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Just because you're able to shorten a user journey, it doesn't mean that you should. Adding steps can make users more confident that they've done the right thing; think of 'success!' dialogues. Taking longer over a process, and going through it piece-by-piece can support users' learning, especially when they use an interface infrequently.
If you can't draw a wireframe or storyboard which is easy for users to follow, you're never going to be able to deliver a usable product. The flow through a product should feel natural and obvious - more often than not, you're trying to mimic a 'real world' process within your software, so take notice of how that process flows.
Take time to design your journeys upfront, and if you can get users to try to follow them at this stage, before moving to higher fidelity designs.
It's far too easy for product teams to get drawn into the excitement of new features and capabilities, and end up with a bucket of bits instead of a coherent product. If it's what the user wants, why aren't they using it?
Because it doesn't make sense as a journey. Your software is intended to fit into the rest of their working world, so make sure that your app follows on from the last thing they did, and gets them to where they can do the next thing, and in between takes them on an easy-to-follow journey.
We're all susceptible to believing our own hype. When you take yourself off somewhere and focus on achieving a goal, it's natural to imagine that everyone will share your enthusiasm for the incredible idea you came up with.
But what if they don't? What if you come back and reveal your big plan and all you're met with is confusion? Or even worse - meh...
Check your ideas early and often. Don't assume you're hitting the mark. Be ready to pivot if you've misunderstood.
Emotion is very important for UX. Don't be afraid to experience emotion from your users, because it tells you truths that they might otherwise not let on. That's why it's important if you can to have some face time with them, whether that's in person or on a video call. You can observe their expressions and body language, and that can give you insights into their true feelings about your features, whether that's good or bad.