I agree. One aspect that catches me out sometimes is that often the first iteration of something is in such obvious need of abstraction that it's hard to let it

I agree. One aspect that catches me out sometimes is that often the first iteration of something is in such obvious need of abstraction that it's hard to let it go for the time being. The reason to do so, of course, is that you don't know what the proper abstraction is yet, but that doesn't make it pleasant.