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When you think procrastination, laziness is definitely adjacent.

Procrastination is a big problem in the construction industry, but for entirely different reasons. Most builders learn quickly that outright laziness is not an option in an industry driven by deadlines, high production standards and shifting customer demand. Instead, procrastination in construction is a bit more complex.

Our procrastination is driven not by laziness, but often a lack of capacity and resources. But why can’t we fix those resources? Why not start getting things done so we can start getting things done?

In a new piece for Builder, Clark Ellis – Principal at Continuum Advisory Group – asks that very question, and dares you to do the same.

That question starts with another one: what are the roadblocks that inspire procrastination? Clark goes back to the Great Recession and digs up the long-term implications: strained on-the-ground labor resources, a lack of experienced professionals, and a general atmosphere of caution and dread.

So builders face two choices: either accept lower growth rates, or improve their organization’s productivity. Because it’s easier to settle, many organizations opt for the first route. While this avoids the complex restructuring and planning of improving productivity, it manifests in other, equally unpleasant ways. Your management is forced to repeatedly fight fires to meet profit goals. Your projects are completed on hopes and prayers. Your entire staff is exhausted and stressed out.

“Normal” work takes precedence over strategic planning, and the paradigm is accepted as a tough fact of life. You can’t find the time to fix those resource issues. The thing is, you can’t run forever. Neither can your competitors.  Someone has to make a strategic plan to improve those resource deficiencies.

The question is: who will find the time first?

If you want to free your organization from the vicious cycle of procrastination, you have to start at the source: your resources. Improve them or face irrelevance.

You can read the full article on Builder right now.