I think every previous study of this topic has determined that the best programmers are those that can keep more layers of abstractions in their heads (I'll add a citation when/if I find it).
For me, there are days of brilliance and days of complete distraction. I won't call myself a 10xer but I think much of my success has come because I truly love what I do.
EDIT - I couldn't find a reference to the study I was remembering, but Steve McConnell of "Code Complete" fame has written a blog post describing how flawed the studies he's reviewed have been - http://forums.construx.com/blogs/stevemcc/archive/2011/01/09.... There are links to a lot of interesting sources and he clearly isn't arguing against the idea of dramatic differences in programmer ability ... just sayin'.
I find that programming well, as with much in life, is often a matter of balancing different perspectives or competing priorities.
Can I pay attention to the details without losing sight of the big picture?
Can I do a good job technically, but keep within any other project constraints like budgets and timescales?
Can I write code that is good enough to ship tomorrow, but maintainable enough to work on again next year?
My best work tends to get done when I figure out the right balances. If I let one aspect become too dominant and neglect something else as a result, that’s usually when the problems start.
For me, there are days of brilliance and days of complete distraction. I won't call myself a 10xer but I think much of my success has come because I truly love what I do.
EDIT - I couldn't find a reference to the study I was remembering, but Steve McConnell of "Code Complete" fame has written a blog post describing how flawed the studies he's reviewed have been - http://forums.construx.com/blogs/stevemcc/archive/2011/01/09.... There are links to a lot of interesting sources and he clearly isn't arguing against the idea of dramatic differences in programmer ability ... just sayin'.