Best kept secret?

 I started my career behind a large MCI console with a 2" 24 track tape machine and a few racks of out board gear. Now, I have a DAW, a control surface and too many plugins. Don't worry, this is not going to be yet another analog versus digital debate. Sometimes though, I can't help wonder how well I would be able to mix on that old MCI today with all of the limitations compared to using a modern DAW. I also wonder how well my mixes would sound now on the MCI/tape combo with all the knowledge and experience I've gained since my time using them, but.... would the limitations of the work flow, VCA automation only, out board gear limits, input limits all hinder the creative flow?
 Engineers then had preferred consoles much like they have preferred DAW systems. The sound of the console had a lot to do with it, but so did the work flow.  Mixing truly is a right brained experience and removing stuff that gets us out of that mode is a huge plus to creating a creative mixing environment.  Back in the MCI days, if I wanted to try something creative that stretched the limits of the console, I had to disengage from the mix, figure out how to do it...patch it in....figure out why it wasn't working....fix it...try again..back to mixing. Having to jump in and out of the creative flow could not have been good for the continuity of a mix.
 Could this be one of the best kept secrets of the uber-successful mix engineers? Entrench yourself into a studio so the environment never changes, hire a second to do all the non-musical thinking and stay engaged in the mix without distractions.
 I believe that the less we have to use the left side of the brain the better. I've even switched DAWs before because I felt one had me thinking about how to use it too much thus hindering the creative flow. Now, I've even gotten to the point where I turn off the computer monitor when I mix. For me it does make a difference., the less distractions the better.Some engineers even prefer the room to be completely dark when mixing.
 I know that when I have a chance to ask a successful engineers questions about their work, they are usually about gear and techniques. Next time I have that chance again my questions will be about workflow, the best kept secret.
 As for the old MCI...it would be nice to visit, but I like where I am now.