There isn't an easy shortcut. Experts exist for reasons. Just like Doctors and other specialists, find a good expert you trust and evaluate their evaluation of the topic.
Doctors rely on an enormous number of heuristics and shortcuts exactly like this.
My wife teaches doctors, and so much of what she does is giving them rules of thumb much like this one.
edit: I want to note that I'm pretty ambivalent on the actual advice of the article, just commenting that doctors in my experience have a truly astounding collection of rules of thumb
An expert in a field tends to be an expert of the rules of thumb, the references to consult when the rule of thumb doesn't deliver the desired results, and the nuances and exceptions that are the art part of 'science and useful arts' for their field.
"Keep at it, it can be frustrating at times but if you keep studying and practicing how to become a better developer, you will become one"
There are no shortcuts in life. You need to work at it. Cognizant practice got me there, and I think it will get you there, too.
I get people asking me how to become a programmer all the time -- and I always say the same thing: You can't talk about it, you need to do it. You need to write programs, writing software will make you a better programmer.
Have opinions on how to write good software, be open about these opinions, but also be aware that they could be bad opinions, misinformed, or lacking greater context.
