You ever think about how much time we waste just because nobody tells us this stuff early on? I mean, I was the same way, going to 220 grit without thinking twice because that's what I read in some old book from the 80s. But then I had this job where I was doing a curly maple desk and the stain came out looking like a muddy mess, patchy and weird. I stripped it three times before I gave up and called my buddy who does restoration work. He straight up told me "you're burnishing the wood, stop sanding so much." Now I use 150 for most stained work and only go higher if I'm doing a clear topcoat where I want it glassy smooth. The funny thing is, I still catch myself reaching for that 220 grit out of habit, like muscle memory from years of doing it wrong.

Did you ever watch a senior guy do that and just freeze up wondering if you should speak up? I used to think the code specs were just paranoid overkill until I helped tear down a panel that had been running for three years with cables mashed together like that. Every single signal wire in the bundle had noise issues and half the digital inputs were reading garbage because of crosstalk. That experience really changed my mind about those separation rules.