[obstacle1]

> This cannot be something that is "taught or learned", as I had years of experience in the field, while they had to learn it.

What? This can't be learned, but they learned it? Why isn't it possible that they learned to write more maintainable software faster than you?

[theamk]

The ability to enter unknown area and start writing good code fast is (mostly) innate. While there are some tricks and common knowledge which can make it faster, I think it is mostly the inherent talent.