I think about **overhead** a lot.
Overhead is the stuff that isn't directly valuable by itself, but simply *has to be done*. A slightly more formal definition:
> [!QUOTE]
> the ongoing costs of running a business that are not directly tied to producing goods or services
From a business perspective - overhead is your Human Resources department. The power bill to keep the lights on.
I think about overhead from a general *productivity* perspective. Overhead is the cost of [[Context Loading]]. It's the *driving to the store* part of producing physical parts or meals. Overhead is the writing of documentation. It's [[Weekly Review]]s and things of that nature.
Overhead **cannot** be avoided entirely (by definition, almost), but it can and should be minimized where possible. This is one of the benefits of [[Task Batching]]. I think one of the problems that stems from [[Simplicity|Complexity]] is the accumulation of overhead, which is why:
![[General Systems Principles#^6d4e85]]
****
# More
## Source
- Google's AI overview for the example definition
- [[Myself]]