Someone smart said, "When you've lost something, and finally find it, don't put it there again. Instead put it the first place you looked."

I think that applies to code. When I read something I wrote, if I'm annoyed at how it reads, I try to refactor it to be what I wanted to read, and remember to do it that way in the future.

But sometimes what the reader wants is too much work for the writer, so I don't push that effort beyond what it's worth.