How much of this discussion would have been easily replaced by "most?"
Most programmers above entry-level try to automate away tedious pieces. However, there's an easier explanation for the miserable programmer paradox: most programmers get good at the pieces they enjoy; thus, those pieces take less time. We tend not to get as good at technologies we dislike (Pure human nature -- if you don't like it, you're not going to play around with it as much). Thus, they take longer.
Most programmers above entry-level try to automate away tedious pieces. However, there's an easier explanation for the miserable programmer paradox: most programmers get good at the pieces they enjoy; thus, those pieces take less time. We tend not to get as good at technologies we dislike (Pure human nature -- if you don't like it, you're not going to play around with it as much). Thus, they take longer.