I sympathize with what you’re saying, though I would like to point one thing regarding your first part: writing software is sometimes a way to wrap your mind around the problem and think about it. When trying to solve something new I like to start writing code early on because that gives me a canvas on which I can start drafting ideas. It’s more concrete than a whiteboard but can still be very abstract and flexible.

That’s how I identify what I understand and what I don’t.