> the number of times I truly ponder a problem for more than a couple of hours has decreased tremendously
Isn't that a good thing? If you're stuck on the same problem forever, then you're not going to get past it and never move on to the next thing... /shrug
>>nubine+(OP)
Just because a problem takes more than a few hours doesn't mean you'll never get past it. And those are the problems that really grow your abilities.