Friday, March 25, 2016

Optimization means breaking multiple ceilings

One interesting feature of optimization is the ceiling. You go up with the optimization but you cannot go too much up. You have various limits to your growth. It's soon if you went up with one parameter you soon encounter the various other parameters that limit you.

Thus, significant and sustainable optimization requires raising various ceilings or upwards limitations.
This is generally possible, but it requires much more sophistication and persistence to go sustainably above the status quo.

For example. You have a chicken stand. It only looks like you can sell more. If you manage to triple your sales you will discover the other limits for selling a lot. More space, waitresses, cooks, material, etc. etc, so you will have to simultaneously solve various ceilings.

Or gym. You only think that doing more exercise is enough. Once you passed some level, you will need different food, stretches. Maybe even more sleep. Etc. etc.