Let me set the scene: Your workday is a blur of meetings, emails, and half-finished tasks. You get home, crash on the couch, and realize you can’t remember the last time you had a real conversation with your spouse or played with your kids. And somewhere in the back of your mind, there’s this nagging thought: Something has to give.
That, my friends, is the cost of shortcuts.
We all take shortcuts. Sometimes, it’s the easiest path in the moment: skipping sleep, patching a process, or avoiding an uncomfortable conversation. It feels like the fastest way to get to the next thing, but it’s not without consequences. Those little compromises pile up, creating friction in ways you might not notice right away.
In your business, it might look like a system you cobbled together that “works for now” but creates more work every time you use it.
In your leadership, it might look like avoiding feedback conversations because it’s easier to let things slide.
And in your personal life, it might look like rushing through meals, skipping workouts, or disconnecting from your family because you’re out of energy.
The truth is, these shortcuts save you time and effort in the moment, but they cost you something much bigger later.
3 Steps to Identify and Address the Cost of Shortcuts
- Face the Facts (Awareness)
Change starts with ownership. Take an honest look at where things are falling apart. Where are you consistently patching instead of fixing? What shortcuts are you relying on to keep things moving? Acknowledge how your current behaviors are contributing to the reality you’re living.
Ask yourself: What’s the one area of my life that feels hardest right now? What’s the fire I’ve been too busy (or afraid) to put out? - Believe in Better (Belief)
You can’t make a change if you don’t believe a better way is possible. Shift your perspective from “This is just how it is” to “What if it could be different?” Recognize that others have navigated similar challenges and come out stronger.
Ask yourself: What belief is keeping me stuck? What small step could I take today to explore a better way forward? - Pledge to Progress (Commit)
Awareness and belief are powerful, but they mean nothing without action. Commit to showing up differently—one small, intentional move at a time. Remember, transformation doesn’t happen in a single sweeping moment; it’s the result of consistent, aligned decisions over time.
Ask yourself: What’s one thing I can commit to today to start cleaning up the shortcuts I’ve been relying on?
One Simple Strategy to Start Cleaning It Up
Start with a Daily Reset Ritual.
Pick one moment each day—when you’re pouring your coffee, wrapping up your workday, or pulling into the driveway—to pause and reflect. In that moment, ask yourself:
- What’s the one thing I keep ignoring that I need to deal with today?
- What’s the simplest action I can take to make tomorrow better?
- How can I show up more intentionally in the next hour?
This isn’t about fixing everything at once. It’s about progress, not perfection. Every small, deliberate move you make builds momentum and lightens the load.
Because here’s the truth: Shortcuts are inevitable, but they don’t have to define you. When you take the time to slow down, clean up, and commit to doing things differently, you don’t just improve one area of your life—you change how you show up everywhere.
