[didizaja]

I think you're definitely right about how taking time to practice with algorithms and data structures using tools like Leetcode can give you that nudge of intuition that helps you reason about other systems.

In fact, I had a similar "simplification" moment during the summer after practicing Leetcode for a few weeks. There was a longer than needed function that returned a list of unique items, and realizing the intent of the code, I simplified it to a one-liner using built-in data structures. Small moments of recognition like that feel great!

Your point about becoming more familiar with your language's APIs is also a great one. After the aforementioned Leetcode practice, I didn't have to look up things half as much as I did previously about Python. It was a good feeling :)

Unrelated to the above anecdote, I recently started following the Backend Engineering Show with Hussein Nasser [0], and he makes a lot of these kinds of connections to popular technologies like you described.

EDIT: forgot to add the link!

[0]: https://open.spotify.com/show/55pPBm0l75K28dIqoHIQIc