Any seemingly pointless activity which is actually necessary to solve a problem which solves a problem which, several levels of recursionlater, solves the real problem you're working on.
origin: MITAI Lab, after 2000: orig. probably from a Ren & Stimpy episode.
phrased used to show that someone is crossing the line on a matter or getting on someones nerves, without realizing it, resulting in a bad outcome if one is not careful.