Reading this:

The most efficient skilling methods also seem circular. If I want to grind x I should level y, but I need z to be efficient. And to get z I need to grind x. There's also what feels like a lack of skilling options listed. Sometimes I want to do "dead content" for the fun of it.

Just made me think "congrats, you've found the core gameplay loop of RS". I know its not obvious when you're new to the game but thats the fun of it. I want to enjoy the forestry update to the fullest but to be at max efficiency I'd need to do Temple Trekking and Dagganoth Kings. I said fuck that and just went for it.

Efficiencyscape is a fallacy pushed by the players (who are a VERY vocal minority on reddit in particular, and I'm sure here if the community takes off) who really need to touch grass. Plus its not really always practical for Ironman. Hell, I'm doing battlestaves because I have excessive comics from GotR, hate glass blowing, and it makes me money (which I can do as filler activity while doing Agility) Yea, its less xp/hr than glass, but fuck that.

Honestly I feel that grinding less efficient "dead" (fuck that word too, leads straight to powercreep) content that you find fun will be better than boring content for the sake of effieciency.