I’ve started re-learning how to play a guitar again after a more than 10 year hiatus. It’s a little difficult. I’m not starting with something simple, I’m going for complex. I’m re-learning to play ‘Classical Gas’ by Mason Williams. 

I started by learning the first bar. Just 4 notes. Repeated that a few times then went to the next bar. Then I put the 2 bars together and played then a few times. I repeated this for the 3rd and 4th bars. Iteratively learning and reinforcing what I previously learned. 

I feel the same should be done with development. Build the first bit of functionality. Iterate over and refactor till you are happy. Build the second bit of functionality.  Iterate over that. Review any lessons learned from the previous bit and then move on. Keep continuously improving and when you are finished you should have an app very well built. I know. I know. Easier said than done, but the simple fact that you are trying to improve means you are improving. Eventually you should get to the point where the review you do after writing new functionality should be a cursory glance every now and then and can should take the form of automated tests (but not too early)

You should be confident your code runs well, reads well and be proud. 

Well… That is the dream at least.