Recently I read somewhere that the longest distance from point A to B is a shortcut. While this sounds backwards, the point is that when a person tries to “cheat” by compromising on important aspects of a process, they will waste their time and then have to start over and still do it correctly in the end. I fully agree with this and have experienced it myself at Chick-fil-A while observing others do the same as well. 

Often, those who lack experience can fall victim to quick fixes and shortcuts that seem too good to be true. When a person fails to understand something, it is much easier to go all in on shortcuts that lack viability.

A better way

In contrast to shortcuts, another school of thought subscribes to the concept of learning helpful hacks. While this may sound like a synonym for unhelpful shortcuts, they are actually polar opposites. A hack is something that allows a person to more efficiently accomplish the same quality outcomes. For example, sitting under the mentorship of someone more experienced is a hack. It’s not cheating, it’s working smart to learn from someone else in a shorter time frame than that which might otherwise take years or even a lifetime.

Spot the difference

It’s important in life to understand the difference between these two and to be able to identify which is which. Most of the time, a shortcut promises to make something that should be difficult really easy. Shortcuts tell you that you don’t have to contribute real effort to achieve something. On the flipside, a hack still honestly acknowledges all the time/effort that must be put in, but it boasts the ability to bring efficiency to that process. See the difference?

Avoid shortcuts, go all in on hacks!

One tangible action:

If you hear something that sounds too good to be true, stop and ask “Is this a hack or a shortcut?”. The greater the promise of ease the more likely it is to be a shortcut. If this is the case, RUN AWAY!

Pro tip:

The two greatest hacks are A) learning/understanding rules that govern reality, and B) learning directly from someone who is more of an expert in a given area than you yourself are.