A shortcut that needs to stay secret was never actually shorter.

Keeping something hidden is work. You have to manage who knows, remember what you said, and stay alert in any room where it might come up, and that runs for as long as the secret does. Set it against the time the shortcut saved and the saving usually vanishes. Needing it secret is the clearest sign that you already know how it would look.

Use the plain test: could you describe how you did this to the person it affects. If not, the hour spent doing it properly is the cheaper hour. Where you have already taken one, saying so first is how it stops costing you.