A system, comprising: a virtualization host, wherein the virtualization host comprises: one or more hypervisor components, and one or more guest virtual machines (250A-C) including a first guest virtual machine; wherein the one or more hypervisor components are configured to: determine that the first guest virtual machine has released control of a particular physical processor (205A-C) of the virtualization host, without being requested to release control of the particular physical processor by the one or more hypervisor components; identify, using the particular physical processor, at least a particular virtualization management task which has not been completed; determine that the particular virtualization management task requires use of a state machine; initiate the particular virtualization management task; and in response to determining that work corresponding to a next state transition of the state machine has been implemented by the particular virtualization management task, enter a quiescent state, wherein to enter the quiescent state, the one or more hypervisor components are configured to relinquish the particular physical processor. a virtualization host, wherein the virtualization host comprises: one or more hypervisor components, and one or more guest virtual machines (250A-C) including a first guest virtual machine; one or more hypervisor components, and one or more guest virtual machines (250A-C) including a first guest virtual machine; wherein the one or more hypervisor components are configured to: determine that the first guest virtual machine has released control of a particular physical processor (205A-C) of the virtualization host, without being requested to release control of the particular physical processor by the one or more hypervisor components; identify, using the particular physical processor, at least a particular virtualization management task which has not been completed; determine that the particular virtualization management task requires use of a state machine; initiate the particular virtualization management task; and in response to determining that work corresponding to a next state transition of the state machine has been implemented by the particular virtualization management task, enter a quiescent state, wherein to enter the quiescent state, the one or more hypervisor components are configured to relinquish the particular physical processor. determine that the first guest virtual machine has released control of a particular physical processor (205A-C) of the virtualization host, without being requested to release control of the particular physical processor by the one or more hypervisor components; identify, using the particular physical processor, at least a particular virtualization management task which has not been completed; determine that the particular virtualization management task requires use of a state machine; initiate the particular virtualization management task; and in response to determining that work corresponding to a next state transition of the state machine has been implemented by the particular virtualization management task, enter a quiescent state, wherein to enter the quiescent state, the one or more hypervisor components are configured to relinquish the particular physical processor.