Skip to content
How to ThinkIn the Age of AI
Principlev1PR-977

Identify your system's constraint and optimize only…

Identify your system's constraint and optimize only that constraint — improvements to non-bottleneck activities produce no increase in throughput.

Why This Is a Principle

Derives from axioms about limited working memory and finite cognitive resources. Applies Goldratt's Theory of Constraints to personal attention management. Prescribes WHERE to focus optimization effort given architectural limits.