The way you get better at this is by doing it, a lot. Every time you read such an article, or some one relays such information to you, run the math through your head as much as you can. Make notes of the things you don’t know that prevent you from pushing the thinking further, and methodically learn about those. Don’t think of yourself in terms of particular labels - eg “I’m not much of a physics person” or “I’m a software guy” - your job is to understand the world, solve problems, answer questions.
It’s a constant effort and it’s not easy. It helps to surround yourself with others with the same drive. It helps to teach, as it forces you to constantly reassess the fundamentals, and the common mistakes beginners make (see Feynman’s writing on that topic).