The Time Cost Problem, Feat. Steve Richards

You Will Never Be Lean Until You Constrain Your Time

I want to share something that has shaped how I view work, lean practices, and even life. The principle is simple but powerful. You will never truly be lean until you learn to constrain your time.

When we place limits on our workday, we stop covering waste with long hours and instead force ourselves to become efficient. This is where necessity becomes the mother of invention. If you have all the time in the world, you never feel the urgency to improve. But once you set boundaries, the brain shifts gears and looks for smarter ways to get the work done.

The Balance of Pressure and Growth

I often see this in construction projects and in personal schedules. There is a sweet spot where we feel just a bit overburdened. At first, that pressure can feel stressful, but it actually opens the door to improvement. The wrong choice is to mask the issue with more hours, longer days, and burnout. The better choice is to stop, respect your health and family, and let the pressure push you toward continuous improvement.

When I constrain my time, I start asking myself different questions. What tasks can I eliminate? Which ones can I delegate? How can I synchronize or automate? Where can I create templates or lean on technology? That shift only happens when I refuse to give myself unlimited time.

Real Examples from Construction

On projects, I have seen both approaches play out. When a team is allowed to work unlimited overtime, problems get hidden instead of solved. Materials show up late, and instead of fixing the supply chain, crews work Saturdays to make up for it. Trade partners get out of sequence, and instead of correcting the flow, everyone scrambles and pushes harder. That is not lean.

On the other hand, when we set clear time constraints, teams are forced to solve problems differently. With prefabrication, crews build components ahead of time in controlled environments, which reduces waste and saves days in the field. With takt planning, we synchronize the trades so that each crew moves in rhythm, which improves flow and eliminates the need for panic overtime. Technology tools like 3D modeling and visual planning also help us anticipate issues early, so that we do not waste valuable field hours fixing mistakes.

Constraining time creates discipline, and discipline creates innovation.

Respect for People Comes First

Constraining time is not about pushing workers, rushing projects, or forcing unrealistic deadlines. Respect for people always comes first. When we plan projects, we need to ensure there is enough time to execute them with excellence. Once that baseline is established, we can then look at how to optimize and continuously improve without overburdening people.

In my experience, companies that plan with just enough time do well. But the organizations that take the next step, that begin to pull milestones forward through takt planning, prefabrication, better design, and continuous improvement, are the ones that thrive and become truly lean.

Key Takeaway

I have learned that true lean comes only when I constrain my time. By setting healthy limits, I uncover waste, improve processes, and let pressure fuel innovation instead of burnout.