Many times I’ve attempted to take a shortcut, and the project, or the route I was taking, ended up taking longer.
I’ve noticed the high cost of this approach especially in interpersonal situations.
We avoid a conversation because we don’t want conflict, but the avoidance -or the shortcut- ends up costing more in time, energy, and emotional grief because we weren’t willing to take the time at the beginning.
This is the short-long way.
We think it will be shorter at first, but it ends up being longer.
I’m not sure if this is due to short-term thinking versus long-term thinking, or if it comes from a lack of perspective due to limited experience in the particular area on which we’re focused, or sometimes both.
The opposite is the long-short way.
I take the time at the beginning to get the foundation of the building right. I take the time to establish the relationships, the trust, and the rapport. I properly stake, water, prune, and care for my young orchard trees. As a group we establish at the beginning agreements around our process (and of course these can evolve as we move forward).
This may seem longer at first, but it ends up being shorter.
Later on, my building doesn’t fall causing me more headaches. Later on, when misunderstandings arise they don’t morph into full-blown conflicts, and can be resolved more easily (almost always true when there’s better rapport). Later on, I’m just harvesting fruit, as mature well-cared for trees require less maintenance. Later on, the group doesn’t lose its best members due to the frustration of poor process.
We so often don’t take the time at the outset. We rush. We think the shortcut will work, but it doesn’t.
And we’re depriving the world of our gifts because so much time is spent doing damage control (or worse, spent on further avoidance making the hole we’re in deeper).
Paradoxically, efficiency is often about slowing down, being more present, and taking the time because we care about the outcome.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ~Abraham Lincoln