a kind of shorthand

I’ve been noticing something I use all the time, and I think we all do. An idea that is technically wrong…but psychologically helpful. And that turns out to matter more than we like to admit.

Take the classic juice detox.

I don’t believe juicing “detoxes” anything. Your liver and kidneys already do that job brilliantly.

But as a construct? “Three days of juice” becomes a reset ritual a way retire old patterns in place of new. Not because the detox story is accurate, rather because it’s usable

And I’ve started noticing this pattern everywhere.

At work:

• “Inbox zero” doesn’t actually mean you’re on top of your job. What it does do is create a sense of closure, which restores agency

With focus:

• “No meetings Fridays” isn’t a productivity truth, it’s a boundary shorthand that protects your attention

None of these are precise models of reality. They’re training wheels.

What’s interesting is how often we reject these shorthands because “They’re not evidence-based” “They’re not strictly true” “They oversimplify”. Which are all accurate critiques.

And sometimes… beside the point.

Because when someone is stuck, overwhelmed, or oscillating between extremes, what they usually need isn’t a perfect explanation. They need momentum.

A story simple enough to act upon to help a new behavior get started

Later, we can refine it. But first, we need to move.

I’ve started paying attention to the shorthands I use:

• Which ones help me change?

• Which ones have outlived their usefulness?

• Which ones am I defending long after they’ve stopped working?

That noticing alone turns out to be powerful. Because the goal was never to be right.

It was to get unstuck.