A detour isn’t wasted time. It’s data about which roads you don’t want to take again.

Eliminating an option is real progress, though it never feels like it at the time. A year spent on something that turned out wrong gives you specific knowledge about what you do not want, which is much harder to get than a list of things that merely sound appealing. Most people narrow down by trying rather than by thinking. The route looks inefficient only if you assume the destination was ever obvious.

Instead of regretting the wrong turn, write what it ruled out and why. Be exact about which part did not work. That note is what makes the next choice better than a guess.