Wow, i missed the "cranking" article the first time around, and it's touching (especially to a parent). It especially applies to coding while having a family. I believe part of the reason so many engineers struggle with this is related to things like impostor syndrome and the desire to be "on top of it all". That last bit is especially tough in a field which continually changes, the latest and greatest in tech and startups is in your face daily making you feel you aren't doing enough: "why didn't I think of that" is a recurring theme in my readings of HN for example...