The expression of synthetic circuits in host organisms, or chassis, is a key aspect of synthetic biology. Design adjustments made for maximal production may negatively affect the central metabolism and biosynthetic activities of the chassis host. Here, we review recent attempts to modulate synthetic circuit design for optimal production and present models that precisely capture the trade-off between circuit production and chassis growth. We also present emerging concepts for full orthogonalization of synthetic productivity and its decoupling from the endogenous biosynthetic activities of the cell, opening new routes towards robust synthetic circuit expression.