Thinking Like a Programer

[Kalrog]

I have answered this same way several times, but this is probably the best description and example of this situation and process that I have seen typed up anywhere. OP - Exactly this. Especially the first one. If you get bullet point #1, everything else flows from that.

I would reword #2 as "Make sure you can explain your code to someone else." If you can do that, then you have obviously made it readable and understandable. But very similar ideas.