Industry Trends

Why 'Just Get It Done' Is the Most Expensive Mindset in Facility Management

Let me be clear: in my experience, the relentless push for speed—the "just get it done" mentality—is the single biggest budget drain in facility operations. I'm a facilities manager handling washroom and consumables procurement for a portfolio of commercial buildings for over eight years now. I've personally made (and documented) at least a dozen significant ordering mistakes, totaling roughly $5,200 in wasted budget and countless hours of rework. Now I maintain our team's pre-order checklist specifically to prevent others from repeating my errors. Every time we skip a step to save an hour, it costs us a week and hundreds of dollars later.

The False Economy of the Quick Refill

My first argument is about false savings. We've all been there: a Georgia-Pacific paper towel dispenser is jammed or empty, a tenant is complaining, and the pressure is on. The fastest path seems to be grabbing any refill that looks like it might fit or ordering the first part number you find online. I made this classic rookie mistake back in 2018. We had an enMotion® towel dispenser acting up. To avoid a maintenance call, I ordered what I thought was the compatible refill cartridge from a third-party site because it was $15 cheaper per case. Saved about $80 on the order.

The result? The towels didn't feed properly, causing more jams and user frustration. We ended up not only wasting that $80 batch but also paying for an emergency service call to clear the compromised mechanism. Net loss: $80 + $225 service fee + the original towels we should have bought. That's when I learned the hard way that with integrated dispensing systems, compatibility isn't a suggestion—it's a requirement for the entire system to function as designed. The assumption is that a generic refill saves money. The reality is that using non-OEM refills can void warranties and damage the dispenser itself, turning a small saving into a major repair bill.

The Hidden Cost of Skipping the Manual

My second point centers on overlooked knowledge. How many times have you searched "Georgia Pacific paper towel dispenser how to open" in a panic? I have. More than once. In September 2022, I was on-site with a new janitorial crew. A GP compact towel dispenser was locked, and no one had the key. We spent 45 minutes trying to pry it open (note to self: never do this) before I finally found the online manual. The specific model had a simple, tool-free latch release we'd missed. 45 minutes of two people's time, plus a slightly damaged fascia panel that needed replacement.

This translates to a broader principle: not knowing the basic maintenance procedures for your equipment is a silent tax. Whether it's a dispenser, a Baby Jogger car seat (I learned from a parent-colleague that their manual is crucial for safe installation), or a postage meter, the 10 minutes invested in reading the manual or checking the official resource (like Georgia-Pacific's product support pages) saves hours of troubleshooting. The upside of winging it is a few minutes saved. The risk is hours wasted, parts broken, and service contracts voided. I kept asking myself: is skipping a 10-minute review worth a potential $300 service charge?

Process Efficiency Isn't Bureaucracy—It's a Force Multiplier

Finally, I want to argue for systematic efficiency over ad-hoc speed. This is where my digital_efficiency stance really kicks in. After the third vendor address mix-up in Q1 2024 (sending GP dispenser parts to a building we'd sold), I created a standardized digital ordering form. It includes fields for exact building address, model number, serial number (if applicable), and a link to the product manual.

This isn't about creating red tape. It's about eliminating the single point of failure—my sometimes-rushed brain. For example, correctly formatting a UK address for an international vendor is different from a US one. According to USPS international guidelines, it should omit punctuation and place the postal code on a separate line. Getting it wrong can cause shipping delays. Our digital form now has a dropdown for country, which auto-formats the address field. This small bit of process automation eliminated the data entry errors we used to have on overseas orders.

The automated checklist has caught 47 potential errors in the past 18 months. One was about to repeat my old generic refill mistake. Another caught a mismatched voltage rating for an appliance. Each catch represents saved money, time, and credibility. The process looks like it slows us down, but it actually cuts our average "problem-to-resolution" time from 5 days to 2 days by ensuring we have the right part, for the right place, the first time.

Addressing the Obvious Counter-Argument

I know what you're thinking: "But when there's an emergency, you don't have time for checklists!" To be fair, I've been in that pressurized situation. A flooded restroom on a Friday afternoon needs immediate action, not paperwork. Granted, there are true emergencies.

But here's my rebuttal: the "just get it done" mindset becomes the default for non-emergencies because we're always in a reactive mode. We create the perpetual emergency by not having processes for the routine. If you know your most common dispenser models, have a few OEM refills in stock, and your team knows how to access the manuals, 80% of the "emergencies" stop being emergencies. They become routine, 10-minute fixes. The investment in process pays off by shrinking the number of true crises.

In hindsight, I should have built our checklist years earlier. But with the constant daily fire drills, I did the best I could with available information. Now I know better. The bottom line remains: sacrificing thoroughness for perceived speed is a financial and operational trap. The most efficient path is often the one that includes the pause for the right information. Build your checklist, stock your common parts, and bookmark those manufacturer guides. Your budget will thank you.