'02 Accord hard to get into 1st or reverse

[tbayliss]

Car is a 2002 Accord EX w/ 5sp trans. I bought it new and since day 1 it has had a hard time going into reverse and 1st when stopped. I was told that this was because the trans is cable actuated and just had to live with it. At a stop light, if I wait ou the ligh tin neutral, I will have to gently coax it into 1st by working it back and forth between 1st and 2nd.
With reverse, I have to remember to let out the clutch after starting it and then put it back in before going into reverse.
There is a lot of slop to the shifter, and the 1st gear thing got a lot better after I added some shims to the shifter pivots. I'm wondering if a short-throw kit would help. Any thoughts?