That propane backup must have felt like a real letdown.

Got stuck in that same loop last year. Made a pork shoulder that looked like a magazine cover, but the flavor was flat, just like @emmaj33 said. Spent so much time hitting the right temp and color that I forgot to just let it be good. My friends ate it but nobody asked for seconds, you know? Now I focus on the smell and the feel of the meat more than the look.

But what if the sim had been wrong?

You're right about writing sticking better in the brain. I used to type everything on my phone, but I kept forgetting the details. Last month I started using a cheap notebook for meeting notes. The simple act of writing it out by hand makes me actually process the idea, so I remember it without checking my notes later. My phone is still for alerts, but the notebook is for things I need to keep in my head.

My first year as an apprentice, I must have rounded off a dozen of those little screws before my foreman took pity on me. He handed me a 1/4 inch drive and just shook his head. Turns out my whole "more torque is better" plan was a fast track to buying replacement hardware. I felt pretty smart.