Stick your head in the freezer, not the oven: Shortcuts to everything

Sticking your head in the freezer is a shortcut to drying your tears. Seriously, what happened to wiping them? If you google shortcuts, it produces 779 million results in under thirty seconds. Everywhere you look, there are short cuts to everything. Let me count the ways.

There are shortcuts to finding true love. Shortcuts to finding blog headlines. Shortcuts to doing everything better and easier. Learn to use keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts to get the guy. Shortcuts to parenting. Shortcuts to make quick money. Shortcuts for building an ECommerce business. Shortcuts to preventative health. The Lazy girl’s guide to good health. Shortcuts to work-life balance.

I am not opposed to shortcuts that save time. But there are no shortcuts to the most important things. There is no shortcut to success. To build a successful business, you need to invest time to develop a product or service, accumulate expertise, and build a reputation. No shortcut to wealth. The only shortcut to good health is eating well and moving. No shortcut to intimacy other than spending time and being vulnerable with your partner.

A big lie underscoring this shortcut culture is the artificially elevated productivity and quality time myths which undercut pleasure and joy. The whole world is in a mad rush to make more, consume more and believe that time is money. Life is not an assembly line. Parenting is not about just finding the best resources and care your money can buy with occasional quality time thrown in. It is about connecting with your child and that takes time and being available for lengthy periods of time. Same with your partner. Shared activities and shared boredom. At least once in a while, take the time to sit front of an artwork that you love and give it all your attention. Calling your aging mom is not just an item on your life hack list. It is a lifeline. Sunsets take time if you want to watch them. Breathing takes time. Making love slowly and deliciously takes time. While 30 minutes of cardio is good enough for your heart health, an engaged yoga practice requires a mindset of slowness. Give that gift to yourself. Resist shortcuts wherever possible, especially when it comes to things worth having in life. Resist the capitalization of your time. Time is not money. It is even more valuable. So spend it on things that matter to you.