Great article! But I think you're missing the main point that you're not a software-development machine - you are a walking, talking, living human. And what you've described is the same decision making process described years ago in books by such renowned authors like Agatha Christie. Admittedly, she wrote fiction - but read at least one novel about Hercules Poirot, and you'll notice a pattern of thinking that is exactly like what you've described. The brilliant Belgian detective with a carefully maintained moustache would gather all evidence, observe everything he could regarding the case he was solving, and eventually find the right answer bubbling up from his subconscious. Same thing with Sherlock Holmes, same with Colombo if you're into all that stuff (I definitely am). Just because you're a software developer doesn't mean you're suddenly not a human anymore. The fact that your subconscious mind gives you the answers is simply how it works, and there's no way around it. For reference, see the Learning How To Learn course on Coursera -
https://www.coursera.org/learn... - luckily they haven't made this one paid-access only, so you can enroll and see the first few videos to learn how your brain... learns, and comes up with conclusions and solutions to the problems you're facing. The most important thing I remember from the course is that our brains work in two states - focused and diffused. In Focused mode you kind of direct your pattern of thought from node to node, you're in control of your thought process but have access to a small database. In diffused (or relaxed) mode, your brain does the work for you, accessing a vast database in your brain that you can't recall using short-term memory. Thus the feeling that solutions, or conclusions come to you, but aren't devised by you.
But if you didn't do the work of accumulating information and gaining experience everyday, your brain wouldn't give you those solutions/conclusions at all. So in reality it is you solving those problems all the time.