shortcut - A simplified way to complete a task, often by bypassing steps in a process; or a path or way that reduces the usual time or distance required to reach a destination.

He surprised the teacher by figuring out a shortcut method of solving the math problem that saved time compared to the method she had taught before.
dowdy - (of a person or their clothes) unfashionable and without style in appearance (typically used of a woman)
When Helen reached the age of 100, she didn't care that people thought that she dressed in a dowdy manner, she contented herself thinking about the wonderful family she had raised.