Very often I'll find myself thinking "This is a waste of time, I could easily shortcut this by... X" and when I find the shortcuts that make the "by hand" process more manageable, I can apply that same logic to the code and make it faster as well.
I’ll commonly explore new tech by generating my own summarized documentation and through light tooling of initial configuration.
I am in the midst of this now where an existing operational “algorithm” needs better software support.
A lot of the discovery for that is starting with very general issues describing “problem” areas and then drilling them down to specific issues that might require action.
It can be tedious to go this “slow,” but it’s how I get to fast.
I found a solution though: Lowe's sells a 4'x8' sheet of whiteboard for fifteen bucks, now I have my whiteboard covered wall in my home office so I'm happy again.
Colored pencils are usually very difficult to erase. I've found whiteboards are great for sharing. Get a set of small tip dry erase pens, much better than the standard ones, and helps both writing small and gorilla arm (though I've never really had issues with the latter).
https://www.amazon.com/Krylon-K03943000-Erase-Brush-Quart/dp...
And if you're sharing that whiteboard (in any form) with remote colleagues, try sharetheboard.com. Our team put it together precisely because we didn't want to say goodbye to the ol' board.
Not only does it help thoroughly internalise the concepts, it’s the only way I can be sure I have no bugs in my digital implementation.
You only start hearing certain patterns in complex music, e.g. Mahler symphonies, if you listen often enough to it. At some point you recognize stuff unconsciously.
When you hear a word in a language you know, mirror neurons probably fire the patterns that would be required to make those sounds yourself. If you don't have experience making a sound, you're less likely to be able to detect subtle nuance in it, and those patterns tie into your memory of the times you have used that word.
The same with dance. While taking dance classes, I found that watching very good dancers gave a visceral thrill that wasn't there before... Like I could FEEL what they were doing.