Every minute spent on the excuse is a minute not spent on the fix.

Repair and explanation draw from the same small pool of time and attention. Building a good excuse is real work, and it is the kind of work that leaves the situation exactly as broken as it was. Most people do it anyway because the excuse protects how they look, and the fix only protects the outcome.

Next time something goes wrong, give yourself one sentence of explanation and then move. Spend the rest of the time on the thing that actually changes the result. You will be surprised how little explaining anyone needed once the problem is gone.