Kind of a hard question to phrase, but are there overlapping patterns that make it easier to remember how to use different grammar points? Like other than just pure memorization, if there was a broad rule or explanation as to why certain grammar points use ます形 while some use 辞書形 etc.,
e.g. if that were the case, then maybe it would be easier to remember “oh it’s a time expression, 過去形 makes sense here”
and then certain types of expressions or ideas would use ます形 and so on and so forth. It’s a lot easier to memorize which form is used if there’s an underlying “why” instead of “that’s just how it is”