In one retrospective a colleague rebuffed a proposed action item with: “I don’t have time for that!”
Wrong. We all have precisely the same amount of time.
What he really was saying is that the issue was not important enough to him to make time. Which is fine. Time is often a scarce resource and having your priorities straight lets you spend time on the really important things. Just be aware that it’s a choice you’re making and not some flying-spaghetti-monster-given outside factor.
If we want something we make time. If we don’t, we don’t.
Side note: There’s a somewhat related piece over at Scrumphony’s blog on options we’re not always aware of.