If I come to inspect your work, you need a reason for everything you've done. Understand it.

If you can, have 2 or 3 solid reasons why you think something is the way it is.

@PrincessOfCats Well, sometimes you do stumble upon something interesting completely by chance (or maybe some spark of intuition you can't exactly explain). I think the main thing then is just to keep poking at it until it becomes clear what's actually happening and why, otherwise, you learn nothing.