In organizations, being busy is often mistaken for being effective. Meetings fill calendars, Slack notifications demand attention, and initiatives pile up. Yet real progress rarely follows from spreading effort too thinly.

The most common mistake leaders make is the scattered approach: tackling every problem simultaneously. Deployments are slow, code reviews pile up, hiring pipelines stall, and refactors linger. So the instinct is to act on all fronts at once. Partial progress feels productive—but the system’s overall throughput remains constrained by its single biggest bottleneck.

This is where the Theory of Constraints applies. Introduced by Eliyahu Goldratt in The Goal, it states that every system has one primary bottleneck limiting output at any moment. Improving anything else only generates inventory or work waiting at the real constraint.

Systems thinking demands a shift: instead of appearing busy everywhere, focus intensely on the one thing truly holding the system back.

Tip: Identify where work accumulates. That’s usually the bottleneck. Addressing it directly produces far more impact than spreading effort thinly.

It just surpassed a $1B valuation, joining private US companies like SpaceX and OpenAI. Unlike those companies, you can invest in EnergyX today. Industry giants like General Motors and POSCO already have. Why? EnergyX’s tech can recover 3X more lithium than traditional methods. Now, they’re preparing 100,000+ acres of lithium-rich Chilean land for commercial production. Buy private EnergyX shares alongside 40k+ people at $11/share through 2/26.

Invest in EnergyX Today

_{This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.energyx.com. Under Regulation A, a company may change its share price by up to 20% without requalifying the offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission.}

Bottlenecks can appear anywhere in a workflow. In software teams, common examples include:

The practical method is sequential focus: identify, isolate, and elevate.

Goldratt’s five focusing steps clarify this:

Repeat the cycle. New bottlenecks will emerge; the process is iterative.

For example, if deployments are slow due to a complex CI/CD pipeline, the team might:

Within weeks, a slow, risky two-week deployment cycle can transform into multiple daily deployments—shifting the bottleneck elsewhere, perhaps to code reviews or product specs.

Tip: Measure success by throughput, not activity. Bottleneck removal is only visible when the system’s output improves.

Focusing on a bottleneck often requires subordination, meaning all other work defers to the bottleneck. High performers may be redirected from exciting feature work to tackle unglamorous but critical constraints.

This is counterintuitive: leadership naturally wants top talent on the “sexy” problems. But constraints are often the ugly, overlooked areas that block progress. Empowering your best team members to fix these transforms bottlenecks into flow enablers.

Subordination can also look like:

The courage lies in defending short-term optics for long-term throughput. Leaders must resist the temptation to appear busy everywhere. Metrics may initially look lower, but system output improves, often dramatically.

Tip: Communicate the rationale clearly. Show how temporary reallocation produces a measurable increase in throughput and reduces long-term frustration.

Consider a software company where deployments were infrequent due to manual checks and fear of breaking production. By focusing on this constraint:

The system’s output surged. Other areas that previously seemed problematic, like feature development, were now unblocked.

At the team level, bottlenecks might be a slow test suite. Action: have all engineers collaborate to speed it up rather than leaving it to one person.

At the department level, bottlenecks might appear in hiring pipelines. Action: redistribute sourcing responsibilities across teams to unblock roles.

At the company level, decision bottlenecks might exist in leadership approvals. Action: implement daily decision processes to accelerate throughput.

The common thread: look for where work accumulates, not where activity is highest. That’s where the leverage lies.

Tip: Map your workflow visually. Pinpoint queues or delays—those are the leverage points for meaningful improvement.

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 2,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

Sign up to start learning.

The difference between leaders who merely appear busy and those who drive real results comes down to sequential focus. Systems have constraints. Progress happens only when they are addressed.

The discipline is simple but challenging:

Ultimately, this approach is about optimizing flow rather than activity. It transforms organizations from reactive and fragmented into focused and high-throughput systems.

Tip: Take five minutes today to list your current bottlenecks at team, department, and company levels. Then identify the smallest actionable step to remove the top constraint. Start there tomorrow.

One bottleneck at a time, productivity compounds. Busyness fades. Real output emerges.

What’s your next spark? A new platform engineering skill? A bold pitch? A team ready to rise? Share your ideas or challenges at Tiny Big Spark. Let’s build your pyramid—together.

That’s it!

Keep innovating and stay inspired!

If you think your colleagues and friends would find this content valuable, we’d love it if you shared our newsletter with them!

As the world becomes increasingly digital, this question will be on the minds of millions of people seeking new income streams in 2026.

The answer is—Absolutely!

Thank you for taking the time to read today’s email! Your support allows me to send out this newsletter for free every day. 

 What do you think for today’s episode? Please provide your feedback in the poll below.

Share the newsletter with your friends and colleagues if you find it valuable.

Disclaimer: The "Tiny Big Spark" newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only, not a substitute for professional advice, including financial, legal, medical, or technical. We strive for accuracy but make no guarantees about the completeness or reliability of the information provided. Any reliance on this information is at your own risk. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect any organization's official position. This newsletter may link to external sites we don't control; we do not endorse their content. We are not liable for any losses or damages from using this information.