There is often pressure to be efficient.
Choose the shortest route.
Reach the goal quickly.
Minimize detours.
When something takes longer, it can feel like a mistake.
How Efficiency Became the Priority
Speed is rewarded.
Shortcuts are praised.
Optimization is constant.
Phones reinforce this.
Fastest route suggested.
Time saved measured.
So the long way begins to feel unnecessary.
The Quiet Cost of Always Choosing the Fastest Path
When you rush toward outcomes, experience narrows.
You miss transitions.
You skip over subtle shifts.
You arrive quickly — but less connected.
The body stays tense.
The mind stays ahead.
What Happens When You Don’t Optimize the Path
The first time you choose the longer way feels indulgent.
You may feel inefficient.
You may worry about wasting time.
If you stay with it, something soft appears.
Presence.
Curiosity.
Space to notice what you would have missed.
The Long Way Holds Context
Detours offer perspective.
They allow integration.
They create continuity.
When things unfold slowly, understanding deepens.
You don’t just arrive.
You transition.
The Nervous System Prefers Gradual Movement
Fast change can feel jarring.
Slow movement allows adjustment.
The body relaxes when it’s not rushed.
It has time to recalibrate.
This creates steadiness.
You Don’t Need to Optimize Your Life
Life is not a system to streamline.
Not every process needs efficiency.
Some experiences need time.
Some lessons unfold gradually.
Rushing through them can flatten their impact.
Arrival Is Not the Only Value
The in-between matters.
The slow parts matter.
The wandering matters.
These moments shape you.
Even if they don’t look productive.
You Are Allowed to Take More Time
You don’t need to justify a slower path.
You don’t need to explain your pace.
You don’t need to prove efficiency.
Taking the long way is a form of self-trust.
A Small Practice in Choosing the Longer Way
Today, take a slower route.
Walk instead of rush.
Pause instead of hurry.
Notice how the experience changes when time isn’t compressed.
The Quiet Comfort
You don’t need the shortest path to live well.
You don’t need efficiency to feel aligned.
Sometimes the deepest comfort comes from letting yourself take the long way — and discovering that the journey itself was the point.
Anca
