1. An apparatus comprising: means for identifying real-time tasks and application tasks that are competing for processing resources; means for receiving first data that indicates a time limit for unblocked execution of a set of tasks by a processor of an embedded system, wherein the application tasks are not bound by the time limit; means for receiving second data that indicates an allowable use of a processor by the application tasks, wherein the allowable use corresponds to an available percentage of processing time of the processor; means for determining whether the application tasks have exceeded the time limit for unblocked execution based on the first data; and means for blocking the execution of the application tasks for a yield time interval responsive to determining that the application tasks have exceeded the time limit, wherein the yield time interval is determined as a function of the time limit for unblocked execution and the allowable use of the processor.