In level 2, play through as normal. When you get the orb, jump off the ledge and die. You'll respawn at the other side faster. This also affects the platform cycles. When you get to the boss room, you can catch an earlier cycle. This can save a few seconds.

it actually might not be faster

Holy Smokes Merl_ you were right. This Strat is faster. I measured it to be 2.3 seconds faster!