exacerbates the signal-to-noise ratio, leading to diminished reflective capacity and heightened confusion (Karakaş et al., 2015).

Information overload happens when the amount of information coming in exceeds our ability to process or prioritise it(Ji, 2023). You might notice this when you read multiple posts, articles, or messages about the same topic and end up feeling less clear than when you started. The issue is not that you lack information. It is that there is too much of it arriving too quickly, without time to filter or reflect. The result is a lingering sense that everything feels important, yet nothing stands out as truly meaningful. You might feel this after attending a workshop or training session where you learn new things and at the same time, you need to make sense of it with the things that you already know. This phenomenon, often labeled information overload or infoglut, can hinder effective decision-making and learning by creating a cognitive burden that prevents deep processing and retention of new knowledge (Bawden & Robinson, 2020).

Cognitive overload goes a step deeper than information overload. It occurs when your working memory is overwhelmed and you cannot hold, organise, or integrate information effectively(“APA Dictionary of Psychology,” 2007; Wang et al., 2026). This might happen when you are typing notes while simultaneously discussing ideas in a meeting. Later, when you revisit your notes, you realise they don’t quite make sense or you cannot remember the logic behind them. You might ask yourself “What was I thinking when I wrote this down?”. Forgetting what was discussed earlier in a conversation is another common sign. The brain simply has limits, and when too many demands compete at once, thinking quality begins to suffer (Gruszka & Nȩcka, 2017; Wang et al., 2026).

This is why, in some active learning activities, students may appear highly engaged during discussions yet later report feeling confused or unable to recall what they learned. During these activities, students are often required to read unfamiliar material, process new concepts, listen to peers, articulate their own ideas, and negotiate meaning simultaneously. When too many cognitive demands occur at once, their working memory becomes overloaded. As a result, students may remember that they participated in the activity, but struggle to recall what was learned or how ideas were connected. In such cases, meaningful integration into long-term memory does not occur, even though the activity itself was interactive and engaging. This decline in the ability to intake and process knowledge ultimately leads to learners discarding information beyond their capacity to assimilate (Koudsia & Kirchner, 2024).

Now, with generative AI such as ChatGPT, Gemini AI or CoPilot, even though it is helpful to search information, summarise long articles and such, yet it can make us experience digital fatigue. Digital fatigue refers to the physical and emotional tiredness that comes from extended time in digital environments (Silvia et al., 2025; Zhang & Deng, 2025). Many people feel drained after long online meetings through WebEx, Zoom or Google Meet, even when they hardly speak. This exhaustion is not imaginary. Sustained screen use, constant alertness, and the subtle pressure to perform online place real demands on the nervous system. Over time, the body responds with fatigue, irritability, or a desire to withdraw (Fauville et al., 2023; Webb, 2021).

Attention fragmentation describes what happens when our focus is constantly interrupted. Checking messages while listening to a presentation, switching between tabs while reading, or responding to notifications mid-task all break concentration. Even brief interruptions make it difficult to think deeply. At the end of the day, you may feel busy yet oddly unfulfilled, as though your attention was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. This constant toggling between tasks not only hinders deep cognitive processing but also incurs a significant “cognitive penalty” with each context switch, cumulatively increasing mental fatigue (Roy, 2025).

Cognitive saturation is something many professionals and academics recognise. It occurs when the mind has absorbed more ideas than it can integrate into understanding. After attending multiple talks, workshops, or training sessions, you may struggle to articulate what you have actually learned. The problem is not a lack of exposure but a lack of space to digest. At this point, the mind does not need more input. It needs time to digest information. This continuous influx of information without adequate processing time can lead to diminished cognitive capacities, affecting critical thinking and the ability to synthesize knowledge effectively (Yalçınalp et al., 2024).

Finally, there is cognitive offloading, which has become especially common with the rise of AI (Chirayath et al., 2025). This happens when we rely on tools to externalise thinking rather than support it (Grinschgl et al., 2021). Asking AI to summarise articles we never read afterward, generating drafts we feel disconnected from, or producing more output with less sense of ownership are all examples. I admit I am guilty of this myself. Used thoughtfully, these tools can help us think better. Used excessively, they can slowly erode deep engagement.

These experiences rarely occur in isolation. They often appear together, forming a chain: too much information leads to cognitive overload, fragmented attention, digital fatigue, saturation, and eventually reliance on tools to cope (Alimour & Alrabeei, 2025; Wang et al., 2025). Recognising the differences helps us respond more wisely, not by doing more, but by creating space for reflection, rest, and meaning.

If any of this resonates with you, it does not mean you are falling behind. It may simply mean that your mind and body are responding, intelligently, to a world that moves faster than humans were ever designed to process. This inherent limitation in processing speed often leads to a state of continuous partial attention, where individuals attempt to juggle multiple information streams simultaneously, thereby diminishing the quality of their cognitive engagement and increasing susceptibility to errors (Shanmugasundaram & Tamilarasu, 2023). This constant demand for simultaneous processing, particularly in AI-driven environments, exacerbates cognitive load, hindering critical evaluation and self-reflection (Lahlou, 2025). This superficial reliance on AI-generated content, especially when accompanied by digital fatigue, can lead to passive learning, where students accept outputs without critical verification, thereby diminishing their capacity for deep learning and comprehensive understanding (Dong et al., 2025; Tian & Zhang, 2025).

References:

  1. Alimour, S. A., & Alrabeei, M. (2025). Redefining psychopathology in the context of digital overload: emerging disorders in the age of information saturation. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7, 1693287. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1693287
  2. APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2007). Reference Reviews, 21(3), 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/09504120710737987
  3. Bawden, D., & Robinson, L. (2020). Information Overload: An Introduction. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1360
  4. Chirayath, G., Premamalini, K., & Joseph, J. (2025). Cognitive offloading or cognitive overload? How AI alters the mental architecture of coping. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1699320. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1699320
  5. Dong, X., Wang, Z., & Han, S. (2025). Mitigating Learning Burnout Caused by Generative Artificial Intelligence Misuse in Higher Education: A Case Study in Programming Language Teaching. Informatics, 12(2), 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics12020051
  6. Fauville, G., Luo, M., Queiroz, A. C. M., Lee, A. Y., Bailenson, J. N., & Hancock, J. T. (2023). Video-conferencing usage dynamics and nonverbal mechanisms exacerbate Zoom Fatigue, particularly for women. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 10, 100271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2023.100271
  7. Grinschgl, S., Papenmeier, F., & Meyerhoff, H. S. (2021). Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(9), 1477. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211008060
  8. Gruszka, A., & Nȩcka, E. (2017). Limitations of working memory capacity: The cognitive and social consequences. European Management Journal, 35(6), 776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2017.07.001
  9. Ji, X. L. (2023). The Negative Psychological Effects of Information Overload. BCP Education & Psychology, 9, 250. https://doi.org/10.54691/bcpep.v9i.4692
  10. Karakaş, F., Manisalıgil, A., & Sarigöllü, E. (2015). Management learning at the speed of life: Designing reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials. The International Journal of Management Education, 13(3), 237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2015.07.001
  11. Koudsia, S., & Kirchner, M. (2024). Reducing Cognitive Overload for Students in Higher Education: A Course Design Case Study. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 24(10). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v24i10.7382
  12. Lahlou, S. (2025). Mitigating Societal Cognitive Overload in the Age of AI: Challenges and Directions. ArXiv.Org. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2504.19990
  13. Luzzati, T., Tucci, I., & Guarnieri, P. (2022). Information overload and environmental degradation: learning from H.A. Simon and W. Wenders. arXiv (Cornell University). https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2209.01039
  14. Menzies, H., & Newson, J. (2007). No Time to Think. Time & Society, 16(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463×07074103
  15. Müller, R. (2017). Crafting a Career in STS: Meaning Making, Assessment, and Interdisciplinary Engagement. Engaging Science Technology and Society, 3, 84. https://doi.org/10.17351/ests2017.112
  16. Pirnajmuddin, H., Khodambashi, K., & Abbasi, P. (2021). Re-politicizing Mental Illness: Reflections on Boredom and Depression in American Post-postmodern Fiction. Ilha Do Desterro A Journal of English Language Literatures in English and Cultural Studies, 74(1). https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2021.e74087
  17. Roy, D. (2025). Digital Fatigue and Academic Performance in Online Schools. The International Journal for Research in Education, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.63345/ijre.v14.i9.2
  18. Shanmugasundaram, M., & Tamilarasu, A. (2023). The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: a review [Review of The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: a review]. Frontiers in Cognition, 2. Frontiers Media. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcogn.2023.1203077
  19. Silvia, C., Kopczynski, K., & Alexander, A. (2025). Navigating Digital Fatigue in Educational Environments. Creative Education, 16(11), 1883. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2025.1611115
  20. Tian, J., & Zhang, R. (2025). Learners’ AI dependence and critical thinking: The psychological mechanism of fatigue and the social buffering role of AI literacy. Acta Psychologica, 260, 105725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105725
  21. Wang, P., Liu, H., Zou, L., & Paas, F. (2026). Overloaded minds and machines: a cognitive load framework for human-AI symbiosis. Artificial Intelligence Review, 59(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-026-11510-z
  22. Wang, X., Zhao, X., & Yu, C. (2025). The influence of information and social overload on academic performance: The role of social media fatigue, cognitive depletion, and self-control. Revista de Psicodidáctica (English Ed ), 30(2), 500164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psicoe.2025.500164
  23. Webb, M. (2021). Zoom Fatigue and How to Prevent It. PubMed, 48(4), 181. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37260873
  24. Yalçınalp, S., Türkoğlu, H., Koç, S. E., & Ersoy, H. (2024). Utilization of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Perspective on Learning Strategies. In Artificial intelligence. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1005086
  25. Zhang, X., & Deng, G. (2025). Protecting work engagement from digital fatigue: the contingent roles of leadership style and network ties. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1645057. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1645057

E content 2023 and 2024

Well, beginning 2023, the ELPPT teaching assessment includes e content (5% – depending on what you provide), thus it is important to submit ANYTHING that we have developed and used in our class in previous semesters. So, for this year, don’t miss a chance to submit our e content starting 5 September (Friday) until 15 October 2024. Yup, even though we might get the marks for our ELPPT at the end of the year, but for e content, the evaluation starts early and ends BEFORE December 2024.

Here are some FAQs that I got from my colleagues, so I will spare you the time to ask me similar questions by reading this post. (Tongue in cheek remarks ONLY).

How many materials that I submitted last year (2023)?

I submitted 4 materials (4 categories: gamification, video based learning, collaboration tools, and communication tools). Since I did not have any micro-credential materials, I have to diversify my materials. But since I like to try out new things in my class, so, I have to use more than one platform and thus, my materials are varied. So, what are the comments that I got last year?

What comments that I received last year?

Disclaimer: I know this might be considered confidential but for the sake of learning from my experience, I will give the “friendly” version instead (Don’t get me wrong. The remarks can be interpreted according to how we wish to perceive it, so it can be perceived either positively or negatively).

Here are the comments:

  • Teaching slide (R1)
  • Teaching instruction video (R2)
  • Text quiz (R1)
  • Non-interactive, using more than one external and internal link media (My own note: Can you guess the rank?)

One of my colleagues and I taught a same course (pair teaching). So we did a little experiment last year. For the teaching slide, I got R1, and she got R2. THE EXACTLY SAME TEACHING MATERIAL that we submitted but we got different marks. This is a good example of lack of reliability assessment. I believe that both of us were evaluated by different evaluators and thus, the different marks.

It might be considered as teaching slide because it appears to be like normal PowerPoint slide. But using Quizziz, I added some questions in between the slides. For example, the first question that I pose is on the 7th slide. So, for the evaluator who just look at the first 6 slides, he/she will only see explanation about a topic. But the evaluator of my colleagues might go through the next slide (7th slide) and thus, he/she might encounter the first question that I pose. For Quizziz, whenever there is a question, students have to answer the question before moving on to the next slide. In this case, there is an element of INTERACTIVITY between student and the material but, my colleague got R2 (Receptive-closed) and I got R1 (Receptive-basic). Isn’t it confusing that a same material of the same category is evaluated differently? I can’t help but laugh out loud. What can I do about it? Of course, Dr Nihra will always suggest me “Tolonglah semak markah ELPPT bahagian e content” but please take his advice seriously, unlike me.

Want another example of a confusing case? I submitted a material as collaboration tools in 2022, I got I2 (Interactive-closed) but a similar material from the same platform (for a different course) that I submitted in 2023 as collaboration tools in 2023 was evaluated as R3. Even though the materials are for different courses, but the types of materials and platforms are similar (there are class notes, online quiz etc.). Isn’t it confusing because what is the difference between R3 (Receptive-open) and I2 (Interactive-closed)? To tell you the truth, I was confused as well. But unlike 2022, all of the materials that I submitted were approved and thus, they were evaluated (and thus, got some marks). For 2022, there was a material that I submitted which was not approved but a similar material which I submitted in 2023 was approved. Both materials were developed using the same platform (Genial.ly).

Do I subscribe to the platforms where I develop/create my T&L materials?

Except Youtube, I subscribe several platforms such as Prezi, Quizziz, and Genial.ly. I still use the free version of Wakelet with limited features (when I started to use it a few years ago, it was free with cool features. But now, I have to subscribe to enjoy the cool features). To be honest, “upgraded” features and subscription plans seem to change on a continuous basis. It is a lucrative business. Indeed.

COVID-19: FSSH FREE 2021 video competition

I know that I can be a bit bossy. Yup. So when the faculty organised a competition last May, my initial reaction was “Ok. It is just another competition“. Then, someone messaged me and reminded me that I need to submit a video. What a heck! In a midst of doing something else and now I had another thing that I required (semi-forced) to do, I was hesitant to submit a video for the competition.


Then I remembered a video (at that time, it was not finished yet) that I was creating for my class. A short video as another version of a class note. Rather than giving normal slides and whatever, I convert the notes, recycle some points here and there from the class notes and turn it into a video.


But I need pictures and second opinion. I was desperate. I asked some of the group members and most of them said “I didn’t use that in my class“. But, I know two people who use Gallery Walk in their class. So, I bugged them to give me pictures. Of course, they were hesitant. I told them something like this “You have nothing to lose. We need to do this as you will be the next in line to be bugged by you-know-who if we don’t get the video done. We need to help each other in this“. So, they shared the links to their Padlet. I screen shot it and cropped it and the video was done. Phew!


Of course, one of them feel guilty because as if I am the one who do all the work. Well, since I am using Genial.ly (paid some more, right?), I might as well use it to the max. What I need is someone to give me evidence in a form of pictures and someone who can double check the written texts in the video (context, grammatical mistakes, sentence structure and stuff). So, their contribution is in terms of giving me materials for my video and FOC of proof reading (tongue in cheek!).


Making a video is easier if we have materials, content that needed for a video. With my minimal skills of video editing, I use Genial.ly which does not require “technical” video editing skills. I do not need to know the “layers” of contents which can be found in Moovly, Powtoon and other apps when I use Genial.ly. There is nothing wrong with Moovly or Powtoon but for me, it takes me longer time to produce a video using it.


Note: There are only a few people who are responsible in creating the video though and RM80 is for me to cover half the cost of the annual fees I paid (tongue in cheek!). Without the support of my Sub Group Leader (Dr Doria who happened to be my former student long time ago), the video which was used for the competition will remain as my class material in which I don’t use for whatever competition. Thanks to her, I was motivated to finish the video.

COVID-19: Face mask connector

The school where I did my Latihan Ikhtisas asked for my opinion for this week co-curricular activity.  They were going to do an activity involving sewing.  So, I suggested to make a simple face mask connector using left-over fabrics.  To cut cost.  But, due to time constraint, they opt to buy the materials instead.

So, here are some examples of the output.

well, they need to sew the corners to make it more proper. As a start, not bad, huh?

 

My personal collection. One might ask me why do I need to have more than one face mask connector. Well, I need to have extra, just in case I accidentally lose one. So, I have a “back-up” face mask connector.

COVID-19: Another spring clean project

I find it hard to find face mask connector at shops or malls.  Perhaps I don’t go out that much and find any that I fancy.  One of my seniors gave me the face mask connector that she made using an elastic and buttons.  But it is too big for me.  I cannot use it for myself.  I keep it in my bag with extra unused face mask just in case somebody might need it.

It has been a while since my last upcycling project.  As I look at left-over fabrics that I have from my last projects, I find some that I can use to make as a  face mask connector.

Here are some of the face mask connectors.

I don’t have enough button. So, I use brooch instead. The buttons that I used here were taken from my old PJs. I cannot use the old PJs fabric, so I just take the buttons.

COVID-19: Spring clean and upcycling project

This fabric was from the orientation week baju kurung of UUM circa 1994.  Yup.  Not mine though.  It was from my sister’s baju kurung.  She upcycled it long time ago into a pillow case.  But some parts of the fabric were torn.

When I was “cleaning” my late mom’s cupboard, I found this old pillow case.  She kept the torn pillow case and here I am turning it into another product: a pouch that can fit a passport.

It is a pouch

The batik fabric is Noor Arfah Batik. It is fully cotton. Unfortunately, there is no any left-over that I can use to make a face mask though.

Another pouch?

I was running out of zippers. But I know that I need to do something to relieve stress. It was raining yesterday and thus, it is nothing much can be done outside. So, I made a pouch. Yup. To put Pandan leaves inside my car. Since I cannot buy any potpourri due to MCO (well, I need to find alternatives now), I decided to make one using Pandan leaves. So, this is my new potpourri pandan hand-stitched pouch.

I found a fabric which belongs to my sis.  From her orientation week baju kurung from UUM.  It is more than 20 years old.  Classic!  I turned it into a pouch.

Hand-stitched face mask, anyone? Not for sale.

I was without internet connection (literally) for few days because the TM cable was stolen. This is the second time since MCO.
So, as I was left with few assignments that I had reviewed (but cannot return to students), examples of case study activities and a half-written article (I feel stressful of doing this because I would think about the materials that I left in my office at UTM) which can be done without internet connection, I started to experience “certain symptoms” that indicate that I am stress. Not a good thing. I need to take a break.
So, in line with Labour Day holiday, I took a chance to re-purpose some materials. Yes. Another left-over fabrics material.  A cloth face mask. It is so hype and trendy nowadays to have one with the lack of supply of face mask on the market. I left a gap so that I can put non-woven material in between. To make it 3-layers face mask.

There is a gap in between two cloth so I can insert a non-woven material in between

Running out of left-over fabrics: What are the alternatives?

My left over fabrics are running out.  I left with many irregular, out of shape fabrics.  Too small for a pouch.  So, I made scrunchies.  I look at the eldest grandniece who uses whatever scrunchy that she could find around the house.  I will put the picture here later on.  For now, I need to divert myself to relieve stress.  Things can be stressful at times.  Indeed.

 

 

 

 

I was feeling a bit tired from reading 100+ pages of a proposal yesterday. I need to take a break. As I put aside my notes, I noticed some of the left-over fabrics lying around nearby my laptop (I was too lazy to put it inside a container again after my little face mask project last week). I looked closely on the fabrics. It is too small to make a pouch but it is a bit long and I can make a belt. But who is wearing belt made out of cloth this day? So, while stroking my head to get some ideas, I got a light bulb moment. Aha… a scrunchy. The eldest grandniece likes to tie her hair but due to MCO, she does not have much choice rather than to use whatever hairband, scrunchies that she can find around the house.

Hand-sewn face mask

I still have the normal face mask.  But I am feeling a bit stress out off lately.  There are many things contribute to that.  Alhamdulillah I can still recognise some symptoms and thus, I know that I need to slow down a bit.  So, I divert myself from my work for few hours to do this little project.  I googled and found some tips and instructions that I can follow.

Here are some of the materials: – Left over fabric – Scissor – Ruler – Needle – Stretchable thing (I don’t know what it is called)

In the making

Finally, it finished. The final product

UTM Open Day