It's starting to click
I don't know what's been going on with me this past year, but I feel so lethargic when it comes to grasping ideas. I think part of it was going full software factory at my last place. Pumping out as many features as possible was our priority. Because of this, I never took great consideration as to the long term effects of what my code was doing. If tomorrow wasn't promised, who cares what you did today!
But I'm now back to a more stable job where it's imperative that ideas do not rot the instant they're shipped to production. The transition back to this way of thinking hasn't been smooth as there's been multiple times I've been caught with very little understanding of what I'm actually building. The AI button has been very fun to press but one of its major drawbacks is not having deep understanding of the system you're forming. I'm in recovery now: I've learned to use the AI as a tool rather than my main driver.
And, you won't believe this, but things are starting to click for me. Semi-complex problems/ideas solidify rather easily. I'm able to think for longer periods of time and consider different drawbacks. I can even explain parts of the codebase! Now part of this is probably due to the fact that I've spent more than a couple of weeks at my company, but I really think putting the AI where it belongs (as a helper) has not only made me more effective, it's given me more satisfaction.