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 by having 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 over the years, while observing others learn this lesson 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 taking advantage of 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 what would 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:

Two of the 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.