If you think about it, much of being “in the loop” is optional!
Why Being “In the Loop” may hurt your productivity.
We are currently in a “Cognitive Tax” crisis.
As a leader or high achiever in 2026, your most valuable currency is not your time, it’s your mental RAM. Yet most of us spend that currency recklessly trying to be a “witness” to every conversation, every email thread, and every minor decision.
If you feel like you’re working 10 hour days but only accomplishing two hours of deep work, you likely have a “Seeing” problem.
1. How Many Brains Do You Actually Have?
Most professionals operate as if they only have one brain, the biological one between their ears.
The problem? Your biological brain is an elite processor but a terrible hard drive. When you try to store your to-do list, your project milestones, and your “follow up” reminders in your head, you are using up the same mental energy required for high level strategy.
To thrive, you need two brains:
- Brain A (Biological): Reserved for creativity, empathy, and complex problem solving.
- Brain B (Digital/Systemic): An external system (AI, Notion, or even a simple notepad) that holds the “data.”
If you haven’t offloaded the data to Brain B, your Brain A is too busy “remembering” to actually “think.”
2. The “See-See” Productivity Leak
This leads us to the biggest drain on Brain A: the “See-See” (CC) Culture.
To stay informed, many leaders demand to be “CC’d” on everything. We think “seeing” the progress is the same as “managing” the progress. Every time you see a notification for a thread that does not require your action, you are paying a “Switching Cost.”
Even a 30 second glance at an irrelevant email can take your brain up to 20 minutes to return to a state of deep focus.
“Don’t See-See” isn’t about email, it’s a mindset of Selective Ignorance. It is the brave act of trusting your team and your systems enough to not look.
3. Transitioning from Witness to Architect
To reclaim your productivity, you must stop being the Witness in Chief and start being the Architect of your Information. Here is how to apply this today:
- Audit Your “CC” Status: Look at your inbox. Identify three recurring threads where you are “just watching.” Reply with: “I trust you all to handle this. Please only loop me back in if a final decision is reached or a blocker appears.” * Empty the RAM. Every morning, do a 2 minute “Brain Dump.” Move every “Don’t forget to…” from your biological brain to your digital system. If it’s written down in a trusted place, your brain will stop looping on it.
- The “Need to Know” Filter: Before you join a meeting or open a report, ask: “Does seeing this change my next action?” If the answer is no, give yourself the gift of not seeing it.
In 2026, the ultimate tool is a boundary.
Human endeavor has always been about extending our reach through tools.
By trusting your Second Brain to hold the data and your team to manage the details, you free your First Brain to do the one thing only you can do.
Lead
How about you? Are you currently acting as the Witness in Chief for your team?
What is one thread you can “opt out” of today to win back your focus?