That feeling seems common in hindsight. Everything seems easier, once all the problems have been solved. Related, I enjoy the author's sense of humor:

> I made a prototype and, lo and behold, it was in fact slow, as predicted. (I’m smart.)

And in another article[0], describing an inefficient collision algorithm:

> Mojang’s decision never crossed my mind. I guess I’m not a real programmer.

[0]: https://purplesyringa.moe/blog/ru/minecraft-compares-arrays-...