I try to apply my layman's understanding of whatever law of thermodynamics states that a minimum of <x> percent of a reaction's energy is lost as waste heat; whatever you try to do in life, <x> percent of your effort is going to be spent dealing with people who are utterly incompetent. I try to apply it to myself as well; there's certainly many things I'm utterly helpless with and I want to account for the extra effort required in order to carry out a given task despite those shortcomings.