Efficiency Is the Enemy

Argues that most problems in life and work trace back to insufficient slack — the unscheduled, "unproductive" buffer that lets you absorb the unexpected. Through a thought experiment of a 1950s CEO whose secretary appears to do nothing for hours yet is the reason the operation runs (because when something does come in, she's available to handle it), Parrish defends idle time as an organisational and personal investment. Maximising utilisation is exactly what makes systems brittle; planned slack is what makes them robust.