The Cost of Avoiding Small Problems at Work

I had a box spring sitting in my garage for months. Garbage wouldn’t take it.I didn’t feel like dealing with it.

So it sat there.

Day after day, becoming something I avoided. Until yesterday, when I finally dragged it outside and started ripping it apart with a hammer. No plan. No real strategy. Just… done looking at it. And as I stood there pulling it apart, I realized. This wasn’t a hard problem. It was an avoided one.

Where This Shows Up at Work

This happens inside teams more than we think. Not everything that slows work down is complex.

A lot of it is simply avoided.

• A decision no one wants to make

• A role that isn’t clearly defined

• A process that everyone knows is broken

So instead of addressing it, people adjust around it. They work harder. They step in where they shouldn’t have to. They create temporary fixes. And over time, the work starts to feel heavier than it should. Not because it’s inherently difficult… But because something has been sitting too long.

The Hidden Cost of Avoidance

When something is avoided, it doesn’t stay neutral. It creates friction:

• delays in decision-making

• unclear ownership

• unnecessary rework

And eventually, what started as a small issue turns into something that impacts how the entire team operates.

Clarity Isn’t Always the First Step

There’s a belief that we need clarity before we act. But a lot of the time, clarity comes after action. Not before it. I booked something for 2027 this week. That didn’t come from having everything mapped out. It came from staying visible, taking action, and not waiting until everything made perfect sense.

A Different Question to Ask

Instead of asking: “What do we need to figure out?” Try asking: “What have we been avoiding?” Because often, that’s where the real bottleneck is.

Final Thought

The box spring didn’t need a better plan. It needed attention. And once I started, it wasn’t nearly as complicated as I made it out to be. The same is true for a lot of work. It’s not always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about finally dealing with the thing that’s been sitting there all along.