Most sailboats go faster across the wind than straight downwind. The obvious direction isn’t always the fastest.

Pointing straight at where you want to end up feels efficient and frequently is not. A boat angled across the wind takes more pull from it and covers the ground quicker, even though the track looks like a detour. Plenty of goals behave the same way. Looking busy and making progress are two different measurements.

Take something you have been pushing straight at and ask what the angled route would be. The part-time job that teaches the skill, the easier class that frees up hours, the coach who knows somebody. Try one angle for a fortnight and measure distance covered rather than effort spent.