The Path of Least Resistance

In a recent meeting with regional mindfulness practitioners, we were invited to reflect on different elements of time. As part of that discussion, the facilitator talked about desire paths, also known as cow paths or social trails. We have all seen these- places where enough people have walked a different way than either the urban or hiking trail planners intended, often a shortcut or a faster and easier route.

Desire paths have fascinated planners, psychologists, and user experience experts for decades. As humans we often strive for the easiest path. We seek time efficiency, easier or specific experiences, and we often feel resistant to walking where we are supposed to. In terms of time efficiency, German professor Dirk Helbing, who studied desire paths, learned that travelers will create a desire path if the prescribed route is even 20-30% longer. Once the path is created, Helbing says there is an “attraction effect”, where other walkers are drawn to the new path, which of course deepens the path itself.

On the experience side, desire paths can be created to see something like an element of nature - for instance I often see many desire paths going to the water’s edge when hiking near a lake or river. Finally, as human beings we sometimes dislike being told where to walk and create the desired path out of a child-like rebellion. This is sometimes referred to as “collective disobedience” (which is why sometimes you see these trails right next to signs warning to stay on path!).

Desire paths, then, are a perfect metaphor for the intersection of planning and human behavior and how we make decisions around challenges. Anyone who has worked on a change management project has run up against this. There is frequently a difference between how something is designed and how it is actually used. On the one hand, you could argue that desire paths reflect the wisdom of crowds, intuition, finding the most efficient way to get from A to B by creating unconventional routes. On the other hand, going off path can lead to both predictable and unpredictable damage. It could reflect not wanting to put in effort, to think independently, or to spend the necessary time on the path.

Have you created any desire paths in your life? Do you follow others’ paths? How are your desire paths contributing to your personal and professional life? Here are some questions for reflection:

• Have I taken any unofficial paths in my life that led to unexpected successes or failures?
• Do I follow routines out of comfort, or have I chosen them with specific intention?
• Where am I creating shortcuts that help or hurt my energy and time?
• Are my choices guided by urgency or by purpose?
• What are the consequences of taking a desire path vs the prescribed path?

Life is full of shortcuts and detours-sometimes on purpose, sometimes without even realizing it. Are there times you have forged a desire path in your life? How did it turn out?