Totally get that smart and dumb feeling at the same time. It's like we're trained to add more, you know? More features, more steps, more rules. The real fix is almost always taking something away, but our first instinct is to pile on. You see it everywhere, not just in code. We make a process at work with ten checks when two would do. We add ten ingredients to a simple meal. Stripping things back feels wrong, like we're not doing enough work. Why is subtraction so much harder than addition?
Tbh, did you also spend weeks building something super complex before realizing the fix was stupid simple? I once did that with a spreadsheet system, adding all these layers until it broke. Finally just deleted half of it and the thing worked perfectly. Felt kinda smart and dumb at the same time.