Fantastic Node!! ++ A couple of suggestion I'd add, some in alignment with some of your own suggestions.

Is your code intuitively simple?: I've only been programming for a little while but one thing I found once I got use to the concepts/ideas the best solutions have a simple-ness about them. And often have less bugs. If you find your solution is a bit convaluted/verbose chances are there is a neater and cleaner way of doing it. By chance, my recent node 375782 is a perfect example of what I mean (a few suggestion but the final solution {thanks to tye} only required two small changes to a problem I'd been considering for quite a while). I love that about programming.

In addition to "Personal Responsibility" Make the effort to solve it yourself: Programming, the knowledge behind and the ability to research it are skills that are acquired in time. The time spent debugging and finding solutions is a skill unto itself. In time this skill develops and you get faster at it. The ability to research for yourself (to be self reliant) is a skill also. Later when you get a problem you can solve it in a matter of moments because of the problem-solving skills you've developed. And trust me this comes from experience ... I've NEVER EVER done a computer course or training. NOT ONE! I'm completely self taught. A skill that now has be challenging even some of the senior technicians at my work.

Take a shower: Hey it works for me! The break from the screen and code gives your mind time to relax, rethink. The water is meditative and soothing. I often walk out of the shower with my mind flowing with new ideas (excuse the pun!) Plus after 12+ hours in front of a monitor the hygiene is probably beneficial. :-)