Why do I cut corners when no one would ever know?

You tell yourself this is about time, or ease, or how small the shortcut really is. It isn't. You already know the right move. What you're really asking is whether the cost is worth paying when nobody is watching. That's the trap. You're treating this like a math problem — weigh the risk of getting caught against the reward of less work. But you're leaving out the real cost. It gets paid to you, by you, every single time. Whether anyone else ever sees it. You don't have a temptation problem. You have a decision you haven't made yet — who you are when the room is empty. Make that decision now. Then you won't have to remake it every time the door closes behind you.