From Patterns to Frameworks

I'm somewhat surprised, although maybe I shouldn't, that a technical book like "Refactoring" helped me connect the dots with clarity. I noticed this the first time several years ago when I started reading books about personal growth. Very few of them discussed novel ideas, and I was surprised, at times, that some books even existed. The first example that comes to mind is "How to Win Friends and Influence People". It all sounded obvious, but everything was nicely spelled out and rich in examples.

Then I realized this pattern (ironic, uh!) in many other books. Some people have a great ability to distill patterns clearly and deduce frameworks from them. Whether they are technical or societal, it's a similar approach. Every author seems to be able to take a step back and deliberately analyze their actions and the associated outcomes. Then they write it down.

That is how most of the books I read come to exist. It is always fascinating to see patterns emerge, allowing you to better understand how a given system works (e.g., software architecture, leadership). Digging deeper into the "why" and "how" is not something I am used to doing; some behaviors seem natural and logical (e.g., prefer constructive criticism), but they exist for a reason, and there are countless examples of it. If you sit down and discuss WHY constructive criticism matters with someone, you'll get to the bottom of it quickly.

Thoughts

I admire people who slow down and reflect deeply on behaviors and habits. This is an excellent motivation to understand how systems work (e.g., society, software engineering), but to do so, you have to stop and think about it deliberately. I might try rationalizing some of my habits as an exercise, starting with why, how, and some examples.